She’s been shot—myConstance—while standing beside me. The Volkovs’ dog fired into a crowd, not caring who was hit, not caring that they were breaking one of the last unspoken rules of our world. Civilians areneverto be targeted. It’s not just dishonorable, it’s bad for business. Being that reckless andwaging war without any boundaries will bring down the hammer of the law.
It's been nearly two hours before the surgeon finally appears, asking for the family of Constance Monroe. I run to him before the words are out of his mouth.
“She’s out of surgery and doing well,” he says, his voice calm. “The bullet lodged in the bone of her arm but didn’t break it. We extracted it, cleaned the wound, and she’s already in recovery. She should be awake soon, but we’ll keep her overnight for observation.”
Relief nearly staggers me. My fists unclench, my shoulders sag, but the fury remains.
A nurse comes to get me once Constance is awake and settled in a recovery room. When I step inside, I’m struck by how small and helpless Constance looks lying in the hospital bed. She’s pale, but her eyes are bright, and they light up the second they find mine.
“Max—”
I’m across the room in two strides, gathering her into my arms as gently as I can, though my heart wants nothing but to crush her against me.
“I’m all right,” she whispers against my chest, as if she can soothe away the storm inside me. “Was anyone else hurt?”
“No, thank God,” I tell her. “Only you, firefly. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“It doesn’t even really hurt. It must not have been that bad.”
I pull back enough to look at her face, my jaw tight. “Not that bad? Constance, they put a bullet in you! They broke the code. Civilians are never meant to be touched. Ever. Even the worst men in this city understand that rule. The Volkovs didn’t just cross a line, they set the whole city on fire.”
Her fingers brush my cheek, and her downcastexpression almost breaks me. “They were taking a shot at you, you know, not me. I was just in the way.”
“That doesn’t matter. Whoever they wanted, they hit you. You’re the only person I completely trust, the person closest to me. I was willing to end the Volkovs for what they did to your father, even though they insisted it was an accident. Now, I’m going to kill them all for daring to hurt you.”
She gives me a small smile as her hand lingers on my cheek, then brushes my hair back from my eyes. “You don’t have to carry all of this alone,” she says softly. “I’m here for you, Max. I’ll help you see this through.”
I close my eyes, exhaling a jagged breath. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much I need you with me.” The truth scrapes out of me before I can choke it back. My chest feels tight, like something old and rusted is cracking open inside me. “Sometimes I feel so alone as the head of the family. I wish…I wish my father were still here. He’d know what to do. He always did. He built this empire, and I’ve been holding it together by the skin of my fucking teeth since he died. Every day I feel so alone. Every day I wonder which of the men at my table would slit my throat if it meant taking power from me.”
“Then stop trying to protect me by pushing me away. Let me stand beside you, not behind you,” she says firmly. “I don’t care how dangerous it gets. I’m not leaving.”
Her strength humbles me. I’ve tried to keep her revenge professional, even when I developed feelings for her, but that’s impossible now. And I know, after the way I feel tonight, I can’t bear to lose her. I won’t lose her. I’ll make damn sure of that.
I kiss her forehead and straighten, already reaching for my phone. “I’m going to make these sons of bitches pay for every drop of blood they’ve spilled. The shooting at the press conference is all over the news; there are reporters outside the hospital waiting on me to appear. I’ll use the press the same way theVolkovs used that gunman, as a weapon. I’ll name them publicly, force the DA’s hand, and provide enough evidence that it’ll be impossible for them to hide in the shadows.”
“You have that kind of evidence?” Constance corrects me.
“We’ve collected enough from the warehouse to prove that they’re moving drugs into the city. I’ll put pressure on the district attorney’s office to get warrants for the Volkovs, and either have them arrested, run out of the country, or killed.”
Over the next hour, I start making the calls to set things in motion. Word goes out that I’m offering substantial rewards for any information leading to the arrest of the Volkovs’ men, no questions asked. The Bratva has crossed a line, and now the war will bleed into the open.
I return to Constance’s side as soon as I can. “I gave the local reporters a follow up interview outside the hospital,” I tell her as I sit down on the edge of her bed. “We can watch it on the late news tonight, if you like.”
“I’m not sure I’ll be awake that late. My arm started to throb, and the nurse gave me something that’s making me sleepy.”
Her eyelids are already drooping, but she seems comfortable. That’s all that matters to me at the moment. “Rest for now. I’ll be here when you wake up, firefly,” I promise her. “I won’t leave you or let you be exposed like you were today. Moving forward, I’ll have my men around you like a steel curtain, wherever we go.”
Constance squeezes my hand, her eyes momentarily clear and unflinching. “Wherever we go,together,”she emphasizes.
The wordtogetherlands deeper than a bullet ever could. For the first time since my father died, the war doesn’t feel like something I have to survive alone.
29
“I didn’t always get life right, sweetheart. But I tried to love you right, and I hope that counts for something.”
—ROBERT MONROE
Constance
