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His acceptance is everything I’ve ever wanted.
And the thought of losing him now makes fear wrap around my heart. “But you can’t go.”
His big hands flex against my cheeks. “I have to.”
“W-why can’t you just make them go?” I plead, not caring that I’m throwing my brother into harm’s way.
“Because this is about me. And I won’t let it hurt anyone else I love.” He pulls back to look me in the eye. “I will come back, Valentine. Because you are my everything.”
More tears spill. “But—”
“Will it help if you’re mad at me?” he asks, the side of his mouth pulling up the slightest bit.
“I don’t want to be mad at you.” I sniff.
“Even better.” Holding my face still, Dom kisses me softly on the lips. “I’m glad you’re pregnant.” He lowers one of his hands, sliding it down my body until it’s pressing against my belly. “It probably happened the night of your office Christmas party.”
“Why that night?” I ask him, not sure how thinking of our sex in the gym would make me mad.
Dom slides the hand on my cheek down until he’s holding my neck. “Because that was the first time we made love after I switched out your birth control pills with fakes.”
His words take a moment to sink in.
“You…” I blink up at him. “Why would you do that?”
His hand tightens, just a little, around my throat. “Because I wanted to keep you, Angel. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Dom leans in for one more kiss. One more press of his lips to mine.
“I’ll be home tomorrow,” he promises.
And then he’s gone.
CHAPTER82
Dom
There’ssomething calming about the sound of weapons being cleaned. The soft sounds of cloth on blades. The click of bullets filling a clip.
And there’s something satisfying about knowing that everyone here is going to spill blood for me. For my family.
I stand, stepping out of my aisle, and move to the front of the plane.
King and Nero are in the front rows beside me, but they stay seated.
“You all know where we’re going.” I start talking, and everyone stops moving. “You all know the plan.” I move my eyes over the guys in front of me, a collection of Gonzalez mafia men and original members of The Alliance. “We’re hitting the compound at sunset. Earlier than anyone would expect. And that means they’ll have visuals, which is why we’re going to be silent. We’re going to kill them before they even know they’re under attack.” I look down at my brother-in-law. “Sorry, King, that means no rocket launchers.”
A few men laugh, and King looks at me like he’s wondering how I know about that.
I turn back to the men and feel the weight of the blades attached to my hip. “You have your assignments. And the timing. And we’re going to finish this without another casualty on our side. They’ve taken enough from me. And now I’m going to take everything from them.” I nod once, deciding to tell everyone here thewhyof it. “The man at the center of this is my uncle. My grandfather, Daniel Gonzalez, was a low-level man for the Colombian cartel when he was sent to Chicago for a job. But instead of doing that job, he met my grandmother. And, as he always said, a good woman can change your life. So he stayed. He abandoned his position, his shitty family back home, and he stayed. And if my grandma was half the woman my Valentine is, then I understand him completely.” A few heads nod, and I know they’re the ones with good women in their lives. “But my grandfather had a brother. And when he decided to stay in Chicago, his brother was murdered as a message.” I lift a shoulder. “All signs point to his brother being a piece of shit anyway, so I’m not gonna cry over it. But he’d already had a son. Another male in the Gonzalez line. And he grew up to be another piece of shit. A cousin to my own amazing father, but he never cut it. Never made rank in the cartel. And never mattered enough for anyone to end him.” My fists clench at my sides. “I met him a decade ago when he invited me to his home. I went. I kept my eyes open. And I told him to go fuck himself when he offered me a partnership that would give me nothing and him everything.”
The plane starts to descend, and I spread my feet apart, bracing against the change.
“He said I’d regret it. And the only thing I regret is not killing him right then and there. Because after that, he found money. And now he’s using that money to come after me. Some last-ditch attempt to make a name for himself. But he didn’t even come after me himself. He hired mercs.” Grumbling sounds from the men before me. They know how dishonorable that is. “And I’m pissed. I’m pissed that I didn’t put it together sooner. Pissed that I’d written him off. Pissed that my men have paid the ultimate price for my uncle’s grab at glory. And I’m pissed that he tried to kill my fucking wife.” My jaw flexes and I roll my shoulders back. “And that’s why I’ll be the one who kills him. Everyone else is fair game. Everyone on that compound works for him and knows the risk. There are no women. No children. It’s just a circle jerk of assholes. So they all die. And we all walk out.”
King rises to stand beside me. “You heard the man. We all walk out.”
Nero stands on my other side and cracks his neck from side to side. “The Alliance just got bigger. And meaner. Let’s give the world a little demo.”
