I stare at my laptop screen, listening to the dial tone ring out and watching the little row of dots blink across the screen. It finally cuts out, and the screen goes black before Nero comes into view.

“Rafael.”

“I’m in.”

His expression softens for a moment, though he quickly hides the relief. “Good.”

“I need to know the plan.”

He nods. “I need a place that’s remote. This will get messy if there’re too many people around. You said you have a house that no one knows about.”

I lean back in my chair. If I lead the Russian here to this house and this fails, he’ll know where the house is. But honestly, if we fail, then we’re all fucked either way. “What are you thinking?”

The screen shifts and comes to rest on Una. I don’t even know how I feel about her, but I sure as shit don’t like her.

“I’m going to tell Nicholai that my son is in the house. He’ll assume it’s heavily defended. He’ll send the bulk of his force in.”

“How many?” Anna was right. Just business, that’s all this is, though we both know we’re ignoring the elephant in the room.

“I don’t know yet. But while I deal with them, you and Nero handle Nicholai himself. He’ll have no more than ten as his personal guard.”

“Oh, ten Elite? Is that all?” I snort.

“We’ll need weapons,” Nero says, turning the screen back to him. “She goes back to Russia tonight. We can assume he’ll move fast.”

“Weapons I can do. I have to ask though, is Una is going to single-handedly take down enough Elite to overrun my villa?”

Nero looks somber. “She’ll have help.”

I nod. “Okay then.”

“And Rafael.” Una appears over Nero’s shoulder. “I want my sister safe.”

I bristle instantly. “She’s safe with me.”

“She’s not safe anywhere near Nicholai,” Una snaps.

“I don’t think you’re in any position to make demands where Anna is concerned, do you?” Nero lifts a brow, and I stare him down. I don’t give a fuck who Una is or whether she birthed Jesus Christ himself; she’s insane. She hurt Anna. That’s as much as I need to know.

“Rafael can look after Anna,” Nero cuts in. “He did get her away from Nicholai.”

“I don’t give—”

“At great cost to himself. He’s not going to put her in any kind of danger.” I nod at him, and he returns the gesture. “Una goes back tonight. I’ll fly down tomorrow. We’ll have no notice other than when they land.”

“Great.” He hangs up, and I close the laptop.

Keep Anna safe. That seems to be getting harder and harder.

Standing, I leave the office and make my way upstairs. The house is quiet, aside from the guards silently standing at every exterior doorway. Ever since the Sinaloa upped their levels of violence, we’ve been on high alert with doubled guard rotations.

I climb the stairs and quietly push open the bedroom door. The room is dark, with only a slice of moonlight cutting through the room. Anna always sleeps with the balcony doors open. I think she likes the fresh air after so many years without it. I love when she wakes up in the morning, the sun dancing over her skin and that small smile on her lips. I love the way she stretches like a cat sunbathing in its favorite spot. I go to the balcony doorway and take out a cigar, lighting it. I suck the smoke deep into my lungs, holding it there until that sweet, toxic burn works its way through my chest. I exhale, and the smoke disappears into the night sky as though it never was. And there I stand, smoking as I watch my little warrior sleep—my favorite habit.

The sheets are tossed to the side, revealing her long, toned legs and the white lace underwear she has on. The moonlight plays through the golden strands of her hair, turning them silver, and for a second, she could be her sister. Except she’s not. With a sigh, I pinch the bridge of my nose. I need to get her away from here before Nicholai comes because honestly, if this goes wrong, we could all die. But not her. I can’t let her die. The thought of being separated from her has an icy cold fear settling into my gut, eating away at any sense of selflessness. It terrifies me. Losing her terrifies me. If I send her away, I might lose her. If I keep her here, I’m every bit as likely to seal her fate. I think of Una as selfish and disturbed, but at least she wants Anna safe.

I flick my cigar over the edge of the balcony and move closer to the bed, stripping my pants and shirt as I go. As soon as I slide beneath the sheets, she’s rolling toward me like gravity, even in sleep. I wrap an arm around her, pulling her to my chest as I inhale her scent.

“Rafael?” she whispers.

“Yeah, baby?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I trail my fingers over her side.

“You’re a bad liar.” She turns her face and kisses my chest. Fuck, she’s so sweet, so pure and innocent. I can’t allow her to be dragged into this shit. She’s suffered enough.

“Let’s not talk about it.” I roll on top of her, and she blinks up at me with eyes so utterly trusting. I brush my lips over hers, and a small sigh escapes her.

“Did you talk to Nero?”

“Uh huh.” I kiss her harder until all she can think of, all she can feel, is me. Her fingers rake through my hair, her body bowing beneath me. She’s so supple, so pliant under my hold. But only for me. She’s mine, and she’ll never belong to anyone else.

She slides her hand over my mouth, a smirk dancing over lips as she pushes me back an inch. “What did he say?”

I groan and roll onto my back. “He’s flying down here tomorrow. They’re using the villa. Nicholai will probably attack in the next few days.”

She sits up, sweeping her hair away from her face. “Here? In days?”

“I’m sending you away,” I say, fixing my gaze on the ceiling.

“What?”

“I’m sending you to the mansion with a guard detail.”

She swings a leg over my hips, climbing on top of me. Her fingers grip my jaw, forcing me to look at her. A frown pulls at her features, but I can see the panic in her eyes. She’s scared.

“I don’t want to go to the mansion.”

“Avecita, I can’t have you near Nicholai. If this goes wrong…”

“What? What happens if this goes wrong, Rafael?”

I inhale a deep breath. “We all die,” I whisper.

She closes her eyes, her hair falling over her face like a curtain. I stroke it back behind her ear, trailing my fingers over the soft skin of her cheek as I do. “You’ll never be safe as long as he lives. Your sister, her son—”

“I don’t care about them,” she cuts me off.

“You don’t mean that. Even if you can’t bring yourself to feel for Una right now, you wouldn’t want anything to happen to her child. And I can’t let anything happen to the cartel.”

Her hand tenses on my chest, nails digging into my skin. “Let’s just run. You and me. We can leave this.”

I cup her cheek. “The cartel is my family. I’m their leader. I won’t leave them like this. It was me who brought this danger down on them. They never should have been involved in any kind of fight with the Russians.”

“But you are—because of me.”

“No. We’re here because of decisions I made.” I pull her gaze to mine. “Decisions I do not regret for a second.”

“You should have left me there,” she whispers.

“If I could think rationally when it comes to you, maybe I would have. If there were even a choice, maybe I would have made a different one.” She nods solemnly. “But I can’t be rational when it comes to you. There’s never a choice.”

She places her trembling hand on my cheek. “I can’t leave you. So don’t ask me to.”

“I won’t put you in danger.”

“We’re always in danger. It’s the life we live, but I’d rather die with you than live without you.”

“Anna…”

“You’re the only thing that has ever made sense, Rafe. You’re the only one that has ever made this life feel like something worth living.”

Fuck, she rips me apart, and she doesn’t even know it. I don’t want her away from me even though I know it’s selfish. She doesn’t want to go. I should force her, consequences be damned, but truthfully, if the situation were reversed, I wouldn’t leave her.

“Ride or die then?”

A small smile pulls at her lips. “Always.” She leans forward and cups my face with both hands before kissing me. Her lips are soft and sweet, her teeth grazing my bottom lip. She’s so curious, so trusting, and yet completely unaware of how sexy she is.

I flip her onto her back and settle between her thighs. “It’s been a while since I had a taste of you, little warrior.” Her cheeks stain pink under the silvery moonlight, and I smirk. So innocent.

I drag her underwear down her legs, and she squirms against the mattress. “Rafe. You don’t—” Her breathy moan cuts off her words, and I groan at the taste of her. Fuck. I’ll never get enough of her—never need anyone else. She’s like crack, and I’m permanently craving my high.

This right here is everything worth fighting for. Ride or die.

* * *

“I’m having the Hummers brought up,” Samuel says as soon as I walk into the kitchen in the morning. “Carlos has called in men from the city, but I don’t think there will be enough.”

Anna quietly slides away from me and goes to the coffee machine. Maria is bustling around the kitchen pretending she hears nothing as usual. She kisses Anna’s cheek and ushers her to a seat before making the coffee herself. “Anna and I will handle that,” I say.

She looks up at me, her brows pulling together. “We will?”

I say nothing, taking the mug of coffee that Maria hands me. “Nero will be here within the next few hours,” I say to Samuel while staring at my phone. “If I’m not back, start making preparations. Give him whatever he needs.”

Samuel nods. “You need some men?”

“No. I’ll go alone.”

He flashes me a disapproving look. It’s not safe in Juarez right now. The city is a war zone, but I need to seem trusting and approachable if I’m to get the extra men we need. Anna will help.