Sabrina stayed in our bed for the rest of the day. I wanted to help her, to reassure her that I would do everything in my power to free her mother. But the truth was I wasn’t sure what I could do. We knew the building where Dmitri was holed up, but we also knew that it was well fortified and nearly impossible to raid. On top of that, I had no evidence that it truly was her mother.

I didn’t give Sabrina those details, just held her through her silence and tears. She’d never known her mother, but that bond was still there. Her pain was my pain. And I would do everything in my power to make this right for her.

In the late afternoon, her breathing evened out as she finally fell sleep. I rose and padded down the stairs.

George gave me a short salute from his post at the front door as I passed. “We got two more drones this morning. Both of them equipped with cameras. Peter and David went in search of the operator, but they didn’t turn up anyone. We’ll keep trying. But they could be somewhere more remote.”

I nodded my thanks for the report and strode to my office. Sinking behind my desk, I cradled my head in my hands. Word was already traveling about our heroin heist the previous night. Pretty soon, the Russians would be riled up like a nest of hornets and looking for somewhere to strike. It was all part of the plan. They would expend their energy attacking our next shipment, which was due in three days. Hopefully, the rat already told Dmitri about it and directed them to the river where I could set a trap, while the actual shipment came in via the airport to the south.

I was tap dancing through a minefield.

“How’s she doing?” Angus walked into my office and dropped onto the couch across from me, dark circles under his eyes from our late night on the river.

“About as well as you could expect. Finding out that the mother you thought was dead is actually in the hands of a fucking psychopath, who takes every opportunity to torture her, doesn’t sit so well.” I flexed my fists and wished for a simpler time when I could solve all my problems with a right hook and some well-placed body shots. Those days were gone. I was over here playing chess when I was just a hood rat who’d only been marginally good at checkers. “Tell me something, Angus.”

“Sure.”

“Does your dad ever get tired of this shit? Does he ever tell you that being the boss is a huge pain in the ass? I guess what I’m trying to ask is, does your dad keep it real? Because, I’m here to tell you, being boss comes with lots of bells and whistles and some really cool shit, but it also comes with the sort of responsibility that keeps you awake at night.”

Angus crossed his ankle over his knee. “My dad started out as a low-level enforcer back in the day. He would go to Irish businesses that didn’t pay the protection money and break shit, break bones, and wreck places. Just your general, run-of-the-mill bruiser.”

I nodded. “Sounds familiar.” And fun.

“But when he talks about those days, that’s when he’s the happiest. Being boss isn’t something that he went looking for. He’s like you—street smart, tough, a consummate wise guy. An opportunity arose, and he took it. He wasn’t groomed to be the next boss. The thing is, though, since he’s been in charge, our organization has been better run and more well respected. So there’s something to be said for starting at the bottom and clawing your way to the top.” He shrugged and met my gaze. “This will probably sound stupid to a guy like you, but it makes me wish that I had a chance to do the same. He sent me off to school and made sure I didn’t have to fight for everything the way he did. But sometimes I think maybe I would have been better prepared for this life if I’d been forced to do it the hard way.”

As much as I hated to admit it, he was a smart kid.

“Look, if you want to get your ass beat and earn some scars, I’m more than happy to take you out back and wail on you.” I held up my hand to stop his protest. “Seriously, I will stomp a mudhole in your ass free of charge. Have you seen the movie The Goonies?”

A grin crept across his face. “You’re a dick. You know that?”

“Seriously. When I’m done with you, you’ll look like that guy with the face. What’s his name? Sloth? You know the one. Got one eye toward heaven, one eye staring at a candy bar, teeth all out to here and an ear that can hear the ocean from Kansas.”

He laughed, and I struggled to keep a straight face.

“Then you’ll be a proper made man. Nobody’ll fuck with you.” I chuckled and rubbed my face. It felt good just to laugh and not think about all the shit bearing down on me.

Peter popped his head in the door. “The fuck is going on in here?”

“Nothing. Just schooling young Angus here on the importance of the truffle shuffle.”

“I’ve got some news.” Peter walked in. His jaw was covered in thick shadow, his clothes rumpled, and his hair in need of a comb. I supposed we were all tired and beat up, but we couldn’t let off the gas. The Russians wouldn’t.

Peter shot Angus a dark look.

“I can go.” Angus began to rise from his seat.

I waved him back down. “Stay. You went with us last night to kick some Russian ass, so you’re good with me as far as I’m concerned.”

Peter gaped but didn’t question it. “It’s about the rat.”

“Sit down and spill.” I leaned forward, my elbows on the desk. Bloodlust began to rise in my veins as I thought about all the horrible things I would do when I found the traitor.

“Don’t get too excited. I don’t have a name. But I finally managed to get in contact with my Russian informant from Dmitri’s operation. He verified what we heard about the woman Dmitri keeps captive.”

“Is it my mother?” Sabrina, pale and small, stepped into the doorway.

I rose and led her over to my chair, positioning her in my lap. Her skin was cool to the touch, and I rubbed her arms to infuse some warmth.

“I can’t say for sure, but she certainly fits what we know about your mother.”

“We have to save her.” Sabrina straightened her spine. “Dmitri has to pay for what he’s done.”

“I agree.” The sureness in her voice reiterated what I already knew—things were coming to a head with Dmitri far more quickly that I’d expected. This newest complication of Sabrina’s mother only increased our organizations’ velocity toward each other.

Peter continued, “My informant verified that the rat has already reported our shipment will be at the river in three days. They’re already preparing to take it by force, but they’ll be bringing even more firepower than last time.”

“Get with Sam. Make sure we have enough ordnance to blow them out of the water.” I stroked Sabrina’s hair, hoping that she could feel every bit of love I had for her through my touch.

“Already done. We’re going to concentrate our men on the waterfront but leave enough on the air strip to defend it if shit goes south.”

“Good. What else did you find out about the rat?”

“That’s basically it. News about the river shipment traveled quickly from the rat to the Russians. The informant did mention that it’s somebody close. But I’ve vetted everyone.” Frustration leached into his voice. “Everyone. George, Tony, all the guys on the house security team, the guys on the gate. I’ve even put tails on a few of our men just to make sure. Fuck, I sweep the house for bugs every few days. I keep coming up empty.”

If Peter couldn’t find him, then he was practically stitched into the fabric of my syndicate. Invisible, like a fucking bedbug that couldn’t wait to feast on my blood. “This guy is a ghost. But I know how to flush him out. We take the fight to Dmitri. I want you and David and Angus to pull every piece of information that we have on Dmitri’s stronghold. Every way in, every way out, how many men on the ground level, how many on the penthouse level, what sort of firepower—everything.”

Sabrina looked up at me, hope and fear dancing in her eyes. “That’s dangerous.”

“It needs to be done.” I kissed her forehead. “If I can save your mother, I will. And there is no doubt that I will gut Dmitri. His reign is about to come to a bloody end.”

Peter coughed into his hand. “Are we really going to do this?”

I ran my hand under Sabrina’s shirt and pressed my palm against her waist. She’d lost so much. If I could kill Dmitri and save her mother, maybe I could give one little piece of her shattered childhood back to her. It would be worth it.

“Yes.” Maybe I was just some street-fighting kid from the shit streets of Philly, but now I was the boss. And it was time that I embraced my role with open arms. No more fucking bellyaching, no more excuses. I existed for Sabrina and for the people who depended on me. And I wouldn’t let them down. “Once we’re done with the shipment, I want to hit them in the fucking mouth the very next night. While they’re licking their wounds and scratching their balls, I want a team to torch the warehouse on the water and another team to go with me and cut off the head of the snake.”

“About fucking time.” David leaned against the door frame.

I shot a glance at him. “Where’d you come from? Is this the Avengers Assemble time or something?”

David crossed his beefy arms over his chest. “Yeah. If someone’s talking about killing, my Bat signal goes off.”

“Psycho. It’s settled then. Protect our shipment, then destroy the Russians and take the spoils.” I tipped Sabrina’s chin up. “As long as my queen agrees, of course.”

She glanced around the room, then met my eyes. “Kill them all.”

Holy shit. My blood chilled, and my cock roared to life. How was that for a fucking answer?

“I’ll drink to that.” Peter went to the small bar next to the window and poured drinks for all of us.

Peter, David, and Angus stood around my desk and we all toasted the plan and to the queen of vengeance who sat sweetly in my lap.