Now

Evan

“COOP,” I BELLOW, WHILE simultaneously phoning Tommie. Several people in the bar turn in my direction as Coop jogs over, effortlessly parting the crowd. Upon hearing Tommie’s voice, I bark out orders, each word like toxic gas on my tongue. “I need eyes on Mari’s place now. I’m going in, they have Carys.”

“What’s the plan?” Coop asks.

“Come with me. I’ll fill you in on the way.”

“Sure thing.”

As we head for the door, I stop, remembering Anna. I find her and Ma’s eyes easily and mouth, Take care of her. Ma nods as I exhale sharply. It fucking hurts to breathe.

“Want me to call Ry for backup?”

As we jog and get into the car, I contemplate leaving Ry out of this. Backup would be smart and he’s always my first choice, but they’ve got his sister because of me. Will he be able to think straight? Fuck, I already messed up with him. He should know.

“Yeah, call Ry.”

After the call with Ry on speaker, Coop wants to strategize about how best to go in and what the potential scenarios might be. It’s not smart, but fuck strategy. They’ve got my girl, and I’ll do whatever the fuck it takes to get her back.

Upon arrival at Mari’s warehouse, we’re greeted by two big guys with no necks and large bellies. They pat us down and take our guns. We’re not surprised; we knew this would happen.

They lead us upstairs to a row of offices overlooking the warehouse floor. There are about a dozen guys milling around and some stop to stare.

Upon entering Mari’s office, my gaze immediately seeks Carys, not really registering who else is in the room. She gives me a faint smile, letting me know she’s fine, or as fine as she can be under the circumstance.

She’s being held by a fat motherfucker who doesn’t know it yet, but his days are numbered. He’ll beg me to die when I’m done with him. Dragging my gaze away from Carys so I can take in the rest of the room and its inhabitants, I see the guy with Carys is beside Franco Mari.

He sits smugly behind his big, ornate wooden desk. At the sight of the deadly gleam in his dark eyes and his calculated grin, my stomach pitches. Fuck, he’s enjoying every second of this. He’s in his early sixties with short salt-and-pepper hair. He’s fit for his age, still attractive with his dark eyes and olive complexion, and impeccably dressed in an expensive suit.

“One minute to spare. Punctuality is a fine quality in a man. Mr. Hart, you’ve brought a friend? Davis Cooper, I believe it is?”

I glance to my side and Coop tips his chin as I simmer in my rage. Calming the fuck down is paramount. As much as I want to annihilate this animal for laying a finger on Carys, we’re outnumbered and on his turf.

Unless I’ve got a death wish, I can’t take out a made man—a consigliere, no less—and expect to live to tell about it, not without a well-thought-out plan. Time is my friend.

Choosing not to dignify his comment with one of my own, I continue my scan of the room. In addition to Franco, Carys, and the goon holding her, there’s another no-neck across the room beside Greg. What the fuck?

With a double-take, my eyes crash with his, and the coward squirms and averts his eyes, eventually bowing his head in what I’d call shame.

“Should we expect more of your friends?” Franco asks, his question rhetorical. “I’d say it’s safe to expect Rylan Wolfe soon, is it not?”

“What do you want, Franco?” I ask through gritted teeth. “And what the fuck is Greg doing here?”

“Ah, Mr. Williams works for me. Didn’t you know? I thought it was your job to know everything.” His tone is mocking. “You see, Greg here has been playing house with Carys because I told him to.”

Before his last word leaves his mouth, I lunge toward Greg, another dead man in my eyes, and Carys yells out. I’m not sure who her concern is for, but her eyes never leave me.

Coop’s arms encircle my waist like iron bands and jerk me back. He loosens his hold somewhat once he’s convinced I won’t try again.

Snapping his fingers, Franco gets my attention as the huge goon thrusts Carys into his grasp. I take a step toward them and Coop’s viselike grip tightens. We share a brief exchange. While I’m still learning his ways and getting to know him, he’s telling me to wait—not to not act at all, just to wait.

Franco’s fingers bite into Carys’s jaw, her flesh reddening as he pulls her into his side. One arm firmly wraps around her middle and the other holds her face. Our gazes fuse, and while her expression is blank, her eyes tell me so much.

She’s strong, brave and yet scared. She won’t give this fucker the satisfaction of showing it, and there’s nothing but trust in her eyes, trust that I’ll get her out of this. Damn, I fucking love her.

“She really is stunning, but I don’t have to tell you that. If I didn’t already have a plenty on the side or cared to have add another…” His voice trails off, letting the implication soar through the air like a hand grenade with the pin pulled.

“Get to the point,” I press, my patience hanging by a thread.

It’s been said that you shouldn’t be on point or even involved in any kind of mission if a loved one or even an acquaintance is in harm’s way. I never gave it any thought because I never thought I’d ever be in that position.

Now, like a sledgehammer to the chest, I get it. I’m useless, unable to think clearly or see two steps ahead. Every breath, every thought is consumed by her. Carys. My only focus is to get her out of here.

“Well, you’re snooping around what’s mine, so I thought I’d return the favor.”

With another snap of his fingers, Anna is brought in from a side door, another no-neck holding her by the arm. What the fuck?

For a split second, all the potential scenarios of how the hell they got their hands on my sister run through my mind, some more deadly than others, and my concern for Ma and my friends at the bar sits heavily, like a stone sinking to the bottom of my gut.

Fuck, is that why Ry isn’t here? My blood pressure rises as I clench my jaw and try to get a hold of myself. This is exactly what Mari wants.

Anna’s fine, worried and a bit annoyed as she’s deposited beside her grandfather, but she glances my way, quick and reassuring—at least I think that’s what I see. Is she letting me know everyone else is okay?

Franco doesn’t acknowledge his granddaughter’s presence; his full attention is on me. His smile is now a big sneer, and he’s enjoying my discomfort. If nothing else, watching me squirm is getting him off.

“So, I’m going to ask you once, as a courtesy, because contrary to what people think, I’m a reasonable man. Why are you talking to Gianna? Why are you having her watched?”

Anna’s eyes widen, then narrow on me. I hadn’t told her that my men were also watching her. It’s for her protection. She likely thinks I’m no different than the man holding her hostage right now.

“She’s my sister. I wanted to make sure she was safe.”

“She is my business, not yours. Her safety is my concern. As for being your sister, she isn’t anything to you. I’ll give you one chance to walk away from this. Leave Gianna alone. Never talk to her again or so much as look at her and you can leave right now with your sweetness.”

His ghost of a smile and the ruthless glint in his eyes reinforce his display of pure joy at the position he has put me in. I’m caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, both options unknown and possibly treacherous.

He’s asking me to choose between my heart, the love of my life, and a piece of me I never knew was missing until I found her, my sister. Fuck.

Before this moment, hands down, I’d have said Carys. Without a doubt, I still will, but looking at the petite woman I’m getting to know, my heart jerks in turmoil. Except for her dying aunt, everyone’s neglected her. I won’t be another person she can add to that list.

Anna looks on. At first, anger swims in her gaze, but then it morphs into a frown of disappointment, as if she knows what I’m going to do, knows I’ll leave her like everyone else has. She may be wary of me, of letting me in, but she just wants to be loved, to be chosen.

Carys’s heavy gaze bores into me, loaded with so many emotions and declarations. I can read her thoughts like she’s whispering in my ear. She wants me to fight for both of them, and of course I will—there isn’t any other choice.

“Let’s make a deal,” I offer, surprising him. His eyes open wider and he pinches his lips at the turn of events.

Ry is then escorted in by another man. He only has eyes for Carys, and like me, he’s distressed and beyond pissed.

“This isn’t going to end well, Franco,” he threatens, as the man heartily laughs without a care in the world.

“Mr. Wolfe, I’m so glad you could join us. I knew things would get entertaining once you arrived. I was just telling Mr. Hart here that I’m willing to let this all go, if he agrees to leave Gianna alone. No contact, no surveillance, nothing, as if she doesn’t exist—and she doesn’t, not to him anyway.”

I observe Anna as her grandfather callously drones on about her insignificance. Her gaze is tangled with Coop’s. She’s caught in a spell as he motions with his eyes to her, telling her something I’m not able to understand.

“Not going to happen,” I interject, stepping closer, as Franco pulls Carys tighter to him. She whimpers ever so slightly.

Both Ry and I emit low animalistic sounds of attack. He’s got us exactly where he wants us.

“Gentlemen, you’ll forgive me, but my patience is running thin. Mr. Hart, you were saying? What deal could you possibly offer that I’d even be mildly intrigued by?”

He sounds bored, but he’s interested—he wouldn’t have pushed for more details if he weren’t. What I’m about to offer is ludicrous because I don’t know what I’m getting us into, but it’s all I’ve got. I’ve been thinking about this possibility, but every time, I’ve dismissed it because there are too many variables and unknowns. Right now, though, I’ve got to try to hook him.

I glance at Ry, then Coop, and they eagerly await my suggestion. Ever so subtly, Ry encourages me with a slight tip of his chin. They may not be so supportive once they hear my halfcocked idea.

“I hear you’re having problems with Balducci’s crew.” He visibly stiffens, his forehead creasing, as his jaw tightens and ticks. Yep, I heard right. “We could help you out with that.”

“How so?”

He’s taken the bait, and now I must reel him in. Ry and Coop keenly look on, each of them hanging on my every word and likely trying to figure out where I’m going with this. They’ll know before I get it out; it’s crazy, but I’m willing to bet the thought has crossed their minds, too.

“We could help take care of your little problem.”

“I have men to do that for me, why would I need you?” Like a cat with a mouse, he’s playing with me.

“Yeah, but you can’t. We both know the boss won’t allow it.” He abruptly pulls Carys with him as he rounds the desk, his glare hardening as he nears me.

“Go on, I’m listening.”

“We could figure out a way to solve it without any blowback on you.”

“And in exchange, what would you expect?”

Carys is only three feet from me, her eyes wide, her pulse point beating erratically, and her hands clenched into fists in front of her. It guts me to see her like this, with his hands on her.

I want nothing more than to grab her, but if I make one false move, it won’t end well. We’re outnumbered. Even with Ry and Coop’s muscle, there’s Anna to cover and we’d never make it out alive.

“Anna comes with me. You leave her alone, forever.”

Franco chuckles, shaking his head, and then he turns back toward his desk, taking Carys with him. A low, angry sound comes from Ry and he moves one step closer to me, to his sister.

“You really think your suggestion is worthy of Anna?” With a tsk-tsk, he releases Carys and his guy takes hold of her arm again. “She has great potential for me.”

Finally, his tight jaw and dark expression say it all: he loathes his granddaughter. If I ever thought there was a chance he’d leave her alone, that she’d be okay without my interference, I see now that’s not even a possibility. Whatever plans he has for her, her wellbeing isn’t a concern.

“We’d be saving you the trouble, ridding you of a problem without implication or possibility of retribution. I’d say with the way things are headed, we’d be doing you a huge favor, definitely worthy of Anna,” I counter.

“Let me think about it.” His tone is dismissive, almost bored, as he focuses on some papers on his desk as if we’re no longer here.

“Fine, but we leave now, with Carys and Anna.”

Looking up, a small, yet sharp grin spreads across his face. “Fine, but Mr. Hart, don’t kid yourself. I can take Anna and get to the lovely Ms. Wolfe any time I want. Don’t do something foolish and make me have to remind you. I’ll be in touch.”

He flicks his hand for us to get out. I take Carys in my arms, Coop grabs Anna by the hand, and Ry leads us out of the building. Her body against mine slows both my heart rate and breathing. Relief floods my system and the fog lifts from my brain.

Before getting into the car, I cup her face and press my mouth to hers, kissing her softly. It’s brief but poignant as I try to convey how glad I am to have her back.

I hated every second of seeing her in the grasp of that man. Franco Mari, a man I never dreamed I’d want to take down, has just put himself on my shit list. He may be powerful and dangerous, but nobody is untouchable.