Ace had Fiona’s arms pinned together at the wrists, holding her firmly but gently underneath him on the bed. Feeling very grateful Alexei hadn’t shot up the bedroom, Ace gazed down at her, amazed with the sheer mass of her hair. It curled around her head, creating a dark hazelnut cloud around her.

 

He pressed his lips to her throat, then her collarbone, loving the way her soft skin felt to his mouth. Little goosebumps spread down her arms, and he kissed those, too. Slipping his hands under her tank top, he began to slide it upwards, inch by inch, trying to memorize the sight of her taut stomach.

 

Ace glanced down to see Fiona wickedly grinning at him. He felt her shift beneath him and suddenly, his view was spinning. Fiona had used her powerful hips and thighs to roll Ace onto his back so she was straddling him.

 

She placed her hands on his shoulders, leaning forward so her breasts swayed tantalizingly above him. Ace strained his head to reach, nearly crying out in frustration when he found he could not.

 

Fiona giggled, a delightful sound that Ace couldn’t get enough of—he caught himself involuntarily grinning whenever he heard it. Fiona kissed him forcefully, her tongue entwining with his as he felt her hands delicately undo his belt buckle.

 

This is exactly how I wanted this, Ace thought eagerly. She actually wants me—she wants to be with me. Any other way, and I don’t know if I actually could have gone through with it.

 

He sat up to help Fiona slide his shirt off, revealing his muscular chest and stomach. She traced her fingers across every crease and sinew of his upper body with a gentleness Ace had never encountered before.

 

Fiona brought her hands lower, to the elastic edge of Ace’s boxer-briefs. Hesitating for only a moment, she carefully lifted them over the head of Ace’s fully engorged cock. Fiona’s fingers hovered millimeters away from touching it, and Ace could feel the warmth radiating from her hand. He bit his lip, anxiously waiting for her to do…something, anything. The anticipation was agony.

 

“Please,” he begged her softly.

 

Fiona snapped her head up to look at him, pulling her hand away as though caught doing something naughty.

 

Ace moaned at the sheer innocence of the subconscious act. “Please, Fiona,” he repeated. “I’m dying to see you again,” he told her.

 

Fiona looked down at herself—she was still fully clothed, whereas Ace was fully nude. Raising up on her knees, she swiftly pulled her shirt over her head, revealing a dark gray lace bra. Her nipples immediately perked up at the rush of cool air, and Ace reached up to tweak one through the thin fabric.

 

“Now the bottoms,” he ordered with a twinkle in his eyes.

 

Trying, and failing, to hide her smile, Fiona stood up and undid the buttons on her pants, slowly slipping them down her legs. She stepped out of the bottoms to show matching lace panties that had a small bow on the front.

 

Ace found he couldn’t get enough of Fiona surprising juxtaposition of inexperience and inherent sex appeal. He recalled the time Katie had put on this virginal white number, trying to spice things up for them. Ace had struggled to finish; he got weirded out and had to pretend he’d jerked off earlier.

 

It wasn’t just that Katie is a shitty actress, Ace remembered, it was creepy, pretending to have sex with a virgin. Ace always had sex with experienced women because he didn’t want to be responsible for anyone’s hurt feelings the next morning. A person’s first time should be something they want to remember, not something they regret, he thought.

 

As he watched Fiona climb back onto the bed to straddle him once more, his throbbing hard cock resting against the welcoming heat of her pussy, he thought the reason he was so attracted to her was because she was inexperienced, but she wasn’t a delicate flower either.

 

After all the women Ace had been with, it was a powerful feeling to have the tables flipped, and him be the teacher for once. He reached behind her back to unhook her bra, sliding the straps down her shoulders.

 

She sat on his lap, bare-chested and proud, looking down at Ace with those blue eyes, and suddenly he didn’t feel so powerful anymore. He gasped, feeling her wrap her hand around his cock, her thumb sensually caressing the head. Ace urged his hips upward instinctively.

 

Fiona giggled again, loving Ace’s smile. She was enjoying herself immensely. With Ash, he just wasn’t…enough, in all the many ways that could be interpreted.

 

Just a few hours ago, she was upset, angry even, with Ace ditching her—but watching him toss Ash out on his ass had Fiona hotter than Ash had ever been able to make her.

 

She raised herself up, grazing Ace’s aching member with her thigh. Ace was nearly whimpering, he wanted Fiona so badly.

 

Right as she was about to remove her panties, Ace heard his phone ring somewhere deep within his jeans—wherever those were. Groaning, he rubbed his face with his hands, trying to telepathically murder whoever was on the other line.

 

“Ignore it,” Fiona said.

 

“I can’t,” Ace protested lamely.

 

Fiona bent over on all fours, her round ass sticking high into the air, teasing Ace with its closeness. She giggled at his obvious despair. “You’re the leader, aren’t you?” she asked, her eyes filled with all kind of mischievous thoughts. “You can do what you want.”

 

Ace watched her crawl towards him, licking her lips as she did. She was clearly liking the effect she had on him. “I really can’t,” he said, not very convincingly. “What if it was your phone?” he asked.

 

Fiona stopped—he had a point. If it were Niko, she would answer in a heartbeat; things were dangerous for everyone right now. It was important to stay in touch, no matter what else was going on around them. You allowed yourself to forget that, all because you couldn’t keep your hormones in check! Fiona scolded herself. Her cheeks burned from embarrassment; she couldn’t believe that she let herself get so out of control. Last night you were pissed as fuck that Ace wanted to trade sex for Niko’s safety, and here you are today, practically throwing yourself at him!

 

She was so absorbed in her self-deprecation she didn’t even hear Ace’s conversation on the phone.

 

He hung up and put a hand on Fiona’s shoulder. She jumped, startled.

 

“Woah!” Ace said, chuckling. “Easy there.”

 

“Everything okay?” she asked anxiously.

 

“Yeah, they just want me back at the house,” Ace explained. “I told them I was going to do some recon today.”

 

“And then you ended up staying here?” Fiona said with a small smile.

 

Ace grinned at her. “Well, the temptation was difficult to resist. I do have to go now, though,” he added regretfully, “so we will have to finish this later.”

 

He found his pants, and pulled them on. Fiona grabbed his shirt and vest, and passed them to him. Ace looked her over; wild hair, naked chest, full hips—he felt his cock strain against his pants and he dropped his gaze. If he didn’t hustle, he’d never make it out of here.

 

“I’ll call you,” he promised with a wink, kissing Fiona swiftly and roughly on the mouth.

 

Ace stepped outside, shrugging on his vest, breathing in the cool night air. He adjusted his pants a bit, then swung his leg over his bike and started the engine. He hadn’t said anything to Fiona, but it had been Katie on the phone, and she sounded pissed. Ace didn’t care, though, because he knew the news about Alexei would put her square on her ass, where she belonged.

 

He roared down the street, too focused to see the dark car parked under an overhanging tree across the street. The window rolled down, and Alexei leaned out the window to watch the gang leader’s taillights disappear into the night.

 

***

 

“Finally,” Katie grumbled, hearing Ace’s motorcycle pull into the yard.

 

He’d been gone all day, and Katie was more than a little suspicious all of that time had been spent gathering information. At this point, she wasn’t even as concerned about Ace cheating on her, per se, than she was his seemingly general disregard for the fate of The Hell Brothers. She strode over to the front door, opening it as Ace’s heavy boots clomped up the porch steps.

 

“Where have you been?” Katie demanded when he walked into the house.

 

“Uptown,” he answered shortly.

 

“You went into Alexei’s territory?” she asked, surprised.

 

“That’s where I said I was gonna go, isn’t it?” he retorted. “Get everyone together in the living room. I’ve got news,” he ordered her.

 

Katie gave him a harsh glare, her black hair whipping through the air as she turned on her heel and stomped out of the room. Ace looked after her guiltily. He hadn’t meant to be so short with her, but just seeing her face right now made him irritated.

 

Ace threw himself down on the beaten up couch, waiting for the gang to gather around him. Once enough of them were in front of him, Ace stood up, getting up on the couch so he could see all of them and be seen. He spotted Katie glowering at him from the doorway and he looked away, ignoring her.

 

“Earlier today I told you all that I thought Alexei was too much of a problem to keep around any longer, and some of you,” he glanced at Katie, “think I’m doing this for the wrong reasons.” He noticed a few people seemed to be muttering—mostly the girls, Katie’s friends. Ace briefly wondered what she’d told them.

 

“Well, today I went Uptown, and I found Alexei’s warehouse,” he continued, “and I discovered that he has been jumping his own runners.” Ace met Katie’s eyes as he said this, enjoying how they widened in shock.

 

The murmuring increased as people whispered agitatedly to each other. Just as Ace had expected, they were appalled at Alexei’s willingness to break one of the oldest codes.

 

“Allowing him to stick around is too dangerous, as he’s shown he can’t be trusted—not even by his own people. It’s time for The Hell Brothers to rise up against him and take him down for good!” Ace cried aloud, reveling in the cheer rising up around him.

 

“Smalls, Riley, Katie, and Diego,” Ace shouted over the din, “meet me upstairs for a strategy meeting!” He hopped off of the sofa, shouldering his way through the crowd as he headed for his bedroom.

 

Taking advantage of the fact that he was the first one there, he raked his hands through his hair, letting out a tense sigh. He was confident in his decision, but getting rid of Alexei was still a big job to take on.

 

Smalls knocked lightly on the partially open door, sliding into the room at an angle due to his mass. “Hey, boss,” he said, giving a little wave.

 

Diego walked in next, followed by Riley, who had to duck under the doorway, and then finally Katie, who sat on his dresser in the corner with her arms crossed.

 

“Hey, guys,” Ace said, trying to keep his voice light. “Let’s hear it.” He sat in his plush, dark leather armchair, pulling the lever so the seat was upright.

 

Smalls and Diego sat on the bed next to each other and Ace had to fight to keep a grin off of his face. Ace had a king-size mattress, so Smalls looked proportionate to the bed, but Diego, whose feet didn’t reach the floor, and whose head barely reached Smalls’ shoulder, looked comically small.

 

Ace deliberately looked away, turning to Riley, who was leaning against the wall next to the door. “You first, Riley,” he said, listening carefully.

 

It was important to him to hear these guys out. Ace had carefully selected his inner circle, wanting it to be as diverse as possible. None of them ever thought the same way, or came up with the same ideas, though half the time the meetings disbanded due to arguing and fights. Ace didn’t care; unlike most gangs, who limited their members based on specific criteria, The Hell Brothers was as varied as they come, and it was their differences that made them so hard to predict.

 

“Alexei has no regard for the effect his doings have on those around him. He acts without conscience or honor,” Riley said carefully after shutting the door. “I think he should be removed.”

 

Ace glanced at Katie—her face was unreadable. “Diego?” he asked.

 

“You know my vote, ese,” Diego said, spreading his hands wide. “I’ve been wanting to go after that motherfucker since day one. I say we spread him across downtown.”

 

Ace grinned, he knew he could count on Diego. “How about it, Smalls?” he said, turning to the older man.

 

Smalls wrung his hands. “Oh, I dunno, Ace. I’ll do whatever you say, but it seems to me like Alexei’s already got his run of the place. I think…” he hesitated, then hurriedly rushed forward, as though trying to get the words out before he lost his nerve, “I think we should relocate.”

 

“No way!” Diego exclaimed, jumping down to stand up. “I run from no one, comprendes?”

 

Smalls put up his hands defensively, and Riley reached over to put a calming hand on Diego’s shoulder. “Relax, we haven’t made a decision yet,” he told his friend.

 

Ace looked at Riley gratefully, then turned to Katie. “What d’you say, Katie? You keep talking about plans—I think it’s time we make one.”

 

Katie glared at him. “If what you say is true, and Alexei is attacking his own runners, then the code says we have to run him out of town.”

 

Ace held his breath; he had been worried about this. The gang might decide to banish Alexei and his mob from Chicago rather than risk too many of their own lives killing everyone. Banishment won’t be enough to stop him from killing Niko, or, more importantly, Fiona, Ace thought nervously, the memory of her straddling his hips causing an immediate reaction down below. He tried to subtly adjust himself, trying to focus. If he wanted Fiona safe, like he promised, he needed everyone to agree to eliminate Alexei for good.

 

“But,” Katie continued, “I don’t think he’ll go so easily.” She looked at Ace, her gaze level. “Any confrontation we start with him is going to be a battle to the death—I can feel it,” she said, stifling a shiver. “I think we should go for the kill if we’re going to go for it,” she finally said.

 

There is it, Ace realized. We’re going to take out Alexei once and for all. He saw Smalls look at his shoes unhappily. Ace slapped one hand on his thigh forcefully. “All right, then. Diego, grab some beers, and let’s hash out ideas.”

 

A little less than two hours later, the group filed out of Ace’s room, excitedly talking about the plan in hushed whispers.

 

Ace stood at the door, saying goodnight as people left. It was late, and he was exhausted. Thinking everyone was gone, Ace shut the door, intending to pass out on his bed, when he spotted Katie sprawled across it.

 

“You were right,” she said, the statement clearly costing her a great deal of effort. “Come claim your prize,” she added as she spread her legs, her face breaking into a sensual grin.

 

Ace laughed uneasily. After the teasing he had endured by Fiona for the last day and a half, Ace’s cock was jumping at the bit to bury itself inside a hot pussy, but he couldn’t bring himself to walk over to her. What’s wrong with you? Ace mentally berated himself. Why won’t you just fuck her already? If only to quiet this relentless urge. The constant stirring of his manly urges was starting to cloud his mind. His thoughts kept returning to Fiona, her giggle, her hips, her hair…

 

He looked at Katie, and all he saw was Fiona. Not knowing what to make of that, he shook his head. “Sorry, Katie, I’m so fucking tired I’d just fall asleep on top of you.” It wasn’t a total lie—he was incredibly tired.

 

Katie pouted, shrugging. “It wouldn’t be the first time,” she said playfully.

 

Ace rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Really, Katie. I can’t.”

 

“What’s your deal lately?” she said, sitting up crossly. “You’re not in the mood, and you’re barely around.” Her eyes narrowed. “Is this about that civilian again?” she asked suspiciously.

 

“No!” Ace said defensively. “I’m just tired, Katie. There’s a lot going on. I’m fucking stressed out, okay?” Why can’t she just cut me some slack? Ace thought angrily.

 

Katie got off the bed, pushing past him. “If you can’t hack the stress of leadership, maybe you shouldn’t be the leader,” she hissed, slamming his door behind her.

 

Ace sighed, tightening a fist as he fought the urge to go after Katie. If she were a man, he would have beaten her senseless, but he refused to become his father.

 

Throwing himself onto his bed, Ace punched his pillow and closed his eyes, trying to calm his mind so he could sleep. He dozed fitfully through the night, his dreams and nightmares intertwining with each other. One second he was fully inside Fiona’s tight pussy, the next, Alexei was standing over a pile of his friends’ bodies, with Fiona on top.

 

Ace woke suddenly, early the next morning, the bright light filtering through the holes in his curtains. He was filled with the powerful idea that Fiona wasn’t safe.

 

Logic told him his dreams were making him paranoid, and Fiona was probably safe and sound at home, but he had to be sure. He stealthily crept out of his room and down the stairs, waiting until he was out on the porch to put on his boots. He even duck-walked his bike all the way down the block before starting it, he was so concerned about getting busted by someone in the gang.

 

Ace drove down Fiona’s street, killing the engine as he approached her house. He didn’t want to wake her unnecessarily—or give anyone else the head’s up that he was here.

 

“I feel like a fucking creep,” Ace muttered to himself as he walked around to the back of Fiona’s house to where he knew her bedroom window was.

 

Peering inside, he spotted her sleeping inside, still wearing only her panties, as far as Ace could tell. Now I’m really being a creep! Ace thought ashamedly as he felt his dick grow hard. He hurriedly walked back to the front of the house, glad she was unhurt.

 

As he got on his bike, Ace noticed a black car parked across the street at the exact perfect angle to see the entrance to Fiona’s house. Its windows were heavily tinted, Ace noticed as he silently rolled his bike down her driveway.

 

Once he was down the road a way, he started his bike and drove away, his heart pounding fast. He was certain he’d seen that same car driving in and out of Alexei’s warehouse yesterday.

 

Alexei knew where Fiona lived, so he didn’t need to put a tail on her. That meant the car was most likely there to collect her. Ace couldn’t wait; he needed to act now.

 

Circling around the block, Ace once again killed his engine, but this time, he was one street behind Fiona’s house. Grateful it was still fairly early in the morning, he pulled his bike up next to a line of hedges at one of the houses close to Fiona’s. He wanted it to be close so they could be ready for a fast getaway.

 

He crept through the neighbor’s backyard, entering Fiona’s, once again approaching her bedroom window. She wasn’t in her bed anymore Ace noticed as he squinted through the glass.

 

Fuck! She must be in the bathroom. Ace waited for a minute, but when she didn’t come out, he began to lightly tap on the window pane. A few seconds later, Fiona popped out of the bathroom, wearing a fluffy yellow robe with daisies on it and wielding a pair of scissors, looking for the sound.

 

Ace raised an eyebrow, thinking, As long as I live, I will never be able to predict this woman. He tapped on the glass again to catch her attention and waved for her to come over. When she got a little closer, Ace motioned for her to open the window, putting a finger to his lips, telling her to be very quiet. Fiona looked confused, but did as she was told, noiselessly unlocking the window and pushing it open.

 

Ace did his best to pull himself through the opening as silently as possible, but he knocked his head against the window frame, making a loud cracking sound. He instantly froze, listening for any movement from the front of the house. Hearing nothing, Ace stepped the rest of the way into the room, holding onto Fiona for support.

 

“What’s going on?” she whispered.

 

Ace shook his head, still too worried to speak. He walked over to her closet and opened the doors. Grabbing a small bag from the top shelf, he gestured for her to pack some clothes. He tapped his wrist—hurry.

 

Fiona grabbed a couple of shirts from her closet, and a pair of pajamas from her dresser. She tiptoed into the bathroom, returning a few moments later after changing, holding a zipped bag in hand. Slipping on a pair of sneakers, Fiona nodded to Ace, telling him she was ready.

 

Ace eased himself out of the window first, turning around to offer Fiona a hand. However, she effortlessly folded herself through the small square and landed in a soft crouch.

 

Grinning at her, Ace took Fiona’s hand, leading her through the yard to where his motorcycle was still partially hidden by the hedge. Ace mounted the bike, shaking his head and handing Fiona a helmet when she gave him a questioning look. She wanted to know if it was okay to talk yet, and he wasn’t willing to risk it—not without knowing who exactly was in the car.

 

It was a little harder to gain momentum walking the bike with two people on it, but Ace managed to get them down the street without too much of a struggle. Starting the engine, Ace quickly threw it into gear, tearing down the road with complete disregard to both the speed limit and the neighbors’ morning schedules. The last thing he wanted was for the dark car to catch up to him because he was too busy obeying the traffic laws.

 

Unsure of where else to go, Ace drove back to The Hell Brothers’ headquarters. It was a little before nine in the morning—most of the gang wouldn’t be up for at least another hour. He snuck into the house and up the stairs, Fiona following silently behind him. Once they were in his room, Ace shut the door with a tiny click, and let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Now can we talk?” Fiona whispered hesitantly.

 

Ace nodded. “Yeah,” he said, though not loudly. “We just gotta keep it down, okay?”

 

“What’s going on?” she said, repeating herself from earlier.

 

“There was a car parked outside your place this morning, watching you,” he told her. “Only it wasn’t there just to watch.”

 

Fiona gaped at him. “How…how did you know that?” she asked.

 

Ace shrugged. “You learn to pick up the signs after a while,” he said vaguely. In a situation like this, he didn’t think details would be very helpful.

 

“So…what am I doing here, then?” Fiona looked around at Ace’s room, trying to keep her face void of judgment.

 

It was right about now that Ace noticed a pair of boxers with some embarrassing stains on the floor about ten inches away from Fiona’s foot. He hurriedly reached down to grab them, tossing them in a pile of clothes in the corner that were equally clean or dirty.

 

“Alexei has obviously decided to speed up the timeline here and go after you directly,” Ace explained. “You’re not safe at home anymore. You’re going to have to stay here where I can keep an eye on you.”

 

“‘Keep an eye on me?’” Fiona said mockingly. “What, do you like me or something?”

 

“I still have yet to fully collect on my end of the bargain,” Ace teasingly reminded her. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt comfortable enough to simply joke around with someone, where he wasn’t concerned with someone taking something the wrong way and a fight possibly breaking out.

 

He had to admit, he was impressed with her fortitude. Finding out a dangerous mob boss was hunting her down apparently hadn’t shaken her too much. Feeling bold, Ace took a step forward and kissed Fiona lightly.

 

“Oh, you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” a voice exclaimed behind Ace and Fiona, causing them to spring apart.

 

Katie stood in the doorway; apparently they had been so absorbed in each other, neither of them had heard her enter.

 

“I knew it,” Katie hissed. “I knew this was about that fucking cager!” she screamed, stabbing a finger at Fiona. “Did you even really find Alexei?”

 

“Of course I did!” Ace said indignantly. “After the meeting last night, how can you ask that?”

 

“Cager?” Fiona whispered to Ace, hiding behind him.

 

He glanced back at her. “Someone who drives a car,” he muttered under his breath.

 

“Well, that doesn’t exactly seem fair considering I don’t really have a car anymore,” Fiona said belligerently, raising her eyebrow at Katie.

 

Katie took a step forward. “I swear to god, if this bitch doesn’t—”

 

“Relax, Katie,” Ace said, putting his hands on her shoulders.

 

Katie violently shrugged him off of her. “Don’t!” she yelled, not caring if the entire house overheard her. “Don’t do that!”

 

“Do what?” Ace asked, confused.

 

“Talk to me like I’m the crazy one just because I refuse to let you continue lying to everyone here!” Katie accused him. “You’re supposed to be our leader, Ace,” Katie added, calming down now. “That means putting The Hell Brothers first; over everything and everyone else.” She looked pointedly at Fiona.

 

“Alexei’s after her, Katie,” Ace explained. “She doesn’t have anywhere else to stay.”

 

“So you fucking brought her here?” she asked rhetorically.

 

Ace’s phone rang and he didn’t know whether to curse or be grateful. He looked at the screen to see a restricted number. “Katie, shut up,” Ace said in a calm voice that immediately silenced her.

 

An unknown number probably wasn’t a good thing, he thought, his stomach sinking as he answered the phone. “Who is this?” he demanded.

 

“Someone you should speak to a little more respectfully if you don’t want to watch your girlfriend die a bloody death,” a voice said imperiously.

 

“Cut this shit, Vlad,” Ace said, recognizing the slight Russian accent in the man’s voice. “Put Alexei on the phone.”

 

“Unfortunately, Alexei is out picking up a few special items for when Fiona and Niko come to visit,” Vlad replied, sounding magnificently bored. “He does wish to talk to you, though, so do you think you could pop on over sometime today?”

 

“Sure,” Ace said evenly, refusing to be baited. “I look forward to it.”

 

“Wonderful,” Vlad replied. Ace could practically hear him grinning. “Stop by around six; I’ll call around then with directions.”

 

“Don’t need ’em,” Ace said gruffly. “I know where you live.”

 

He hung up the phone, looking between Fiona and Katie. “We’ve got a problem.”

 

***

 

Alexei walked up and down the aisles of a dark basement in an abandoned building, looking at all of the tools and equipment hanging on the walls. After this morning, he had decided to come visit an old friend who dealt in specialty items.

 

Last night, William had come barreling into the warehouse without a care in the world how a cop car might look to some of the clientele—many of whom were prone to violence when surprised.

 

He had been ready to shoot William right then and there, when the little zadnitza began squeaking about The Hell Brothers and Ace Connor. Alexei had almost panicked, thinking they had planned some kind of ambush, but, apparently, he was somehow connected to the Brown siblings.

 

Alexei hadn’t believed him at first, but William had insisted that he’d seen Ace Connor’s motorcycle—a very distinct bike, Alexei granted him—parked at Fiona Brown’s place. After a few minutes of convincing, Alexei returned with William to Fiona’s home to see it for himself.

 

Sure enough, they parked the dark car across the street just in time to see Ace Connor exit the house, get on his bike, and drive away. Alexei wasn’t sure, but it looked as though Ace was only partway dressed.

 

Alexei had wondered what that meant as they drove back to the warehouse. He ordered a detail to stay with her until he decided what to do. Is Ace fucking Fiona? Did he know her before Niko and Paul came to work for me, or did she go to him for protection? No, he decided, it didn’t make sense that Fiona was paying The Hell Brothers for protection if she couldn’t afford to pay off her brother’s debt. Paul! Alexei realized. That’s it!

 

“Paul!” Alexei had roared when he entered the building that night. “I need to talk to you!”

 

Paul poked his head out of the upper security office, and hurried past the guards and down the steps. “What do you need, boss?” he asked nervously. Alexei was standing at the base of the steps, tightly flanked by Vlad and William. Paul began to feel trapped—and he was right.

 

“You still haven’t heard from Niko, have you?” Alexei began interrogating him.

 

Paul emphatically shook his head. “No, sir. I would have told you right away if he had.”

 

“What about his sister? Have you spoken to her?” he asked, carefully scrutinizing him.

 

“Uh, no,” Paul was genuinely confused now. “I didn’t talk to her much even before everything started to—uh, even before,” he replied, managing to stop himself before he said something too closely resembling a critique of Alexei’s management skills.

 

“What about Ace Connor?” Alexei asked, his face uncomfortably close to Paul’s.

 

Paul felt beads of perspiration form along his hairline. “Ace Connor? The guy in charge of The Hell Brothers?”

 

“Yes,” Alexei said shortly. “That Ace Connor. Unless you know another one?” he asked sarcastically.

 

Paul fearfully looked at the floor, hearing Vlad and William snigger like schoolboys. He shot them a sullen glance. “If I had seen him, do you think I would be alive right now?”

 

“That’s true,” Vlad drawled from behind Alexei. “Ace Connor would eat him for breakfast and shit him out before lunch.”

 

Alexei looked him over closely, then shrugged and walked away, Vlad and William trailing after him, both of them shooting him a smarmy grin. “You’re right.”

 

Alexei settled into his white leather throne, his sycophantic followers fanning out around him. Vlad sat in the chair opposite from Alexei.

 

“We need to know why Ace was at Fiona’s,” Alexei said.

 

“That’s easy,” Vlad said smoothly. “He’s fucking her.”

 

“That is one theory, Vlad, but I’m not as confident as you are,” Alexei said. “If we act upon that and we are wrong…”

 

“I’m right, and here’s why,” Vlad declared. “She’s into him because he’s the one last bad boy she can feel dangerous with before she goes off to marry Mr. Right, and after all the whores he’s had, he gets to see what fucking a putana is like,” he said, using a phrase for upscale prostitutes.

 

“I don’t think the girl is exactly what you claim, but even if she were, how did they meet?” Alexei insisted.

 

Vlad shrugged. “Who cares? Tomorrow morning we will go and take her; you can ask her about their love story then.”

 

Alexei shot a glance at Vlad. “You need to take more care when you speak,” he said warningly. “For a moment there, it sounded like you were giving me an order.”

 

“No, no,” Vlad said quickly. “Just a suggestion.”

 

Everyone looked at Alexei, tensely waiting his reaction.

 

“It is a good one,” Alexei said, pretending not to notice the collective sigh of relief that came from the room. “Tomorrow, we collect the girl. Early—she’ll be disoriented.”

 

The next morning, however, only a few minutes after they had parked across the street, they saw who else but Ace Connor walking up to Fiona’s house. Alexei was convinced now that the girl meant something more to him than just a high-end fuck. Why else would he be coming by this early in the morning?

 

Ace went around to the back, however, and suddenly, Alexei wondered if maybe his original theory was correct—that Niko had pissed off Ace, and now Ace had also shown up to collect.

 

The poor girl, Alexei thought, having to pay so much for her brother’s mistakes. Alexei watched curiously through the windshield as Ace returned quickly, but empty-handed. Is she not home? he briefly considered, then quickly dismissed the thought. His detail should have noticed if Fiona had left in the middle of the night. It doesn’t matter, he reassured himself, soon we will go in and know for sure.

 

Nodding to Vlad beside him, the two men stepped out of the car and walked up Fiona’s drive. The garage door had not been fixed yet, so Alexei motioned for Vlad to take that entrance, while Alexei headed for the front door.

 

“Odin,” Alexei shouted, counting to three in Russian, “dva, tri!” He kicked in the front door and heard Vlad do the same thing half a second later.

 

They stormed from room to room, tearing the already heavily-damaged apartment to pieces.

 

“Motherfucker!” Alexei cursed, kicking an ottoman. “He took her; he had to have.”

 

“Not to worry,” Vlad said. “We can still get her back.”

 

“How? Tell me this,” Alexei demanded. “You have all the plans lately, don’t you?”

 

“Whoever Fiona Brown is to Ace Connor, she’s not a part of The Hell Brothers, which means she can’t be that important to him,” Vlad pointed out. “We tell Ace we will let him and all of his gang relocate without harm if he gives us the girl. We find her brother later,” he said, waving dismissively. “The boy does not have his sister’s intelligence; he can’t hide for long.”

 

Alexei dug in his pocket. “Here,” he said gruffly, slapping his phone into Vlad’s hand.

 

“What do you want me to do with this?” he asked, confused.

 

“Something you don’t know for once—good,” Alexei said shortly. “Your plan, you make the call. Get him here, and get him to bring her.” He turned abruptly on his heel and walked out the door.

 

***

 

A few hours later, Ace strolled into the warehouse. Alexei’s mouth tightened imperceptibly. When Vlad told him Ace already knew the location of their office, he had hoped the biker would be bluffing. Though Alexei was still confident he had the numbers and the weaponry to outmatch Ace, he didn’t like that the man could stop by at any time.

 

“Afternoon, gentlemen,” Ace said casually as he walked into the open room. “Nice shop you got here.” He gestured to the carefully organized and itemized shelves.

 

“All alone?” Vlad called softly. “Where are The Hell Brothers?” he taunted.

 

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it,” Ace said with a wink. “They’re around.”

 

“Take a seat,” Alexei pointed at the open space on the couch near him, “and cut the shit, as you Americans like to say. I want the girl.”

 

Ace sat down heavily. “No,” he replied simply, not bothering to pretend he didn’t know who Alexei was talking about.

 

“Let me repeat myself,” Alexei tried again. “Give me the girl, and I don’t kill off half your people.”

 

“If you’re going to threaten me, why not threaten to kill all of my people?” Ace said mockingly.

 

“Because it’s not a threat,” Vlad interjected, quieting as Alexei held up a hand.

 

“He’s right,” Alexei said evenly. “We had already decided it was too much of an effort to try to ferret out every one of you vermin, so we settled for killing most and letting the rest of you go to salvage whatever was left of your lives.”

 

Ace couldn’t remember the last time someone had spoken to him like this, but whenever it had been, he was certain he had left the person bruised and broken.

 

“Now, if you hand over the girl,” Alexei continued, “I will let you go—all of you—as long as you promise to relocate outside of the state. I’m not interested in spilling blood over her.” Alexei paused. “Unless you decide to stand in my way. I think we all know how that would go.”

 

There wasn’t a single person in that room who didn’t know Alexei’s mob could crush The Hell Brothers, though at what cost to Alexei, no one could say.

 

Ace thought for a minute. “I’m willing to give her to you,” he began slowly, “but not for another day—a full day,” he clarified.

 

Alexei frowned. “I am not a patient man,” he said, irritated.

 

“Then we have something in common.” Ace chuckled. “But I’ve been waiting to fuck that girl for a couple days now, and I’d like to see that patience rewarded, get me?”

 

A thin, knowing smile spread across Vlad’s face, and the back of Ace’s hand itched to wipe it off.

 

“You will bring her to me twenty-four hours from now?” Alexei asked.

 

“I was thinking by midnight tomorrow,” Ace pushed.

 

Alexei gazed at him. “I will give you twenty-five hours, and not a second longer.”

 

Ace shrugged, giving him a crooked smile. “Twenty-five hours it is.”

 

He could have cut it down to twenty hours and I would have agreed, Ace thought. I’m not giving him Fiona, so it doesn’t really matter. That wasn’t exactly true; any extra time he could buy before Alexei realized he wasn’t handing over Fiona was time the gang could use to set up their plan, but it was what Ace told himself.

 

Alexei put his hand out and Ace shook it firmly. Suddenly, Alexei seized him by the forearm, pulling him close. “If you do not bring her to me, I will kill everyone you love in front of you, ending with the girl. I promise you: it will not be swift,” he said quietly, giving Ace a meaningful glance towards Vlad.

 

“Well, then,” Ace said, returning the pressure that was being applied. “I guess it’s a good thing I’ll be dropping her off tomorrow.”

 

Alexei released his hold, as did Ace.

 

He nodded to the men in the room. “Gentlemen,” he said, turning to leave.

 

Ace kept his stride slow and calm, smoothly starting his bike to cruise away. Once he hit the highway and he was sure he was not being watched, he opened up the throttle, tearing down the road back to headquarters.

 

If they didn’t execute the plan soon, it would be too late for all of them.