I loved having her in my life again.

I loved the way she smelled, the way her hair got stuck in the drain, the way she cuddled with me all through the night. I loved the way she took forever to chew her food. She’d just been taken as a prisoner, but she never once looked at me like I was a captor. She trusted me—felt at home with me.

She wanted me as much as I wanted her. She wasn’t ready to open her legs to me, but she still wanted what she could take. She kissed me like we’d never been apart—and her orgasms were exactly the same.

I’d risked everything for this woman—but she was completely worth it.

The bruises faded with every passing day. The nasty colors lightened and returned to her normal skin tone. She became stronger, showing a nice sense of humor. She smiled a lot more often. Vase of flowers started to decorate my home, and her waistline returned to normal.

I hadn’t returned to work because I didn’t want to leave her.

I wanted to stay inside this house forever.

But I had responsibilities to get back to. I had a business to run. And I also had to figure out what to do about Tristan. Crow hadn’t called me, but it was only a matter of time before he showed up on my doorstep.

“You’re leaving?” Adelina asked when she saw me in my jeans and jacket.

“Yeah. I have things to take care of at the base.”

“Oh…” She moved her hands to my hips, and she didn’t mask her disappointment. “I guess it was stupid to think you’d stay with me all day, every day.”

“I would if I could.” My hand slid around her neck, and I regarded her with the possessiveness I used to show. This woman was my whole world. I adored her. I loved the life that had returned to her cheeks, the strength that made her stand so straight. She was worth everything I’d risked to get her back. “But I’ll be back later.”

“Alright.”

I kissed the corner of her mouth. “I’ll set the alarm. The cameras are set. I’ll be able to keep an eye on the house even while I’m gone.”

“Okay. Is there a chance I could be in danger?”

“It’s very unlikely. But I’d rather be safe than sorry.” I pulled away and grabbed my keys off the counter.

“Can I have a gun?”

I turned around and flashed her a look of surprise. “Do you know how to use one?”

“I get the gist.”

I pulled open one of the drawers and pulled out a pistol. “Of course you can. But maybe I should teach you first.”

She nodded in agreement.

“It’s in here if you absolutely need it.” I shut the drawer again. “But let’s wait until I get home. I’ll teach you the basics.”

“Okay.”

I wrapped my arm around her waist and kissed her again. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Alright.”

I walked to the door and snuck a look at her before I walked out. With long brown hair and a tight shirt, she looked like the woman I’d been dreaming of my entire life. She was beautiful, strong, and she had a resilience even Crow and I couldn’t match. It took all my strength to shut the door and walk to the car.

---

Crow was in a pissed-off mood. I could tell just by looking at his furrowed eyebrows.

“What’s up?” I asked as I took a seat.

“What’s up?” he asked sarcastically. “While you’ve been playing with your toy, I’ve been trying to track this asshole down. You know, so I can be with my wife again.”

“I haven’t been playing with my toy,” I snapped. “I’ve been helping her, in case you’ve forgotten what she’s been through.”

“And what do you think I’m going through? My wife is pregnant, and she’s in Greece by herself.”

“With Lars and a dozen guards,” I argued. “She’s fine.”

“Well, I’m not fine,” he snapped. “We need to find Tristan.”

“What did the team say?”

“No sign of the boat.”

“Anywhere?”

“Nope.”

I put my feet on the desk as I considered the announcement. “If he survived, he had to take it somewhere.”

“Or it sank,” he said. “In that case, he could have swum to shore or drowned. So he’s as likely to be dead as he is to be alive.”

“The only reason why I want him to be alive is so I can kill him with my bare hands.” What he did to Adelina was unforgivable. And the fact that I let it happen was even more unforgivable. She was my woman. She was my life. How did I walk away from her? How did I let this happen?

“I just want him to be dead so I can get back to my life.”

“We’ve got eyes and ears everywhere,” I said. “I’ve already told our distant crews we’re looking for him. If the guy is in public at all, word will get back to us. We took out his entire team. Tristan has no one right now. He’s totally helpless. If he tells anyone it was us, then everyone will be more terrified of us than him.”

Crow nodded in agreement. “True.”

“He’ll turn up soon. If weeks go by and he doesn’t…we’ll just assume he’s dead or has gone into hiding.”

“I don’t think I can handle weeks of this…” He rested his fingertips against his temple like he was fighting a migraine. His black wedding ring matched his exterior, cold, dark, and hard. It was difficult to believe he loved a woman with all of his heart.

“It’ll be over soon. Pearl can come home, and you can get ready for the baby.”

He rubbed his temple. “I don’t know shit about babies…”

“But Pearl does. She’s got that natural maternal instinct.”

“You’re right, she does.”

“You could always go to Greece and wait it out with her. I can take over the manhunt and let you know when it’s all over.”

He grabbed the glass from the table and took a drink. “As tempting as that sounds, I don’t want anyone to follow me. It would be a moot point if I led the trail back to my most prized possession.”

“True…”

“I’m staying until this is over.”

“Alright. Then let’s buckle down.”

---

“How’s Adelina doing?” Crow asked.

“She’s handling things pretty well, actually.” I closed the folder when I didn’t find what I was looking for. “She’s resilient. Anyone else would still be shaking. But she’s holding her head high. She’s strong.”

“Reminds me of Pearl. I never felt like she was a victim. More like a survivor.”

“Exactly.”

“I’m sure you have something to do with her calmness. She feels safe around you.”

“Yeah…I think she does.”

“Have you told her how you felt?”

I shook my head.

“Are you going to?”

“I don’t know… I feel like it’s pointless.”

“How so?”

“I risked my life as well as yours to save her. It’s pretty damn obvious how I feel about her. If she doesn’t already know, she’s an idiot.”

“She might just think you’re a good guy.”

I snorted. “She knows I’m not a good guy. She knows I’m not evil, but not good either. That’s why I like her so much. She knows exactly what I am and accepts it.”

“And you know where acceptance comes from? Love.”

“I’m not sure how she feels. I’d think she was a little crazy if she fell in love with me when I accepted her as payment…”

“Pearl fell in love with me.”

“But she is an idiot,” I said with a smile.

His eyes narrowed.

“Come on, you know I’m kidding.”

If he didn’t know that was a joke, he would have murdered me right then and there.

Bran approached our table with straight shoulders. He was always a serious guy, but he seemed more serious than usual. “There’s someone here to see you.”

“Who?” I asked. Judging by the expression on his face, it was the Queen of England.

“Constantine,” Bran said quietly. “Says you know him.”

I wished I didn’t know him.

I exchanged a look with Crow.

This was bad news. And even worse timing.

“Where is he?” I asked.

“At the entrance to the warehouse,” Bran answered. “Has a few men with him.”

Of course he did. “I’ll be there in a second.”

“Alright.” Bran walked away, so we were alone once more.

Crow’s expression didn’t change, but he was tense. He was harder than a steel beam. The anger lurked behind his eyes, as it often did when he felt threatened. “We both know this isn’t good.”

“No, it’s not.”

“We’ll handle it together.” Crow rose from his seat.

My brother had already risked his life to save my woman. He already had his issues with the business with Constantine, so I wasn’t going to make him deal with that too. “No. You said you wanted nothing to do with this. I’ll handle it.”

“It doesn’t matter if I want nothing to do with this. You’re my brother. We’re in this together.”

“Not this time. You’ve done enough for me. Stay here.”

Crow continued to stand, but his arms rested gently by his sides. He bowed his head slightly, backing off.

“I’ll let you know how it goes.”

---

“Cane Barsetti.” Constantine was always dressed to impress. He didn’t wear jet black like most of us did. He always wanted to make a statement. He always wanted to be remembered. He wore black jeans that had holes all up and down, and he wore a bright yellow shirt with a skull in the center. A red handkerchief was tied around his neck, and every inch of his skin was covered with black ink from his tattoos.

“Constantine.” I met him outside, wearing a confident expression and not blinking an eye over the men he brought. They were all packing. But the hundred men inside my facility were packing too. No matter how ruthless these guys were, they’d lose.

We both knew it.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” I asked.

“A beautiful day to do business,” Constantine said. He crossed his arms over his chest, revealing the assortment of blades that hung along his belt loop. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said…peaceful coexistence.”

“Pretty good idea, if you ask me.”

“I’m not so sure.” He nodded to the warehouse. “I know you’ve got a lot of inventory in there, a lot more than I have.”

“Your point?”

“Not sure if there’s enough competition for two big fish like us.”

The key was not to be a pushover. If they detected fear, even the slightest hint, they’d run with it. “You’re right. Maybe there’s only room for one of us.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’ve always liked you, Constantine. I respect your fire, your brutality. As dark as it is to say, I think you’re essential to the food chain.”

“How so?” he asked.

“You make problems go away. Problems that can’t be solved. And I would hate to lose you.” I didn’t threaten him directly, but I did drop a veiled threat. Even if Crow and I folded and left the business to them, we couldn’t do it easily. It had to be some kind of a fight. Otherwise, they would haunt us forever.

Constantine smiled even though my words pissed him off. Everything about him was contradictory.

“Did you hear about Tristan?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Heard his compound got wiped out. No one knows who did it. And we know we didn’t,” he said with a laugh.

“I know you didn’t,” I said. “Because I did.”

His smile faded away.

“I hit him hard and annihilated everyone. Tristan was flourishing, and now he’s a nobody.” I snapped my fingers. “Just like that. He was a good client. But he crossed me in a way I couldn’t forgive. The only solution to the problem was to end him.”

Constantine smiled again even though there was nothing to smile about. “Looks like you learned a lot from us.”

“I did…and I picked up a few other things elsewhere.”

Constantine’s crystal blue eyes bore into mine. He was studying me like a wild animal caught in a cage.

“I have a lot on my plate right now. Worrying about competition over business is boring. Bones operated for decades without any clash. I couldn’t pick up his clients even if he wanted me to. You act like you could handle my business when you’ve been in the game for only a few weeks. So why don’t we be eyes and ears for each other? With our long history, I think that’s pretty reasonable.”

Constantine’s expression didn’t change. “We do have a long history.”

“If there’s nothing more to be said, I should be getting back.” I pulled out my wallet and grabbed the business card I’d just acquired. “I picked up a new client today, but I’m maxed out on inventory. Tell him I recommended you.”

Constantine eyed the card before he took it.

“Have a good day, gentlemen.” I turned my back and walked back into the warehouse. Exposing myself to potential bullets was stupid and risky. But I had to take the chance. I had to tell Constantine that I wasn’t scared of him.

That I wasn’t scared of anyone.

---

I walked back inside and found Crow exactly where I’d left him.

“What happened?” he blurted.

I told him the story, including the dialogue that I could recall.

Crow pinched the bridge of his nose and accompanied his actions with a sigh. “You’re playing with fire, Cane.”

“Trust me, it’s how it has to be. If I cave right away, they’ll take us for everything we’ve got. Our houses…our women…they don’t respect weakness. Only strength.”

“But to threaten them?”

“I had to do it, Crow. Trust me on this.”

“Now what?” he asked. “What do you think they’ll do?”

“They’ll use my contact and fill the order. That’ll either satisfy them and they’ll forget about it…or they’ll get greedy and try to overrun the business again.”

“And if that happens?” Crow pressed.

“I don’t know.”

“We both have women we need to protect now. We should abandon it.”

“This business has been in our blood for generations, Crow. We aren’t just walking away from money. We’re walking away from the legacy our parents left us. It would be an insult to let someone take it from us. It would be one thing if someone offered to buy it. But to steal it?” I shook my head. “I can’t let that happen.”

“All things come to an end. And we are their legacy. Just as our children will be ours. Cane, it’s a superficial, physical thing. It’s not worth fighting for. It’s not worth dying for.”

“I know…I get it.”

“I don’t think you do.”

“Think about it,” I said. “If Pearl and Adelina weren’t around, we’d be giving these guys hell. We wouldn’t let them walk all over us like this. It’s turned us into pussies, and I never thought that’s how I would end up.”

“I’m not happy about it either, but I’m tired of looking over my shoulder all the time. I’m tired of my wife complaining that she can’t go anywhere alone. We can always go into the wine business together, and that will be a legacy we leave behind. It’s clean, it’s legal, and it’s something to be proud of.”

“Crow, you know I don’t know shit about wine.”

“It’s not like you can’t learn.”

I turned my head the other way and sighed, frustrated by the overwhelming events. I just got Adelina back a few days ago, Tristan was still missing, and the Skull Kings wanted to pick a fight.

“Maybe this is personal,” Crow noted.

“What is?”

“Constantine. Maybe they’re doing this to antagonize you.”

“Why?”

“Maybe they’re mad you left.”

I shook my head. “I left seven years ago. They’re over it. It’s not like I left on bad terms.”

“Maybe Constantine doesn’t see it that way.”

“That guy has a lot of pride, but he wouldn’t hold on to that kind of resentment for seven years. They’re just hungry for money and power. They always want more. What they have is never enough. They see a perfect opportunity to monopolize the market, even though it’ll be impossible to fulfill orders in that magnitude. They’re so greedy they can’t think.”

“What do you think Constantine will do?” he asked.

“I really don’t know. It’s a coin toss.”

Crow rested his fingertips against his lips. “Fuck, maybe I will just move far away with Pearl…”

“Doesn’t sound too bad, honestly.”

---

The second I walked through the door, Bellissima was on me.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me in the doorway, embracing me like a wife welcoming her husband home from work. Her kiss was exactly what it used to be, full of tongue and affection.

My hands explored her body, and I immediately fell into the passion. My heart was broken over what she’d been through, but my body couldn’t deny its carnal desires. I viewed her as the sexiest woman in the world—regardless of what happened. My desire wasn’t quenched. My respect never faltered. I saw her as a shining jewel that would never be covered with dust.

She pulled away with her hands on my cheeks. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“I picked up on that,” I said with a smile.

“I made dinner.”

“That sounds great. But I should be cooking for you.”

“No. I want to cook for you. I miss it.” Her fingertips trailed down my arms and to my hands.

“I miss it too.”

“You wanna eat now?” she whispered.

“Yeah, sure.”

“I thought we would sit on the terrace and watch the sun go down. We never do that…”

“Yeah, that’ll be nice.” Sometimes it worried me how easily she brushed off her nightmare with Tristan. But if this was how she handled her demons, by moving forward without letting it haunt her, then I respected that. Not too many people were strong enough to do that. Pearl was the only one I knew.

We sat at the table outside and shared a bottle of wine. The sunset cast a perfect glow over Adelina, highlighting her cheeks and perfect nose. I began to understand Crow’s affection for Pearl, how his entire world changed once she walked into his life.

I knew my life would never be the same.

I didn’t want another woman.

Bellissima was all I wanted. I would do anything for her, do anything to make her happy. I never wanted to be with anyone else. She made me a better man. She made me do the right thing when it was easy to do the wrong thing. She made me want more out of life. Her innocence made me less callous.

She felt my endless expression on her face. “I like it when you look at me like that. I don’t know what it means…but I like it.”

My hand moved to hers on the table, and I squeezed it. “It means I love you.”

Her smile slowly faded away like the setting sun. Her eyes were lit up by the glow over the horizon. Instead of pure happiness coming into her gaze, she looked at me like she hadn’t been expecting me to say that.

I felt her pulse quicken under my fingertips. I felt my own pick up in pace as I waited for a reaction. I’d never said those words to another woman, other than my mother. But I meant these words in a whole other context.

Still, nothing came out of her mouth.

I started to worry. Maybe she didn’t feel the same way.

“I…I don’t know what—”

“It’s okay, Bellissima.” I had to swallow the hurt in my throat and push forward. I was so certain she felt the same way that I would have gambled my life on it. But she didn’t, and letting the tense moment linger would only make her uncomfortable. I’d just gotten her back. The last thing I wanted to do was push her away. “You don’t need to say it back. I just wanted you to know how I felt.” I pulled my hand away so I could grab my glass and take a drink of the wine. I only did it to cover up my disappointment, the painful burn inside my chest. I’d never put myself out there like that, and it hurt like hell to get shot down.

I’d given up so much for this woman.

And she still didn’t feel the same way.