Page 125 of Power & Punishment

I guess there’s only one way to find out.

“He killed Vince,” I say hoarsely.

Dante lets out a scream before kicking a nearby chair hard enough for it to sail across the floor into the opposite wall. “I’m going to make him wish he died in that fire. Fucking bastard.”

“Fuck,” I seethe, gripping the edge of the table. “That means Mia knows, and if she knows, Adrian⁠—”

“Don’t finish that fucking sentence,” Dante says, his chest heaving up and down. “We’re getting my sister out of there and now.”

“We will,” I promise, grabbing the gun from my waistband to make sure it’s loaded. “But first we need a plan.”

“I don’t need a plan,” Dante argues, grabbing his own gun. “I just need a gun and an opening.”

I frown, already hating the words about to come out of my mouth. “We can’t kill him.”

Dante lets out a bitter laugh. “You better be joking.”

“I’m not,” I say. “Adrian is connected. He has cops, judges, and politicians in his pocket. Not to mention his network within the Carusos. We need him to destroy Enzo and help clear Mia’s record.”

Michael shuts the laptop. “Leo’s right. If we kill him, we’ll just create more problems and put a target on our backs.”

Dante takes a step back, looking between us like we’ve both lost our minds. At some point, his fists unfurl, and he lowers his shoulders.

“Fine,” he snaps, “but if he so much as harms a hair on my sister’s head, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet between his eyes.”

I nod, grabbing my keys off the table and heading toward the exit.

If Adrian does hurt her, Dante won’t get a chance to take his shot.

I’ll kill him with my bare hands.

I give Michael a discreet nod, knowing he’s hidden in the tree line somewhere. And then I step out of the car, sinking my shiny black shoes into the harsh gravel of the driveway.

I’m dressed head to toe in the black suit I made Georgia bring me before we left. It’s a tiny detail, but Adrian will be thrown off by it.

He expects me to be a mess. Come barreling in without any thought.

But tonight, I’m going to use everything he taught me against him. And he’s going to wish he never fucked with me or my girl.

The first thing I notice as I approach the colonial-style home is that there are no armed guards, no black SUVs, and no visible cameras. It looks like the typical house of someone who needs to escape the city.

But I’m not naïve. There are still threats; they’re just hidden.

I climb the front steps cautiously, allowing myself time to get my movements under control.

The door swings open as soon as I lift my arm to knock.

A large man fills the doorway, with a familiar build that was strong enough to make my airbags explode.

“Boss made it seem like you’d come in guns blazing. I’m disappointed,” he says smugly, eyes trailing up from my shoes to the top of my head.

He places his hands on his hips, purposely lifting his jacket enough so I can see the handgun tucked into his waistband.

“I’m disappointed Adrian is letting an ape greet me at the door. Not the first-class treatment I was hoping for,” I reply coolly, even though all I want to do is ask about Mia. The thought of this man even looking at her is enough to make me want to tear out his eyes and shove them down his throat.

I put a pin in that plan for later.

The giant growls under his breath, clenching his hands into two large fists. “Listen here, you privileged son of⁠—”