Chapter 23 - Wyatt
Morning comes faster than I anticipate, but there’s something slow and tender about it that makes me drink it in.
The blinds are half-open as sunlight spills in, casting warm beams across Elena’s bare shoulder. She’s curled on her side, lashes resting against her cheeks while she faces me, centering me with the gentle weight of her on me.
For once, she isn’t guarded or looking for a new angle to poke at. Instead, she’s peaceful. Sleeping like she doesn’t have a worry in the world, which is exactly how I want it to be.
Ignoring the usual urge to get up, I stay still to not wake her, and right here, right now, I’m exactly where I want to be.
With my arm draped over her waist, my hand fits where her hip curves inward, and I idly glide my fingers along her soft skin. I take a slow, content breath and try to commit all of this to memory.
The warmth, the tranquility, and the silent hope that this moment will stretch longer than it should.
Pieces of last night come back in waves, replaying in my mind with crystal clear images: her breath hitching with my movements, her nails biting into my shoulders while I gave her exactly what she wanted, and the way she matched me the entire time.
Before, I would’ve told myself it was inevitable due to the proximity and the pressure around us, but this time, it was different. Too profound to be mistaken for anything else.
Still, I don’t name it even to myself, even if I want more of this than I should.
Elena stirs just enough to draw herself closer, thighs brushing against mine right as my heart clenches. I lighten the brush of my thumb against her side in a barely-there touch, eliciting a soft, sleepy hum from her.
The sound is enough to kick up the urge to touch her further and to pull some moans from her as she wakes up, but I force it down. We were up late, and I know she needs her sleep.
Still, my body reacts anyway, and I angle my hips away from her just enough not to rouse her further, and the idea dances around in my mind.
I could stay a little while longer. At least long enough for her to eventually wake up and potentially be interested in a morning round.
Pulling in a deep breath, I try to keep myself from getting too worked up, but Christ…she undid me completely last night, and those images will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Then, almost like a cruel dose of mockery, my phone vibrates on the nightstand. At first, I ignore it in favour of focusing on how tempting her skin feels against mine, and with the slightest shift, I could—
It buzzes again. Irritated by the interruption, I reach for it with my jaw clenched tight.
Elena grumbles in her sleep, turning over without waking.
With some relief, I grab my phone to see multiple texts from Patch telling me to call him back immediately. Slipping on my boxers from last night with a slight grimace, I step into the hall and close the door before accepting the next call from him.
“What is it?”
“One of the warehouses on the north end has been hit,” Patch says, not mincing words with urgency. “It’s burning.”
It all hits me at once, almost making me stagger. “What?”
“The security system went down twenty minutes ago, and the sprinklers didn’t kick in. It’s already out of control.”
Rage flares through me without warning, burning up the calm state of mind I woke up with, and I grip the phone tighter. “How bad is it?”
“Bad,” he says. “Inventory’s gone, and likely the equipment too. I’m heading there now to see for myself.”
Running a hand through my hair, I pace. “I’m coming.”
“You don’t have to. I’ll take care of it.”
“I said I’m on my way,” I tell him, not willing to let Patch face this one without me, especially without knowing what could be waiting. “I’ll be there in ten.”
Before he can say anything else, I end the call.
For a beat, I consider waking Elena to tell her where I’m going, and to keep her in the loop like she wanted. But then I picture her face twisted up in confusion and worry, and I can’t bring myself to do it. Not when she’s safe and completely soft from sleep.
No… this is something I have to handle without having to convince her of how necessary it is. I can’t waste time.
So, I get myself dressed as quickly as I can, grab my jacket, my pistol, and my keys, then I leave.
I feel cold in her absence throughout the drive as everything blurs together, my mind racing through numbers, logistics, and potential losses from this. All of my warehouses are strategic and profitable, and now, those numbers are dwindling.
The building is engulfed when I arrive, pulling in behind Patch’s truck, and the heat hits me as soon as I step out.
The air is already thick and suffocating, smoke billowing upward in dark plumes. Sirens scream nearby, quickly closing in. Everything smells like burning metal and oil, along with money turning to nothing but ash.
Patch’s face is already set like stone as he barks orders at the few guys around, and when he spots me, his grave expression says everything.
The warehouse is an absolute inferno, with flames eating away at the roof and already blowing most of the windows out. Years of hard work burn in front of me, almost like a taunt.
I might’ve gained allies, but in a cruel twist of fate, I had to lose something too.
“This isn’t a coincidence,” Patch finally mutters, watching as the warehouse continues to glow.
I already know he’s right. It wasn’t an accident, and it wasn’t just an attack.
“Another fucking message,” I return, barely able to stand the fury curling within me. “The Grimaldis have never hit like this before.”
“They’re getting serious now.”
My brows furrow as I catch sight of movement on the left perimeter of the building, close enough to be reckless, but not close enough to get caught in the flames. Then, gunfire cracks through the space, sharp and far too close.
Instinctively, I duck, grabbing at Patch to make him do the same just as bullets spark against nearby metal. At once, men scatter, shouting and arming themselves.
From within those shadows just beyond the firelight, more figures move, taking stances that are far too familiar to ignore.
“They’re pushing in!” Someone shouts, adding to the chaos.
Patch and I round the truck, taking cover as we draw our weapons. The rush of adrenaline is immediate, and there’s no time to think. I can only react.
Peering around the edge, I spot someone running towards us and open fire in controlled bursts. More rush in, and Patch backs me, not letting up on them.
“Don’t let them any closer!” I call out, teeth gritting as we manage to take out the ones nearest. Our reciprocated gunfire flashes through the smoke as we leave the truck’s cover, sliding along the wide lane between my burning warehouse and the neighbouring one, all while watching for more of them.
My ears ring and my heart pounds, but I move on instinct, focusing on clearing every inch.
As much as I never wanted it to be, this is my world. This is the modest empire I built for myself despite how the very same work nearly got me killed once already.
I did it all in the hope of getting my sister back, only to realize the truth. And now, the woman who captured more of me than I was ever willing to give has to wake up alone while I deal with the damage. While I’m getting shot at and chasing down a group of men who are hellbent on killing me.
Just as a round grazes the ground by my foot, I press up against a cement block and return fire, forcing my mind back into focus.
The attacker retreats, disappearing into the smoke, and surely somewhere behind the building. It seems they’re all heading that way. At least, the ones who manage to make it out again.
Sirens grow louder now as the fire crews scramble to contain the blaze before it can wipe out any more places.
“They’re fleeing,” I call back to Patch and whoever’s around to hear it. “We need to follow.”
“It’s time for pressure,” he says, reloading with practiced ease as he falls into step with me, eyes sharp.
I wipe the sweat from my face and push forward. “Take out as many as you can. If Orlando and his men want this place to go down, then they can go down with it.”
Patch nods as determination ripples through him.
Moving out of sight from the first responders, we keep hidden as well as we can despite the daylight, hunting the Grimaldi forces like the animals they are.
Despite trying to focus on the task at hand, my mind keeps replaying the timing. The video, the warning, the obvious escalation…
Whether this is solely about Elena or an amalgamation of all the reasons they hate me, it doesn’t seem to matter. Not when they’ve crossed a line they won’t ever come back from.
And while I chase them down, firing the moment they come back into view, I have to swallow back the fact that somewhere across the city, Elena is alone and unaware that a piece of my empire is burning.