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I STRIDE INTO MARC’S office on the tenth floor after Adriano calls me to meet with him and Henry. Hanging on the edge of true sorrow because Fallon rejected me, I long to grant her wish and take her home.

Adriano and Henry are standing in front of the desk talking, and Adriano beckons me in as Henry explains, “It all pans out. John Rudd was indeed a regular at the sex club. We found a tape of him in an interesting threesome. He’s actually the candidate for Supreme Court associate justice, and the number Fallon called is listed as his. Also, Michael confiscated Tez’s phone and saw that the number was called numerous times from it. And after doing some digging, I found out that the bar owner is actually John Rudd’s stepbrother. You can’t find anything online about the fact that they’re related, so John must have the same type of influence that we do and be able to control what’s found online. John’s known to be a deeply religious man who’s been married for ages and has adult kids. Plus, Michael confirmed that John has been in frequent contact with Tez since before New Year’s Eve.”

Adriano freezes. “Remember how the bar owner told us he knew something right before you killed him, but he wouldn’t say what? He was covering for his stepbrother and knew Tez was involved with the raid, of course.” Then he scrubs his beard. “So Fallon was right all along. What should I do...How powerful is Rudd?”

“Very,” Henry replies. “He has contacts in high places. We can’t just execute him without raising questions.”

I offer, “I want to put an end to all of this.”

“Believe me, so do I,” Adriano agrees. “We have to remember that this is still a public hospital and having Tez here is too dangerous.

“He’s a weak link and knows too much about our inside business,” Henry puts in.

“And on top of that, I’m having a really hard time dealing with the fact that one of my trusted men is a goddam traitor, but I’m not in the fucking mood to drive up north and finish it at the warehouse,” Adriano grumbles, violently unbuttoning his charcoal suit jacket. “Let’s go,” he orders unexpectedly and marches out of the office, leading the way upstairs to Tez’s floor.

As we walk down the hall, I notice that no one’s guarding Tez’s room.

“Where’s the guard?” Adriano asks.

“On a break probably.” Henry opens the door, which I quickly close after we enter and come to a stop.

We see Fallon pointing her revolver at Tez’s head while he lies in the bed with a terrified look in his eyes, his arm that’s cuffed to the bed rattling against the railing as he jerks it. “Help me!”

“Shut up!” both she and I bark in unison, and I see the corner of her mouth twitching when she glances at me.

Although she looks angelic in her designer jeans and custom-made white wool coat with her hair neatly brushed and swept to the side, the gun in her hand indicates that she’s anything but. Then I notice the bruising around her nose, and my anger comes back full force.

Blinking calmly, Fallon tilts her head and her graceful, captivating demeanor reminds me immediately of the woman I admire. Memories I left in some dark place in my brain come back to fill me with guilt and even more fury toward Tez.

Her stare shifts from left to right to Henry, me, and then Adriano standing beside me, who speaks, “You couldn’t wait for us? Fallon, don’t do anything...”

Her lips quirk up, which makes Adriano smirk, apparently just as impressed as I am.

“Do you have an update for me?” she inquires in a soft-spoken voice.

In the meantime, Tez looks at Adriano incredulously and stammers, “G-get her gun!”

But no one pays him any attention.

“Yes,” Adriano answers Fallon. “You were right. Rudd and Tez are behind the raid, and we found the footage of Rudd in the sex club. I believe what you said, that Tez sent you a spoofed message and that Rudd presumably hired the attacker.”

Expelling a sigh, she sexily cocks her arm and lets the gun dangle from her forefinger. “Thank you, Adriano. It’s good to hear someone finally believes me.” She glowers at me while I watch her every move.

She’s a true mafia member now and has told me often not to underestimate her. Instead of breaking down in relief, she stashes her pistol in the large pocket of her coat. “And don’t worry,” she assures Adriano. “I won’t defy the boss.”

I’m surprised at the agility with which she yields her weapon and how poised she is, yet I shouldn’t be – this is the woman I married.

Adriano’s grin grows wider. “Well, I do need to take care of him.” He sends a lethal glare at Tez.

“Whatever you do to me, you’re all dead men anyway. Rudd won’t rest until he has the hard copy.”

Adriano chuckles maliciously. “This is also why you would never have been an official member. You have it all wrong. It’s the underworld that rules the world, not your politicians or government. I am the king of Chicago.”

“You’ll never be able to kill him,” Tez retorts, wincing as he clutches the area of his waist that has stitches.

“Who says that’s my plan?” Adriano mocks. “God, you are a moron; Fallon’s right. How the hell did I miss that?!”

“Fuck you!” Tez spits as I roll my neck, my necessity for retaliation begging to be appeased.

Fallon and I lock eyes, and while it upsets me to see how much ferocity blazes in her steady amber gaze, I relish in her attention. We’ve both lost every ounce of empathy for this man who’s conspired with a mysterious enemy, but one thing that’s come out of this is that I now realize that I don’t have to hide the murderer inside me for her. She understands my merciless needs because her mind obviously has the same craving since she sees the importance of ending this. It’s kill or be killed in our lawless existence.

In reaction, Adriano regards Tez and says to me, “Do your thing. Henry, watch the door.”

When I stalk forward, Fallon shifts backward to join Adriano as I address Tez, “I told you I’d get the approval to torture you. That time has come.”

Pulling at the cuffs irately, Tez objects when I stop right beside his hip next to the bed, “You need me to catch Rudd, Luca!”

I hurl my fist into his face, banging his bandaged head back as his lip busts open, blood trickling down his chin onto his chest. He grunts and blinks while I relish the sting splintering through my knuckles.

“I need you gone...You came between me and my wife and, because you’re weak, you deliberately chose to trust the wrong person, even though you know what we’re capable of.” I bend low and he shrinks back. “You broke into my home! Where my children sleep! And you harmed my wife.” I grip a fistful of his white hospital gown, yanking him up and snarling, “I sentence you to death.”

Sweat trickles down his temples when I release him, his eyes tearing up as he breathes raggedly.

While studying his useless self, I command, “Get the guard to uncuff him.”

Unbuckling my belt, I yank it from my waistband as Henry opens the door, sticks out his arm, and turns around with the keys in his hand.

Adriano leans back against the wall, grinning cruelly, yet Fallon frowns at me.

I will give her the retribution she desires and that I failed to give her for too long – I will avenge our son.

Obviously, Henry understands my intent because he unlocks Tez’s wrist from the headboard and heaves him into a sitting position. Then he swiftly locks his hands in front of him while Tez protests, “Ow! W-what are you doing?!”

Sliding my belt into one ring of the cuff, I knot the sturdy leather and tug him upward, off the bed. Swaying as he gets up, he stands shakily.

“I must settle the score.” Cool rage underlines my clipped words.

At that moment, Henry jumps on the bed behind Tez and takes the end of the belt from me to sling it over the metal curtain railing up above, stretching Tez’s arms as he howls. Making a half-circle around Tez, I pick him up by his knees just as Henry pulls the belt down to lift Tez a few inches off the floor, and I let go.

“Ah!” Tez screams bloody murder while we lynch him, his stitches ripping as his middle is stretched, angry lines of red forming at his ribcage. Frantically, he tries to feel the floor, but the tips of his toes dangle right above the ground.

“No...s-stop...” Spit dribbles down his chin.

I stand before him, the rage I’ve harbored deep inside bubbling out. “The pain hurts, doesn’t it? But it won’t knock you out. No, I’m going to keep you here for the night to ensure you experience enough pain. Or maybe you’ll be dead when we return in the morning. I want you to regret targeting my wife and son for long, conscious, agonizing moments.”

His face turns beet red while he shouts and sobs.

“I’ll see you in Hell where I’ll torture you again,” I conclude as Henry manages to tie the belt around the railing to keep Tez in his painful position while his objections become weaker due to fatigue.

“The guard will stay here and Marc will help him dispose of the body. Marc also told me Fallon can go, so we need to get out of here.” Adriano comes up to me as I look at Fallon, who assesses us with an unruffled expression.

I hold out my palm to her. “Let’s go home and see our kids.”

Without moving, she stares at my hand and I wait for unbearable seconds, dreading that she’ll reject me.