Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
Layla
I made my way to the White Room alone, my footsteps echoing in the empty corridor. The air grew colder as I descended the stairs, goosebumps pricking my skin despite the warmth of the day above. It’d been three days since we returned, and I’d been so preoccupied with preparations for our little trip to the precinct, and funeral arrangements for Raul, that I hadn’t had time to get down here.
I paused at the heavy steel door, my hand hovering over the keypad. The familiar sequence of numbers felt foreign under my fingertips, as if I were entering this room for the first time. Tomasso was nowhere to be seen today. I’d placed him somewhere else specifically so I could do this alone.
The lock disengaged with a soft hiss, and I pushed the door open. Gage sat on a cot in the far corner, his broad shoulders hunched as he stared at the floor. He wasn't restrained. His wrists bore angry red marks where handcuffs had bitten into his flesh, but now he was free. Or as free as one could be in a room designed for torture and interrogation. But he was clean, and there was an empty plate on a small card table next to the cot, and a pitcher of water too.
As the door clicked shut behind me, Gage's head snapped up. His eyes, once warm and filled with affection, now regarded me warily.
"I hope you've been comfortable," I continued, gesturing to the water and empty plate. "I made sure you were taken care of."
Gage's lips twisted in a bitter smile. "How considerate of you. Is this where you tell me it doesn't have to be this way? That if I just cooperate, everything will be fine?"
I crossed my arms over my chest. "No. This is where I tell you that you’ve put us both in a very difficult position, and I’ve been struggling with how to handle it."
He leaned back against the wall, his eyes never leaving mine. "I thought you were going to kill me? You caught me, right? You gave me the chance to run, and I came running back instead.” He stood slowly until he towered over me. “Here I am, Lala. You got me.”
"Killing you would be the easy way out," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "For both of us."
Gage's eyes narrowed. "Then what's your plan? Keep me locked up down here forever?"
I shook my head. "No. I'm here to give you a choice." He laughed, a harsh sound that echoed off the bare walls. I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "You can stay here, locked away, until I figure out what to do with you. Or..."
"Or?" Gage prompted, a hint of curiosity creeping into his voice as he tilted his head.
"Or you can come work for me," I said, the words rushing out before I could second-guess myself. "Not as an equal. Not as a partner. But as someone who knows too much to be let go, and too valuable to waste."
He just blinked at me, as if his brain was taking a bit too long to comprehend what I’d just suggested.
“But you have to do something for me first,” I added. “Something that will prove to me just how much you really regret betraying me.”
He took a step closer. "Anything," he said without hesitation. "I'll do anything, Layla. Just... just give me a chance to make this right." There was a sudden desperation in his eyes.
I smiled. “We're taking down your headquarters. Every single agent, every person who ever knew your name—they're all going down." I stepped closer, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body. "And you're going to help me get inside and do it efficiently. I want to see you put a bullet in some heads yourself. Prove to me that you’re loyal. That you love me the way I think you do.”
Gage's face contorted, a mix of shock and something else—was it excitement?—flashing across his features. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "You want me to kill my own guys?"
"Every last one of them. With help, of course."
For a moment, I thought he might refuse. But then, something shifted.
"Alright," he said. “I'll burn it all down for you then.”
I couldn't help the smile that crept across my face. This was it—the moment I'd been waiting for. The final test of his loyalty. My stomach did several flips.
"Good," I purred, reaching out to cup his cheek. "I knew you'd see things my way." He closed his eyes and sucked in a shaky breath, leaning his face into my palm. "You know this changes everything, right? There's no going back after this."
He opened his eyes and smiled wickedly, a hint of the old Gage shining back at me. "That's exactly what I'm counting on."
I checked my watch for what felt like the hundredth time. 7:58 AM. In just minutes, we'd set our plan in motion. River sat hunched over a laptop, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he finalized the last details of our cyber assault. Beside him, Alex monitored a bank of screens showing various camera feeds from around the precinct.
"Tate just entered the building," Alex murmured, his voice tight with focus. "Looks like he's right on schedule."
When I gave the signal in a few moments, Alex and River would have the power grid for the entire block shut down, and we’d move in.
I nodded, a grim smile tugging at my lips. I met Vinny and Tomasso’s eyes and gave them a sharp nod. They filed out of the van, tapping twice on the hood as they left. We had four more vehicles parked up and down the street, full of enforcers ready for carnage.
Gage stood beside me, his jaw clenched tight enough that I could see a muscle ticking in his cheek. He was dressed in full tactical gear, just like the rest of us. I couldn’t help but think how much better he looked in non-police issued gear. The cop life just didn’t suit a man like him. He belonged in the underworld with me. This was his final chance to actually prove it.
The previous evening, Sarge had confided in me about the men Gage had killed at the cabin during the ambush. They could have been men he knew. Sarge also mentioned that Gage had yelled my name while indiscriminately shooting, trying to reach me. That was why he was given this opportunity.
I scanned the van, making eye contact with each of my men individually. "These bastards tried to sabotage us from within, and when that failed, they attempted to cheat. Let's go fuck em’ up."
Alex grinned wickedly, and Sarge cocked his weapon, nodding curtly. River stared at me, waiting for my signal, ready and willing to do whatever I said. These men would follow me into the darkness with blindfolds on if I asked them to, and I’d do the fucking same.
As we approached the precinct, I saw Tate emerge from the front doors. Right on cue. He caught my eye and gave an almost imperceptible nod before turning and walking briskly down the street.
"Now," I said into my comm so that every one of my enforcers could hear.
The effect was instantaneous. Every light in the field office building flickered and died. Car alarms blared to life up and down the block as their systems triggered all at once. Chaos erupted as confused civilians stumbled out of nearby buildings, blinking in the sudden darkness. They’d clog up the streets, making sure nobody got through. Traffic lights were off, and the screech of tires of pavement echoed down the street.
We moved swiftly, our team splitting into pre-assigned groups. Some went around back, some to the side exits. Gage led my team, his familiarity with the building layout guiding us through lesser-known corridors. He’d gone over the blueprint of the building last night, so we all had a rough idea of where to go when things got messy.
I’d given my enforcers strict instructions. Limit casualties to feds only. No civilian kills unless it was unavoidable. I wasn’t an idiot. Important people came and went through this building, and some of them were clients of ours. We couldn’t afford to make any unnecessary enemies. This was a retaliation mission only and then we’d get the fuck out.
Chaos erupted as we breached the building. The emergency backup generators kicked in, bathing everything in an eerie red glow, reminding me of the basement room these fuckers locked us up in. Alarms blared, their shrill wails echoing off the marble floors and high ceilings.
We moved swiftly, our boots squeaking on the polished surface as we fanned out. Screams and shouts echoed through the halls, punctuated by the sharp crack of gunfire. I caught glimpses of my enforcers in action as we pushed forward. The men worked in perfect sync, covering each other as they systematically cleared offices. Their movements were fluid, almost graceful, as they took down agent after agent with cold efficiency.
To my left, I saw Diego shove a terrified secretary into a supply closet, slamming the door shut behind her. Good. We didn't need any unnecessary casualties, and I didn’t need trigger-happy idiots on my payroll.
Gage moved like a man possessed, as he led us deeper into the building. Every so often, he'd pause, raising a closed fist to signal us to stop. Then he'd peek around a corner, fire off a few precise shots, and we'd move on.
As we reached the second floor, a group of agents burst out of a conference room, guns drawn. One of them paused as his gaze landed on Gage. He opened his mouth to say his name I presumed, but I took the shot, putting him down before he had the chance to scream.
We fought our way up through the building, floor by floor, leaving a trail of bodies and spent shell casings in our wake. The stench of coppery blood hung heavy in the air, mingling with the acrid smell of smoke from small fires that had broken out during the chaos.
As we reached the fourth floor, Gage held up a hand, signaling us to pause. "My office is on the next level," he said, his voice tight with tension. "That's where the senior agents will be holed up. They'll have fortified positions, heavy weaponry. It won't be easy."
I exchanged glances with Sarge, Alex, and River. We were all thinking the same thing—was this a trap? Had Gage led us here to walk right into an ambush?
"After you," I said coldly, gesturing towards the stairwell with my gun.
He just nodded, understanding the implicit threat. He'd be the first one through that door, the first to take fire if this was a setup. We ascended the stairs in tense silence, our footsteps echoing off the concrete walls. As we reached the landing, Gage paused, his hand on the door handle. He took a deep breath, then pushed it open.
The hallway beyond was eerily quiet. The red emergency lights made it difficult to see. The silence was shattered by a sudden burst of gunfire. Bullets whizzed past us, pinging off the metal door frame. Gage dove to the side, taking cover behind a large potted plant. The rest of us scattered, pressing ourselves against the walls on either side of the doorway.
"Goddamnit, Warren!" a voice bellowed from down the hall. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
One of his old buddies, I presumed. Maybe it was this Tate guy I’d been hearing so fucking much about. The motherfucker didn’t even show his face when we’d been thrown in the basement, so I had no idea what he looked like.
Gage's jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his cheek. He took a deep breath, then shouted back, his voice raw with emotion. "You should have thought about that before going off the books, you fucking idiots! Sarah's death is on your hands!"
There was a moment of stunned silence from down the hall. Then another voice, thick with disbelief, called out. "Sarah's dead? What the fuck are you talking about, Warren?"
"Your little ambush went sideways," Gage snarled, his knuckles white as he gripped his weapon. "She took a bullet meant for me. And for what? Some half-assed revenge plot?"
We inched forward, using the cover of overturned furniture and potted plants. The hallway opened up into a large, open-plan office space filled with cubicles. I could see movement behind the flimsy partitions—agents taking cover, their weapons trained on our position.
"You fucking traitor!" someone shouted.
Another voice chimed in, dripping with venom. "Look at you now, Warren. Playing lapdog to that cartel whore. Was her pussy really worth throwing away your entire career?"
Gage's face contorted with rage. "You don't know shit!" he roared. "Charlie and Leon died because they were being reckless! I told them to back the fuck off. I had it under control!" He took a shot, aiming for the closest cubicle and we heard a low curse from whoever was back there.
Bullets whizzed past us as the agents returned fire. I ducked behind an overturned desk, my heart pounding. Through the chaos, I heard a voice shout back at Gage. "Bullshit! They died because you couldn't keep it in your pants! You got too close to that bitch and it compromised everything. Charlie and Leon were good men. They didn't deserve to die because you couldn't resist playing house with a murderer!"
The words seemed to hit Gage like physical blows. I watched as he flinched, his resolve wavering for just a moment. Then his eyes met mine, and something shifted in his gaze. The doubt vanished, replaced by a cold, lethal focus.
"Maybe you’re right," he said, his voice eerily calm. "Maybe I’m a monster now too.”
Gage's words hung in the air for a moment before all hell broke loose. The agents behind the cubicles opened fire, a hail of bullets tearing through the flimsy partitions. We dove for cover as we returned fire.
I rolled behind a filing cabinet. To my left, I saw River take down two agents with precision headshots, his face a mask of cold lethality. Alex was pinned down behind an overturned desk, trading shots with an agent who'd taken cover in a corner office.
Sarge charged forward, using an office chair as a makeshift shield. He plowed through the group of agents, sending them crashing to the ground before throwing the chair to the side. His fists were adorned with a matching set of brass knuckles, delivering brutal blows to an agent’s face over and over again. The sickening sound of bones breaking echoed through the chaos.
I popped up from behind my cover, squeezing off three rapid shots. An agent went down, clutching his throat as blood spurted between his fingers. Another stumbled, my bullet catching him in the thigh. The third shot went wide as I ducked to avoid return fire.
As I moved to take another shot, a searing pain exploded in my left shoulder. The impact spun me around, my back slamming against the filing cabinet. For a moment, the world tilted dizzyingly, sound muffling as if I were underwater. I blinked, struggling to focus as warm blood trickled down my arm.
"Layla!" Sarge's voice cut through the fog, raw with panic. "Layla's hit!"
I gritted my teeth, pressing my hand against the wound. The bullet had torn through muscle, but I could still move my arm. It hadn't hit bone or any major arteries. The pain was intense, radiating outward in pulsing waves, but manageable.
"I'm fine!" I shouted back, my voice steadier than I felt. "It's just a graze. Keep going!"
Alex appeared at my side, his eyes feral with panic as he took in the blood seeping between my fingers. "Fuck, Lala?—"
"I said I'm fine," I growled, pushing him away. "Don't lose focus." We couldn’t afford to lose our fucking hears. If any one of my men were killed today, I’d wage war on this entire fucking city.
He hesitated for a split second before nodding grimly and returning to the fight. I sucked in a deep breath, using the pain to sharpen my focus.
Gage vaulted over an overturned desk, bullets whizzing past him as he charged towards the corner office where a man had taken cover. His eyes were wild, filled with a manic fury I'd never seen before.
"Tate!" Gage bellowed, kicking in the office door with bone-shattering force. The wood splintered, hanging off its hinges as Gage stormed inside.
I struggled to my feet, ignoring the burning pain in my shoulder as I moved to follow him. Through the shattered doorway, I could see Tate scrambling backwards, his face pale and his eyes wild as Gage advanced on him.
"Gage, wait—" Tate started, his hands raised in a placating gesture. He was such a startlingly normal looking man. Short brown hair, pale skin and blue eyes. So fucking average. "We can talk about this?—"
"Talk?" Gage snarled, his voice dripping with venom. "You want to fucking talk now?" He grabbed Tate by the collar, slamming him against the wall hard enough to rattle the framed certificates hanging there. “We’re way past that now. You fucked up, man. You fucked up real bad when you shot the woman I love.”
Love… He was for real right now. I could fucking feel it.I knew without a shred of doubt in my fucking body that he was legit. In that split second, every moment I ever spent in his arms replayed in my head. Every touch, every kiss, every fuck. Every time I told him it could never be more. It was because I was afraid of what it might mean for me to fall in love.
But it was too late for that now, wasn’t it? Because I couldn’t even lie to myself anymore. I stepped into the office, my gun trained on Tate. Blood dripped steadily from my wounded shoulder, but I ignored it. This was too important to miss.
Tate's gaze flicked between Gage and me, desperation clear in his eyes. "Gage, buddy, listen to me. We can fix this. We can make it right. Just... just put the gun down and we'll talk it out. Like old times, remember?"
Gage's hand tightened around Tate's collar, his knuckles white. For a moment, the only sound in the office was their ragged breathing and the muffled chaos from the hallway beyond. Tate's eyes were wide with fear, darting between Gage's face and the gun pressed against his temple.
Gage's finger tightened on the trigger, and I saw the exact moment he decided to kill his friend. In that instant, I knew what I had to do.
The sound of my gunshot was deafening in the confined space. Tate's head snapped back, a spray of crimson misting the air. The bullet had struck him square between the eyes, ending his life instantly. His body went limp in Gage's grasp, sliding down the wall to crumple in an undignified heap on the floor.
Gage stumbled backward, his eyes wide as he stared at Tate's lifeless form. Slowly, he turned to face me, his expression a complex mix of emotions—relief, gratitude, and a hint of grief. But mostly relief.
Something unspoken passed between us—an understanding. The test was over. He’d proven himself, willing to go through with it, but I’d spared him the final, irrevocable act.
Blood trickled down my arm, staining my tactical gear a darker shade of black. The pain in my shoulder throbbed in time with my racing heartbeat, but I barely noticed it. All my focus was on Gage.
The gunshots outside the office gradually tapered off, replaced by an eerie silence broken only by the occasional groan of the wounded. Motes of dust danced in the dim emergency lighting.
I stared and Gage and he stared at me, his chest heaving. Then, as if a damn had broken, he stalked towards me with predatory grace, each step deliberate and purposeful. The distance between us seemed to shrink impossibly fast. Before I could react, his hands were on me, large palms cupping my face with surprising gentleness.
For a heartbeat, we stood there, our ragged breaths mingling in the sliver of space between us. Then his lips crashed into mine.
The kiss was brutal and desperate. It tasted of blood and heartbreak. Gage's fingers tangled in my hair, tugging just hard enough to send sparks of pleasure-pain shooting down my spine.
Gage's hands moved down my body, gripping my thighs and lifting me effortlessly. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me to the large oak desk in the center of the office. With one powerful sweep of his arm, he sent papers, folders, and a computer monitor crashing to the floor.
The sound of shattering electronics barely registered as Gage laid me on the desk's cool surface. His hands were everywhere, leaving smears of blood on my skin. I could feel the sticky wetness of my own blood seeping from the wound in my shoulder, mingling with the sweat and grime that coated both our bodies. The metallic scent of it filled my nostrils.
Now wasn’t the time, but I couldn’t stop. The bloodlust was rampant, and my need for him had to be sated. Dimly, I heard the office door close with a soft click. Someone had shut it, giving us privacy, but I couldn't bring myself to care who it was. All that mattered was Gage's hands on my body, his lips hot against my throat.
I fumbled with the straps of his tactical vest, my fingers slick with blood as I struggled to remove the heavy garment. Gage shrugged it off impatiently before attacking the buttons of his shirt. Unwilling to wait, I gripped the fabric and yanked, sending buttons flying across the room.
Scooting off the desk I turned around, placing my palms on the desk. Gage's hands moved to my waistband, fingers hooking under the fabric of my pants. With a swift tug, he yanked them down over my hips.
He growled low in his throat, cursing under his breath. The clink and scrape of his belt coming undone had me nearly grinding back onto him.
I propped myself up on my elbows, wincing slightly at the pain in my wounded shoulder. But the discomfort faded to background noise as he spread my legs wider, fisting my hair hard and lined himself up with my wet pussy.
With one powerful thrust, Gage buried himself inside me. I cried out, my back arching as he stretched and filled me completely. The burn of the sudden intrusion mingled with waves of pleasure.
He didn't give me time to adjust. He withdrew almost completely before slamming back in, setting a brutal pace. The desk creaked and groaned beneath us, inching forward with each thrust. Papers scattered across the floor, crunching under our feet.
I braced myself against the desk, my fingers scrabbling for purchase on the smooth surface. Gage's hand fisted in my hair, yanking my head back as he pounded into me relentlessly.
"Fuck, Lala," Gage growled, his voice rough and raw. "You feel so goddamn good."
"Harder," I demanded, pushing back to meet his thrusts.
Gage growled, the sound utterly possessive. He released my hair, his hand moving to grip the back of my neck instead. With a swift movement, he shoved me down, pressing my cheek against the cool wood of the desk. I cried out, my nails digging into the desk as waves of pleasure crashed over me.
Gage's other hand gripped my hip bruisingly tight, holding me in place as he pounded into me with animalistic fervor. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room.
"That's it, take it," Gage growled, his voice strained with exertion. "Take every fucking inch, baby." I could feel the tension building, coiling tighter and tighter in my core. My walls clenched around him, drawing a guttural groan from Gage's throat. "Gonna come for me, Lala?" he panted, his rhythm faltering slightly. "Gonna come all over my cock?"
All I could do was moan. I couldn’t even form words. He shifted slightly, changing the angle of his thrusts. The new position had him hitting my g-spot with each stroke, and I knew I wouldn't last much longer.
Gage's thrusts became even more frenzied, his fingers digging into my flesh hard enough to leave bruises. The pain mingled exquisitely with the mounting pleasure, pushing me closer and closer to the edge.
"Lala," he growled, his voice raw and desperate. "Fuck, Lala, I'm yours. Do you hear me? I'll worship you like a fucking goddess for the rest of my life."
His words sent a jolt of electricity through me. I turned my head, meeting his intense gaze over my shoulder. His eyes were wild, pupils blown wide.
"Say it again—" I hissed, needing to hear it.
"I'm yours," Gage repeated, punctuating each word with a powerful thrust. "I'm fucking yours, baby."
I cried out Gage's name, my body convulsing as I came hard. Gage followed me over the edge with a guttural roar. His hips stuttered, grinding deep as he emptied himself inside me. I could feel the hot pulse of his cum, filling me as his cock throbbed.
He fucked me slowly through the aftershocks, then Gage withdrew slowly, eliciting a small whimper from me at the loss. In one fluid motion, he spun me around to face him. His lips crashed into mine, the kiss deep and hungry.
One hand tangled in my hair while the other gripped my hip, pulling me flush against him. I could taste the salt of our mingled sweat, feel the rapid beat of his heart against my chest.
Gage rested his forehead against mine. His eyes were almost black. They searched my face intently, as if memorizing every detail. "I love you, Lala," he said softly. "God fucking help me, I fucking love you."