Dad and I stood toe to toe, our eyes locked in a battle of wills. I’d always done as he’d asked, as he demanded, except when it came to Jillian. I’d just managed to get her back on my home turf, in my apartment, in my arms. Getting her back into my life and back into my bed—not just the wall—permanently were next on my to-do list. Not necessarily in that order, but still one step at a time. My sister lived in Jersey—not too far from my parents, but not exactly convenient for me to drop in to see Jillian whenever I wanted. Or to seduce her in the shower.

Then Jillian spoke up and surprised us both.

“Maybe you should ask Jillian what she wants, since it affects her life, instead of talking about her like she’s not in the room.” Jillian placed her hands on her hips, her hard gaze darting back and forth between us.

“Jillian, cara, when it comes to the family—” Dad started to object.

“But I’m not part of the family. When Damon pulled his bullshit and kicked me out of his life, I did as he said and stayed away. The family brought me back to New York, but that doesn’t make me a part of it.

“I’ll stay with Carrie. We haven’t been here long, so my clothes are still packed. It should be easy enough to move the only belongings I have left.”

She knocked the air out of my lungs with her declaration. Even though we hadn’t officially made up, I still didn’t expect her to choose my sister over me after our intense reconnection. While I stood there staring at her with my bottom jaw hanging open like a fucking fool, she avoided making eye contact with me. When I finally collected my thoughts enough to close my mouth, it was to grind my teeth together so hard I couldn’t speak even if she looked at me.

My sister, however, was thrilled.

Carrie’s pleased smile was practically permanently inked on her face. At least she had the decency not to blatantly flaunt her victory in front of me, and I couldn’t very well be mad at Carrie when her happiness was genuine. Still, how I’d ever overcome that hurdle and win Jillian back for good was unclear.

All I could see was her slipping even further away from me.

The big and little things in her pregnancy I’d miss out on—that I’d already missed.

Seeing her every day, spending time with her every night—everything I wanted for us suddenly became a pipe dream.

“I’m sorry, Damon, but I’m really excited to finally have a sister. I’ve been the only girl in a testosterone-dominated family for far too long.” Carrie hugged Jillian around the neck. “And I hear I’m going to be an aunt soon. I can’t wait!”

Jillian returned Carrie’s smile, her radiant face driving that knife further into my chest.

Dad gave his men orders to take Jillian’s suitcases down to his car before turning back to me. “This is for the best, son. Trust me.”

With a firm set to my jaw, I answered with a single nod. There was nothing else I could say or do at that point without causing an unnecessary scene. Jillian had made her choice, and it wasn’t me. I’d have to learn to live with the consequences of my actions, and not having her in my home was just one aspect of it. I had a sinking feeling I’d have a lot more restitution to repay before anything real changed between us.

When they walked to the door, I fell in line behind Jillian. So many words were on the tip of my tongue, but none came out. So many thoughts flew through my mind, but the only one I latched on to was how much I didn’t want her to leave. But I had no choice but to let her go. She had to find her way back to me, and I had to earn her trust again. The only way out of this fucking fiasco was to prove to her that she wanted me as much as I wanted her.

Dad and Carrie walked on to the elevator, but Jillian stopped just outside my door. She turned and looked at me, her gaze finally meeting mine again. I could easily get lost in the emotions swirling in her emerald green eyes. She was conflicted and guarded, but concern for me was still buried in there.

“Thank you for saving me again this morning, and for getting me out of there in one piece. I wouldn’t have made it out of my house if it weren’t for you, much less out of the state.”

“You don’t have to leave here, Jillian. You can stay with me. What happened to the woman who was just in the other room with me? Where did she go?”

Her eyes flicked up to mine, a new warning shining in her emerald gleam. “It hurts, doesn’t it? To believe you mean more to someone, only to find out you don’t. Remember this feeling, Damon. Remember the confusion it brings, too. Maybe you’ll feel a fraction of what I’ve felt.”

“Ruthless. Cunning. Vindictive. Are you sure you’re not already a Marchetti?” I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted one eyebrow in challenge. So, she wanted to inflict pain on me. Score one for Jilly.

“I can’t stay here with you, Damon. Maybe I do still want you, but I’m not sure I even want to be around you right now. I’m definitely not ready to move in with you and have a permanent reminder of everything that’s happened. You’ve been back in my life for a few short days, and in those few days, I’ve already had my house shot up and my life turned upside down. What happened in that room was only sex—we fulfilled a need we both had. Don’t read more into it than it was.”

She was lying. But the point was she wanted to hurt me. She wanted her revenge against me, and that was just one jab she could get in. The other was to leave my place and go to my sister’s house, even though she was probably still scared of Lorenzo finding her. But she wanted to establish her independence, to show she didn’t need me, to prove she could make it without me.

“Lorenzo has no idea who he’s up against. If he did, he’d probably run the other way, afraid for his life.”

“That’s what you should do too. Run far away from me.”

“Never going to happen, doll. I’ll never give up on you. And don’t think for a second Lorenzo will either. He won’t stop until you’re dead.”

“I know he won’t. Be careful out there, Damon. I don’t want anything to happen to you. It would break your mother’s heart.”

“Don’t worry about me, doll. I’ll be fine. You’re the one I’m worried about. I won’t get any sleep tonight, wondering if you’re okay. Call me if you need me for anything at all. It doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is, I’ll be there in half a second for you.”

“Damon.” Her whisper held so many meanings, so many words. So many feelings.

The elevator opened, and I watched her walk away, her steps slow and her head shaking from side to side. She joined Carrie and Dad before turning to face me as the doors closed. Then she was gone.

“What do you want to do now, boss?” Benny asked from behind me.

“I want to put an end to this. It’s time to remind Lorenzo who he’s fucking with once and for all.”

Benny and I spent the following several hours preparing for a retaliatory strike that was beyond overdue. When two teams of my men were in place well after dark—one team outside Lorenzo’s house in Brooklyn and the other at his every-once-in-a-while-girlfriend’s house in Queens—we made our presence known.

“Everyone in place?” I whispered into our communicators.

One by one, my men replied.

“Now!”

On cue, we lobbed flaming Molotov cocktails through the windows on the first and second floors of Lorenzo’s home. The fire raged, fueled by the furniture, curtains, and wind blowing through the broken panes of glass. Feet shuffled quickly inside, furniture slid across the wood floors, and the whoosh from fire extinguishers gave their positions away. Loud voices carried on the night air while we waited in silence, crouched in the shadows for cover. One distinct voice stood out over the others.

Lorenzo was inside the house.

The back door opened, and one of his men carefully leaned out, surveying the backyard. I let him have a moment of false security before issuing my next command.

“Blow the cars.”

Flanked by his soldiers, Lorenzo emerged from his fire-ravaged home and started his sprint toward the detached garage. Before he could reach the safety of his bulletproof SUV, it exploded and took his garage out with it.

“Get Lorenzo outta here! Now!” The soldier in front took point, leveling his gun at everything and nothing in particular while his eyes frantically searched for the threat. He knew we were there, but he didn’t have a clue where.

The other men shielded Lorenzo and ran across two of the neighbors’ backyards before veering between the houses, headed toward the street.

“Who has eyes on him?” I whisper-shouted into my communicator. “Do not let him get away!”

Shots rang out from the street before I could get there. Tires screeched, burning rubber squealed against the asphalt when they peeled away from the curb. Bullets pinged off the metal and bulletproof glass, but Lorenzo and a few of his men escaped. The ones with bullet holes in them still lay on the ground between the houses. The occupants wisely stayed inside, well away from the windows, and minded their own business for the time being. They’d wait until the shooting stopped before calling for help. The shrill sirens would cut through the city noise before long, though.

We grabbed the wounded men and shoved them into our vehicles.

“He’s headed toward Queens.” Benny flashed a rare smile toward me. “He’s in for a surprise when he gets there.”

“He won’t stop. They’ll see the commotion from more than a block away and change course at the last second. In hindsight, I should’ve waited until he got into his vehicle to blow it. A quick, sudden death is too good for him, though. I want my hands around his neck. I want to watch the life drain from his eyes. My smiling face will be the last thing he ever sees.”

“Lorenzo’s fuck buddy had a bad night too. Before the guys firebombed her house, they stole her car. When the place lit up like a Christmas tree, they sent her car careening through the yard and watched as it smashed into the front corner of her house. She ran outside in nothing but her flimsy nightgown, screaming and crying, causing a scene.” Benny laughed as he relayed the word from the second team.

“Where are they now?”

“A few blocks down the street, waiting to see if Lorenzo shows up.”

“Tell them not to kill him if they can avoid it. Bring him to me.”

“You got it, boss. You know he won’t show up, though. He knows we’re gunning for him, and he’s on the run. He’ll get word of this long before he makes it to her house, and he’ll head for safety.”

“Still. Have them hold there for a while longer just in case. I don’t want to miss another opportunity. We got lucky to find him at home tonight. I didn’t expect him to be there, honestly.”

“We have Carrie’s place covered in case he grows a pair and shows up there. Don’t worry about her or Jillian.”

I nodded, grateful Benny could predict my next order. “Think he got my message?”

“He absolutely got it. He’ll get the rest of it when we send his guys he left behind back to him in pieces.”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”