Page 78 of Pucked Around and Found Out

I want to argue, want to insist I can handle this on my own.

But the truth is, I'm terrified.

And having Carnage there might be the only thing that keeps me from completely falling apart.

“Okay,” I whisper.

He presses his forehead against mine, and I feel the tremor in his hands.

“I'm sorry,” I breathe. “For tonight. For hurting you. For⁠—”

“Stop,” he says gently. “My pain is not yours to carry.”

I nod, blinking back tears.

Alex clears his throat. “We need a plan. A real one. Because if this goes sideways tomorrow, we're all fucked.” Truer words haven’t been spoken. “Tomorrow is the last hurdle. After that, whether or not Xaden is on board, we go after Fiona. I’m not waiting any longer. I won’t risk the life of my brother. I lost one sibling and I will not lose another!” Tate darts across the room and wraps her arms around her man, he instantly softens and holds her tight.

Everyone gathers around the table, and for the next several hours, we strategize.

We plan.

We prepare for war.

Because that's what tomorrow is going to be.

A war between love and loyalty.

Between truth and lies.

Between the family I've chosen and the man I can't stop loving.

And I have no idea which side is going to win.

All I know is that by tomorrow night, everything will have changed. Fiona’s days are numbered no matter how this meeting with Xaden goes.

One way or another.

For better or worse.

And I can only pray we all survive it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

XADEN

I skate around the rink with my stick clutched in my hand, feeling a sense of calm that only exists here.

This place has always been my sanctuary. The one place where I can just be me. Where my last name means nothing. Where the weight of being the Don of the Cosa Nostra lifts, even if just for a moment.

I miss it.

God, I miss it.

I would give anything to go back to training and playing every week. To feel the ice under my blades every day. To train so hard my body aches and I'm forced to take ice baths just to function.

But those days are gone.

I'm the Don now. There's a war on the horizon, one I'm ready for, one I've been preparing for but, before I can engage in the ensuing battle, I have a rat to snuff out and put down.