“You sure look fucking happy to be a man on lockdown,” Ride complains.

“Fuck off,” I laugh, knowing he’s right. It’s been three nights since I claimed Toi and every fucking day just gets better. Jesus, I’m craving her even now and I just left her bed a couple of hours ago. I made her come with my mouth and left with her whispered I love you in my ear.

“Marcum man, are you listening?”

I look up at him and push thoughts of Toi to the back of my mind. That’s not as easy as it probably should have been, but Ride is right. We’re in lockdown and I need to concentrate on getting Toi free and clear of all this shit.

“Sorry man. What were you saying?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this,” he says and I shrug.

“You haven’t. It may have taken me a lot of fucking years, but I found it.”

“It?”

“She’s it, brother. The kind of woman that feeds the soul and cuts out the bullshit. Building a man up, not tearing him down. Toi’s it for me.”

“Christ. I’m happy for you man. Truly. I don’t want to catch that shit, but I’m happy for you just the same.”

“Finding a good woman, Ride, would be the best thing that could happen to you.”

“Fuck no. A woman makes a man weak. I’m fine the way I am.”

I shrug. It’s his loss, and before I found Toi, I was pretty convinced I’d never find the woman who could reach me like Toi does.

“Suit yourself,” I tell him, right before there’s a knock at the door. Ghost comes in and behind him Topper. If he brought Top in, then I know it’s not going to be good news.

“Marcum, we need to talk,” Ghost says and I sigh. Yeah. You can see the worry all over his face. Whatever this is, it’s not going to be good. Him and Topper come in and that’s when I see it. Topper is carrying a bottle of Jack and three glasses.

Fuck.

“I’m going to need another glass,” Topper says, putting them down on the desk. I grab the Jack and start pouring, giving each man a glass.

“Fuck it, I got a feeling I’m going to need to drink straight from the bottle. Hit me,” I tell Ghost.

“The owner of the contract… It’s not good, man,” Ghost starts.

“The Garcias own it,” I tell him, waiting for the hammer to drop.

“Alvaro himself owns it.”

“Jesus fuck. Why would he issue a contract on Toi?”

“Alvaro bought her.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? I know Toi, she hasn’t got near that fucker. Someone like that would scare the shit out of her.”

“He met her once. I doubt Toi remembers,” Ghost says.

“If she met him, she’d remember. Alvaro isn’t that fucking easy to forget.”

“She was ten.”

“What the fuck?”

“Weasel sold her to Alvaro.”

“The fuck you say,” I growl, my entire body vibrating with anger.

“Alvaro’s been out of commission. Remember the fire? It nearly took him out. Left him completely screwed up, scars everywhere, bastard was lucky to survive. Brother, he’d give Toi nightmares now and he was pretty fucking scary before,” Ghost answers, and fuck, I do remember. I was actually contacted about taking that job, but I had a fucking brain and wanted to steer clear of the Garcias. One of Alvaro’s own brothers wanted him dead and tried to hire it done. When I turned the job down, they hired some wet behind the ears mess-up from out of Texas. He got Alvaro, but he didn’t finish the job. Alvaro had the would-be assassin hunted down and tortured to death, but his brother is still breathing air, so I doubt he knows the whole story.

“So he hadn’t claimed Toi earlier because of his injuries?” I ask, still not clear on what Alvaro’s game plan is here.

“Exactly, but he’s back now and he wants her.”

“With his position and power, not to mention his money he could hire a woman to warm his bed, doesn’t matter what he looks like,” I growl.

“He wants Toi.”

“That’s what Weasel was doing? Luring his daughter away from here so he could pay his debt to Alvaro? Jesus Christ.” I take a swig of the Jack. The whiskey burn in my gut is nothing to the burn I’m feeling at the idea of Alvaro with his hands on Toi.

“If he gets a hold of her, he’ll break her,” Ghost says and because he cares for Toi, I see the same worry in his eyes that’s mirrored in mine.

“He won’t get her. I’ll fucking burn the Garcia empire down and set fire to Alvaro myself and this time nothing will save him,” I vow.

“Boss, their reach is pretty fucking long. Not saying we don’t have markers we can call in and some pretty damn strong alliances, but there won’t be a lot of them willing to tangle with the Garcias.” That comes from Topper. And he’s not wrong, but I need to bring in some muscle just as strong.

“Then it’s time I call in my biggest marker.”

“Anthes?”

“He has a direct line to Kuzma. Kuzma has wanted me on his payroll for years. He’s about to get his fucking wish.”

“Christ, brother,” Ride says, rubbing the side of his face.

“Get out,” I tell them, picking up my phone. I see it in their eyes.

Acceptance.

They know they can’t stop this—and they can’t. If the only way I can save Toi is to sell my soul to the devil—then so, fucking, be it.