My fist slams against the bag. I see my uncle’s face. I throw a right hook. Next, a left jab. Over and over I slam my fists into the leather until my muscles scream with pain. And then I push myself harder. I feel my knuckles crack under the weight of my hits. The sound of my fists making contact with the heavy bag doesn’t do anything to relieve this tension, though. I want to hear the crunch of his jaw. Fucking rat. That coward destroyed my family, and ruined my life. And I can’t do shit about it. I can’t turn back time.

I hit the bag again and again, trying to get this weight that’s crushing my chest to leave me. I hear my father’s voice, the screech of the tires. The gunshots. I grab the bag and slow my racing heart. A deep breath fills my lungs, but it only serves to fuel my anger further. They hunted us all down because of my fucking coward uncle. And I can’t do shit to change any of that.

“Kane!” Marco shouts; his voice echoes in the empty room. I hear the door swing shut and his boots smack against the concrete floor of the warehouse. I wipe the sweat off my face.

I needed to get out some aggression, but I have to be presentable for the meet, so I grab the towel on the pile of boxes next to me and wipe down quickly. I hear Marco walk toward me as I pick up my shirt and slip it on. I button it up, concentrating on keeping my anger at bay. Aggression would not be good right now. Not when I’m on my own, completely outnumbered, and about to meet the new boss of the Marzano Cartel.

Abram Petrov. He's become notorious for taking over the industry quickly, and with lethal force. Recently he's acquired the lead cartel in Mexico as well as heavy hitters in France and Russia, where he’s from. He’s a new force that’s not scared to play dirty, and now he’s on my doorstep.

“I’m ready!” I yell over my shoulder, and stalk toward him. Time to meet the new famila, or Bratva as the Russian fucks keep calling it. Or whatever the fuck he calls his crew. I have to try to earn a position with a mob that’s willing to take in the nephew of a rat. I swallow thickly. I’ve been waiting for a few weeks for this meet-up, staying in the warehouse and lying low with a target on my back. This place used to be a safe house for my family. Now it’s my bargaining chip to get the attention of Petrov.

His crew came and set up yesterday, but I kept my distance. They know it’s my place and they came to do business here, which is great. But I’m not a part of their crew. I’d rather give them the space they want and a warm welcome without getting involved in their shit. I can’t fuck this up.

“This is gonna be great. I know it will.” Marco grins at me and slaps his hand on my back. His arm has to reach up to hit me square on my shoulders. I’m six-foot-five and all muscle. Next to Marco I look like a fucking beast. I was the top earner in the famila for a reason. I’m a terrifying fucker to go up against. People tend to pay up rather than piss me off. But even with all the money I was bringing in, they tried to have me killed. They tried, and they failed.

“Boss’s already impressed with everything you did to those pussies.” My gut twists and my chest tightens with pain. They should’ve known better than to come for me. That shit with my uncle had nothing to do with me. Or my father. And they sure as fuck knew my sister and my mother didn’t have shit to do with any of it. They fucking came for us all the same, though. They should’ve made sure we were all dead. Those fuckers left me alive. And they paid the price. Even if they were the only people I had in this world.

I grin at him and huff a laugh. I need the boss to like me. I need somewhere to go, someone to be. I grew up in this life. And everyone I knew turned their backs on me. If I hadn’t been so fucked up, I could’ve started the business myself. I have contacts. A few I still trust. But I made this call too soon. Now I need to go through with it.

I breathe in deep and walk through the hall to the hangar. The meeting’s going down here. I’m ready for this. It’s not an ambush, but they could easily kill me. It’s just me against all of them. They’re not here for that. No one’s touching me after what I did. Revenge will make a man crazy. Unstoppable. Untouchable. But it’s also left me alone. I’m ready to move on and get back to work.

There are a few small planes in the relatively empty hangar. Stacks of cocaine bricks wrapped in plastic are sitting on a folding table. It's not what I’m used to. I’m more of a blackmail-the-politician type. But shipping and selling will have to do in the beginning, I suppose. Onward and upward or some shit like that. I’ll prove my worth.

Four men in black and grey suits surround the table, watching the two workers weigh and bag the product. As they hear our footsteps, they turn to face us. The boss, Abram, walks toward me. His underboss walks next to him, but a step or two behind. The other two men with them are obviously soldiers, judging from their broad shoulders. One has a scar across his face. It looks like it came from a slash that should’ve taken his eye out. The other has a tattoo scrolling up his neck. Both of the soldiers read as highly dangerous, nothing like Abram himself. Their dark eyes stare back at me as they put their arms behind their backs and square their shoulders, waiting for orders. Marco walks behind them and back to the table. He’s just a soldier. And he’s completely happy with that. He’s a dumb fucker.

“Kane,” Abram greets, as he extends his hand to me. He's a tall, slender man, with black hair that's slicked back with oil. I shake his hand firmly and stare into his eyes; they’re so dark, they appear black as well.

Abram’s a deadly boss. I heard about what he did to the cartel in Mazatlan. I’m not all that happy seeing how he cut ties purely for business reasons. And by cut ties, I mean demolished their businesses, stole everything they had, and murdered them. To call him ruthless would be putting it lightly, but beggars can’t be choosers. I know there’s a target on my back. I need to find a place and lie low. And this is the only option I have right now. So I’m making a deal with the devil.

“Abram. Or should I call you Boss?” I ask, with the hint of a grin on my face.

He smiles back broadly. “Boss, I think.” Hearing that allows me to breathe, but I don’t show my relief. He turns and wraps his arm around my shoulders, guiding me to the group of men. It’s an awkward hold on me, because I’m so much taller than him, but I allow it. “Thank you again, for making this transition easier on us. I appreciate the gesture.”

“No problem.” I nod my head and take a look at the product lined up on the table. That’s a lot of coke. No doubt using my hangar was a decent option for them. And a sign of trust that they accepted my offer.

“I’d like you to meet Vadik, my second-in-command,” Abram says. I reach out my hand to the underboss and he’s quick to take it with a smile. Another good sign. This man is older. Vadik looks to be somewhere around my father’s age, whereas Abram can’t be any older than 35. Abram’s face has the hint of wrinkles around his eyes. This man, however, has earned his age. Grey hair that’s slicked back the same way as Abram's and deep-set wrinkles on his face. His pale blue eyes are like ice. So fucking cold. This man reads as deadly. Abram could easily fool you into thinking he's less dangerous than he is, lulling you into a false sense of security. Based on everything I've heard about him, he's succeeded in doing that multiple times in the past with former rivals. But this man, Vadik, looks like a killer.

“Nice to meet you.” I shake his hand. He puts his other hand on top of mine.

“It is indeed, Kane. I’ve been anxious to meet the man who took down the entire Armeno family in one night.” He smiles wickedly as he says, “You’ve made quite an impression.”

“I’m happy to hear that.” I say the words, but I’m not happy at all. I did what I had to do. I didn’t want to. I had to.

“I’ve considered your proposal to join me,” Abram begins, while looking me in the eyes. I can feel a “but” coming, and I don’t like it. I keep my expression impassive as he continues. “I like it. I like it a lot. I think we’ll work well together.” My brows raise slightly and he registers my surprise.

“We’re going to have some more guests in a moment,” Abram says, motioning with his hand and guiding me to the front of the hangar. The doors are open, and the sun is shining through. It’s a bright, beautiful day. The breeze is refreshing. Too fucking bad there’s so much adrenaline pumping in my blood that I can barely breathe.

“More guests?” I ask, with a bit of curiosity in my voice. I’m not curious though--I’m pissed. I offered my place to him to use for entry into the US. Not for him to use as a base for his operations. And definitely not so he could invite more people. But I’m sure as shit not going to tell him that. Not right now, anyway. I may be fueled by anger, but I’m not a hothead.

“Now that our competitor is no more, we have a few business meetings to conduct.” He stops in the open tarmac, looking toward the road. “Have you heard of the Valettis?”

I nod my head at his question. The Valettis are a tight pack. They're nearly the only famila left that has an actual family related by blood heading up their organization. At least around these parts. I’ve heard good things about them, promising things. But we’ve never met personally. They stayed in their territory and we stayed in ours.

“Well, they did business with our former competitor and now they’re coming to meet us regarding our new terms.”

“New terms?” I question. I’m surprised to hear that. I know they can raise their prices now that they’re the lead exporter. But I’m not sure it’s the wisest to do that at the beginning of a business relationship.

“You’ll see,” Vadik says from my left side with a crooked grin and a twinkle in his cold eyes. I don’t like the way he says it, but again, I don’t give them anything. Instead, I nod my head and stare at the two black Range Rovers driving up the dirt road to the landing strip. My heart beats faster in my chest and it’s harder to keep the anger from showing.

I don’t appreciate the secrets. Nor the sudden company. I don’t like being at the bottom and not knowing shit. Not controlling shit. But I have to remind myself that I’m in a tight spot. I need to take it easy and make myself valuable. I’m not valuable to anyone right now, and that’s not good for my chances of survival.

The Valettis park and get out quickly. I want to walk to them and meet them halfway, but Abram’s feet are planted. I take notice; I stand and act appropriately. It’s a rude gesture if you ask me. But what the fuck do I know? If I’m going to be working for him, I’ll have to put up with this shit. Regret is already pumping through my blood. I grit my teeth and wish I could take out this anger on something. On someone. I fucking hate the position I’m in.

“Abram Petrov,” Vince says, as he stops in front of us. I recognize him immediately. He’s the new Don of his famila. His father retired and word got around fast that Vince had taken his place. Three more men come up behind him and then two more exit the second vehicle.

“Vincent Valetti. Nice to finally meet you.” Abram smiles and extends his hand in greeting. Vince is calm and collected as he accepts the gesture, but he doesn't return the smile.

“It’s quite a drive to get out here, Abram. I’ve heard you’re a man who gets these sorts of business arrangements done quickly. Is that so?” An asymmetric grin pulls at my lips. I like how quickly Vince gets to the point. I would also like to get this shit done promptly. The two men standing behind Vince and the others from his famila are armed and showing it. Which isn’t that big of a deal since the men behind me, the two I’ve yet to be introduced to, each have a hand on their guns, too. It’s not a display of a threat, or of violence. It’s simply business. It’s how things are done in this life.

I’ll still feel better when it’s over. I don’t particularly enjoy being surrounded by men I don’t know who are all armed. I have to start somewhere, though.

Abram laughs from deep within his chest and nods his head. “Quick works for me, Vince.” He walks forward with a smile and gestures with his arm to a plane that landed an hour or so ago.

More shipments.

The pilot stands outside of the cargo hold smoking a cigarette. He’s in jeans and a black tee shirt. Tattoos cover both of his arms and his brow is pierced. He’s got a Mexican look to him. I imagine he was the contact Abram must’ve had in Javier’s cartel. Someone was a traitor. But no one knows for sure who it was. Maybe it’s wrong of me to assume. Not that it matters anyway.

“I’m ready to do business, and I’d like for things to go smoothly. So, the prices are exactly what they were for you before. Everything the same. The only difference is you’ll be going through me, rather than your former contact.” Abram talks as we walk closer to the plane. Sickness churns in my gut. I don’t know why, but I know I’m not going to like what I see.

“That makes me a very happy business partner,” Vince says, but there’s hesitation in his voice. He’s skeptical. And so am I. There are reasons for meets. But keeping terms the same is not one of them.

“We need your docks for other business ventures. So I’d like to add more to our arrangement,” Abram says, as we stop in front of the plane.

“What are you looking to export?” Vince asks, with his eyes narrowed.

“Felipe, bring it out here,” Marco says to the pilot. Felipe tosses the cigarette on the ground and walks to the very back of the plane.

I watch with wide eyes as a woman is dragged out from the cargo hold. She’s quiet the entire time. Not fighting, simply moving as fast and as best she can to keep up with the man. I’d like to kill that fucker. I struggle to keep my exhalation even. There’s a metal collar with a chain around her throat, but he’s pulling her along by her hair.

Blood rushes loud in my ears and my body heats with anger. Sex slave trafficking. I had no fucking idea they were into this shit. And judging by Vince’s face and the matching looks on his crew’s faces, neither did they. When I made contact with Marco, I thought I knew what I was getting into. This wasn’t it. This is new, and I don’t fucking like it.

The woman doesn’t make a sound as she's forced out. Her blue eyes stare at the ground. Her wrists are bound. She isn't wearing shoes, just a filthy and tattered dress. Her pale skin is bruised, but clean. Her brunette hair is a mess around her face, but I can see a red mark from recently being slapped. She walks with her lips firmly pressed together as though she's trying to remain expressionless, although she’s showing a hint of pain. The man pushes her onto her knees in front of us and she doesn’t react. I know it fucking hurt, and I want to break his fucking kneecaps for pushing her around like that. But she doesn’t make a sound, doesn’t show that hurt. Instead she maintains the pose he put her in.

“We’ll need half a dozen or so to go through the docks every month. We’ll have them all coded and chipped so they’re easily accounted for.” Vadik reaches down and grips the woman’s wrist. She doesn’t fight him. She stays still and allows him to twist her arm so we can all see a tattooed barcode on the underside of her forearm, just below her wrist. His fingers point to a reddened bump on her skin. I assume that’s where they implanted the chip.

My fists clench by my sides and my breathing threatens to pick up. But there are too many fuckers here. I don’t have a gun on me. I’d be dead if I tore him apart like I want to.

“They’ll be fairly broken in, although not all respond as well as Ava here has. She was the Russian princess when her father had the territory. She was a keepsake and a bit of a trial run for how to handle this product. So we’ve had a few weeks to teach her proper behavior.” The woman, Ava, doesn’t flinch or react as he drops her arm and kicks her legs. She merely bows and lies flat on the ground with her arms at her side. Her face is turned with her cheek lying against the concrete.

“That’s where my associate, Kane, is going to come in.” My skin prickles, and a chill runs down my spine as Vadik slaps my back. I’m supposed to do this shit. That’s not what I signed up for. I stare straight ahead and grind my teeth rather than responding. I can’t say no. I’m dead if I do.

“He’ll have the product ready and ensure they’re packaged nicely for shipment.” I glance down at the woman and look into her eyes. I'm surprised to see a flash of defiance in them that leaves so quickly I almost start to think I imagined it. Her body tenses, as though she’s preparing to take a hit. I swallow the lump in my throat and force myself to look away. I can barely stomach this shit.

“We don’t partake in this area of business,” Vince finally responds. He’s firm in his words, but there’s no emotion behind them. None of his men seem to hold an attitude toward the fact that a woman is bowing on the ground in chains. Part of me wishes they’d act on the disgust I saw on their faces earlier, but they don’t. So I’m left standing here with no fucking options.

“I understand this would be a new venture.” Abram walks forward as he talks to Vince, leaving Vadik and me standing next to the girl. Next to Ava. “I’d like to give you some time to consider the amendments to this business opportunity.” He gestures back at me and adds, “Kane will stay on your territory and get a feel for your operation.”

Vince clenches his fists and interrupts Abram. “We don’t allow that.”

“You didn’t allow that.” Abram corrects him with a grin. “Just know that I don’t do partial orders. It’s all or none, and all on my terms.”

Vince narrows his eyes at this. He seems to weigh his options and then looks back over his shoulder toward the men behind him. “I need a minute to discuss this over with my men.”

“Take two weeks. We’ll need that long to gather the first shipment. And Kane will need time to learn your protocols and how to handle this particularly fragile product.”

Vince’s eyes flash toward me and I want to punch that judgmental look off his face. I don’t do this shit. More than ever I feel backed into a corner. I don’t mind being a prick to assholes. I think of it as part of the bad karma they have coming their way. But this shit? I don’t fucking like this.

“Kane De Rocca?” Vince asks, and I nod my head. His eyes flash with surprise and then he gives me a knowing look. Just as I knew about him, I’m sure he knows all about me and the shit I’ve been through.

“Kane,” Abram turns to me, effectively dismissing Vince and his crew. “Take this one and head on down with them. I’m sure they have somewhere you can stay.” He motions toward the girl on the ground next to me. “Hold on to this one until the others are collected.” He points to my hangar as he says, “This will be perfect for housing them.” He speaks loud enough for everyone to hear as Vadik walks behind him, ushering Vince and his men back to their vehicles. He’s thanking them and talking about how great this business will be for everyone involved. His voice gets lost as I watch them walk down the landing.

Abram leans forward and grips my shoulder tightly, forcing me to awkwardly bend at the waist to his level so he can speak directly into my ear. “Learn everything. I expect a full report.” He leans away from my ear, still gripping my shoulder. I meet his eyes and give him a tight nod in return. “Consider it your first test.” He pats my shoulder. “We’ll be back in a few days to see how you’re handling this one. Don’t disappoint me.”

I can’t respond verbally, and I don’t even try. He walks away, back to the hangar, as I stand on the tarmac next to the woman bowed at my feet. The rest of Petrov’s crew walks back inside. The Valettis get in their cars. I meet Vince’s gaze and I know there’s trouble waiting for me in his territory.

The pilot in the black tee shirt walks over to me and reaches down, yanking the chain around the poor woman’s neck. She lifts her head quickly and stands before the chain can force her movements. She’s used to this. She knows how to avoid the pain.

He looks down at her and huffs a quick laugh. The wicked glint in his eyes makes my stomach revolt and my muscles coil. “I’ll doubt she’ll give you much trouble.” He smiles, revealing his stained teeth. “Shame, really. I enjoyed the fight.”

He hands me the chain and I reluctantly take it. The woman stands quietly at my side, her hands clasped in front of her and her head slightly bowed.

“We’ll be back to make sure you’ve got a good handle on her.” He nods with a smirk and walks toward the hangar.

My body is tensed and ready to fight, but I have no choice. I’ll be dead if I do anything other than what I’ve been ordered to do. I grit my teeth. I'm really not fucking liking the position I’m in. As the Valettis leave, the cars kick up dust and vanish in the distance.

I look down at the chain in my hand and follow it up to her throat with my gaze. The chain is locked on her and that pisses me off. They didn’t give me a key, but I don’t fucking care.

I’m breaking it off as soon as I have her alone.