...Ace POV...I ran my hand along my neck in complete annoyance. I can't believe this was the guy that owned Sienna's heart. While he may be a genius in other aspects, he certainly was an idiot when it came to her. He didn't seem to know the first thing about feelings and people. He didn't even seem to consider Sienna's feelings in all of this. Sienna was a strong woman. She's only proven that in many ways. Not only can she handle herself in a fight, but she isn't one to back down. She is always the first to take a stand against something she feels strongly about. She's independent as hell, but I can tell that at the end of the day, she wants nothing more than to be cared for. She wants to feel loved and protected, the same way any person wants to feel. We may have a strong exterior, but inside, we're all just puppies craving to be held. As much as he refuses to see it, Hunter is exactly like Sienna. They both act strong and emotionless, but on the inside, they're craving the same th
...Sienna POV...I stayed at Hunter's house for a few days before Javier cleared me to go home. I knew my family was probably worried about me. Even though I had been staying at Hunter's place for months now, I knew my parents were probably concerned. While I may not have officially moved out, I normally kept in contact with them regularly. I hadn't talked to my parents since the fight, so I knew my parents were probably questioning where I was. Without checking my phone, I had a feeling I had a few missed messages from them. If I didn't reach out to them soon, they would probably get Jace and Asher involved.I was thankful to Ace; he was by my side through all of it. His judgy tone was long gone and replaced by the concerned and dotting brother I had known him to be. He managed to find my phone and bring me a change of clothes once Javier said it was ok to do so. As I guessed, there were a bunch of missed calls and texts from the twins, Maverick, my parents, and even Ash. I couldn't
...Three Months Later...I spent the past few months recovering from my injuries. I moved into the penthouse with the twins. After Javier had released me from his care, the first thing I did was go to them. They were furious at first but eventually agreed to let me stay with them. The penthouse used to belong to my parents before they moved into our current house. The twins split their time spending it at our parents' house and the penthouse. My parents had originally gifted the penthouse to Maverick when he came of age. However, Maverick was doing quite well for himself at work, so didn't need it. Instead, he gifted it to the twins, knowing that they would want a place to themselves. Whether Maverick knew about the twins' side hustle, I wasn't sure. But if I were to guess, Maverick knew they were into something dangerous, just not exactly sure what specifically. It wasn't exactly a topic that would bring up in a normal conversation, and as far as the twins were concerned, I was th
...Two Months Later......Kieran POV...I hated seeing my sister look so defeated. I know she was trying to appear strong before us, but it was clear that she wasn't. No matter how much she pushed herself, it seemed as though something was holding her back. I couldn't put my finger on what it was exactly, only that something was off with her. She had been cleared by the doctor last month to begin her training. She was definitely overjoyed at hearing this and, of course, went straight to the gym the moment the doctor had left. It was good to see her get back into a routine. However, both Zander and I seemed to realize she wasn't as focused as she used to be. Distracted even. Something that Makenna had never been before. I wanted to talk to Mom and Dad or even Maverick about all of this, but I knew they would all be worried and upset. They didn't know that Makenna had been injured during an illegal fight. I'm sure my parents would have a heart attack if they realized what Makenna had
"Wait. Someone applied?" I ask, only just figuring it out. Last week we put out a call on the dark web for skilled assassins to apply. The best thing about the dark web was only those that were good enough knew about the site. It wasn't common knowledge. But it was a way for a person to get their hands on quite literally anything. As much as it pains me, that even includes humans, animals, and sex. As much as we were able to eliminate the practice from New York, we couldn't control what took place on the web. It was just too far out of our reach. But at least we could sleep at night knowing that no one from our city would be forced into such a disgusting life. Zander nodded his head and handed me his phone with the information from the applicant."What's their name? Are they any good? What were their past hits?" I ask out, sending a flurry of questions."Don't know. Must be. And as if they would tell us. No sane hitman would leave actual evidence against them. Let alone confess to pe
...Sienna POV...When I heard the ping from my phone notifying me that the twins had responded to my application to be their new assassin, I was positively elated. I had made sure to take every precaution to ensure that it could never be traced back to me. I had not only encrypted the program but also added extra safety measures so that they never knew who was sending the messages. I had even added a delay in the messaging so if we were in the same place at the same time while they were sending me a message, they would never know it was coming from me. Though I knew that if I started working for them, that I would need to not only move out, but figure out a way that they wouldn't grow suspicious about my disappearance. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew I would need someone to help me, and I just so happened to know exactly who would help me. It wouldn't be easy, but I knew I would be able to convince them.After all, we had a common enemy. My target was Silvio. Once Silvio was g
...Zander POV...Kieran and I were fast asleep when a ping from my phone woke me up. I tried to ignore it. However, my phone continued to vibrate from an onslaught of texts. I reached for my phone and turned on the light to see what time it was. The clock on the other side of my wall read 5 AM.I rolled my eyes in disbelief that someone would call me this early. I normally have my phone on silent mode. But whoever was messaging me had managed to get through. I wasn't a morning person and hadn't gotten to bed until only a few hours ago. This is why I was irritated that someone had decided to interrupt my sleep.Another message came through, making me look down at my phone to see who was messaging me. My eyes scanned the message, which read:"Vito's dead."I felt my eyes open up wide from what I was seeing. Surely this had to be some sort of mistake?"No.. it couldn't be..." I commented out loud as another message came through. I opened up the picture and was immediately on my feet. I r
No longer able to keep the curiosity at bay, I grabbed Kieran's phone and read the message. Hawk stood next to me, looking over my shoulder to read the assassin's reply."Not necessary.""What? What is that supposed to even mean?" I ask."It sounds like they don't want to be reimbursed. But I don't understand why." Kieran replies, looking towards Hawk, who has grown increasingly more worried. "What are you thinking?" I ask, my question directed at Hawk."An assassin declining payment isn't good.""Why?""Payment means an exchange. Money for a kill. Without that exchange, there's nothing keeping you connected.""Isn't that a good thing?""Not necessarily. If somehow the police manage to connect this to you, there's no one else they can pin this on.""But what difference does it make? Even if they did collect payment from us, it probably would've just been through an offshore account, which is untraceable anyways. So what difference does it make?" I ask."No one ever does something out
Once the plane landed, the men on the plane escorted us outside to some waiting all-terrain vehicles that were well-equipped to handle the rough and snowy climate. My heart practically stopped as we stepped out of the plane. The cold temperature was no joke. It was in the mild twenties when we left LA. From the harsh breeze hitting my skin, I would have to guess that it was closer to negative twenty here. With the wind chill, it easily felt as though it was close to negative forty out. This meant there was no chance of survival if we tried to escape. I didn't waste any time getting myself and Sienna into the enclosed vehicles. It was far too cold outside, and we weren't dressed for the harsh climate. Sienna was still out like a light, making her more susceptible to the harsh conditions. I could feel her body grow cold in my grasp, encouraging me to hold her firmly in my embrace in hopes of transferring some of my heat to her.A while later, we were escorted into a hidden building. Th
...Asher POV...I couldn't believe I had let us get caught. I was mad at myself more than anything. I should've planned for something like this. Eli and I went through the same training, yet he was a step ahead of me. I hated him for that. But mostly, I hated myself for getting us in this position. I hated that Sienna was hurt, and it was all my fault.Thankfully, her injuries weren't substantial. As she guessed, the bullet wound was a quick in and out, which meant that she would heal fine. If the bullet were still inside or an inch left or right, the injury would've been more substantial. But I can tell from her injury that Eli never planned on killing her. Rather he just wanted to subdue her. It was no secret that Sienna was highly trained. Eli probably even trained her as well at some point. So he would know that she was a capable fighter, and her instincts would be to fight back. Shooting her would be the quickest way to get a reaction from her, as it would be the last thing she
...Sienna POV...My eyes slowly began to flutter open. It felt like I had been run over by a train. I tried to keep my head in an upright position, but it was as though it was weighted down with lead. My stomach began to twist as I tried to keep my head upright, to the point that I had to stop for fear of throwing up all over myself."Good. You're awake." I hear someone call out. However, I can't seem to make out the voice. It sort of sounds familiar, yet not at the same time. My head was pounding so hard that it felt as though someone was beating a drum directly beside my ears. My instincts were to cover my ears, but my arms wouldn't move when I tried. I tried not to panic, but it was growing increasingly difficult. I couldn't remember what was going on or where I was.What happened? I wanted to know, but no words would come out. I tried once more to straighten my head, only to be met with a brutal force, snapping my head to the side. I knew my vision was blurred without even atte
...Jace POV...The next hour was pure madness. The moment Damian informed me that he believed something was wrong, I couldn't help but think the same. I had explicitly instructed Asher not to get involved in this. He was supposed to be with Sienna. Taking some much-needed time off from work. Not dwelling further into this case. I don't know what p*ssed me off the most. The fact that Asher had gone behind my back, or the fact that he had dragged Sienna into this as well. Damian was going to blow a gasket the next time I saw him. Damian has always been more protective over Sienna than his sons. It wasn't because he was sexist or believed Sienna to be weak. But rather, he's nearly lost her too many times in the past. It was nothing short of a miracle she wasn't killed when Chase managed to trap Haley and Damian in Zane's apartment. Haley sustained numerous bullet wounds and nearly died. In fact, she technically did. The doctors pulled the plug on her as they realized that no medical int
...Damian POV...After hanging up the phone with Hunter, I couldn't deny the worrying feeling he gave me. Something was off. First, Zach told me that he saw Sienna at Stone Johnson, of all places. I knew she was more involved with the medical side of the business. But she was supposed to be in England. As much as I wanted to assign her a guard, I knew she wouldn't go for it. Asher was the only one she actually took to. But even still, she found a way to escape him. Sienna is far more independent than I would like. Then as if that wasn't bad enough, I get a phone call from Hunter, of all people claiming that he received a notification from Stone Johnson. It didn't take a scientist to determine that the two instances couldn't be just a mere coincidence. Something had definitely happened. I just wasn't sure what. It also seemed as though Hunter was withholding information from me. Call it my paternal instincts, but I could tell something was up. Hunter wouldn't call me if nothing were
...Asher POV...I wasn't sure what to make of what was happening. But I could tell from Everett's words that he was being sincere. Why else would he have woken me up? He had drugged me, rendering me unconscious. He had ample opportunity to kill me. He didn't have to wake me up, but he did, which meant that he was trying to help us. While I may not fully comprehend what was happening, I could tell Everett was nothing more than a pawn trapped in Silvio's plan. Until I knew what had happened to Sienna, I couldn't risk being found out. Everett had helped me by waking me up. At least this way, I could potentially form a plan. But most importantly, I needed to find out where Sienna was. I desperately hoped that she had managed to escape. But something inside me knew that wasn't the case. I just hoped they hadn't hurt her.I was practically kicking myself for allowing us to get caught in all of this. I was sure we had covered all of our bases. But we had forgotten about one important detail
...Everett POV..."F*CK!" I shouted once Asher passed out before me.I couldn't believe what was happening. This was becoming so complicated. I never wanted anyone else to be involved with this. But the moment Sienna and Asher came here, I knew things were going to become drastically worse. I just hope there's something that can be done. I've been around Eli and Cole long enough to know that they won't allow anyone to mess up their plans.On the contrary, what they failed to realize was that they couldn't involve the Stone's without there being some form of retribution. I'm sure Damian has already been made aware of Sienna's presence at the facility if he didn't already know. He'll be the first one on our backs if Sienna goes missing. Damian is ruthless when it comes to business. He wouldn't hesitate to pull his funding and completely ruin everything I've spent decades working on. What I had told Asher was the truth. I started this business as a way to help my mom. People always say
...Hunter's POV...I had been on edge all day. The problem, though, was I had no idea why, but for some reason, I couldn't shake this feeling that something was wrong."¿Patron?" Javier calls out, grabbing my attention.I turn around to look at him, crossing my arms over my chest in hopes of steadying my heartbeat. It wasn't that his presence made me nervous, only that I felt as though I was walking on pins and needles, afraid that I would take the wrong step and trigger something. I couldn't explain why I was so on edge. I've been feeling like this for over a week now. But why? Nothing out of the ordinary was taking place here. Rather, it had been rather silent. I had already reclaimed my title, so no one even dared so much as talk out of turn. I made it painfully clear what I do to traitors. I eliminated every single person that had gone against me in one way or another. I even went as far as eliminating the families of all those involved, wiping out anyone that dared to cross my p
"What? Nothing to say?" Everett asks, walking towards me to guide me out of his office. I feel his hand on my elbow, gently guiding me towards the door, which makes me realize I need to get it together. We've come too far to give up now. I can't just walk out empty-handed while Sienna is in with Eli."Wait." I call out, firming my feet along to the floor, preventing Everett from pushing me further."What is it? What could you possibly have to say that would change my mind? Are you going to add a sob story on Damian's behalf? Or perhaps your grandfather forced you to do this?" Everett asks with a curious brow as he awaits my possible excuse.I huff out in annoyance, knowing I no longer have any other options. Either I come clean now or risk never finding Silvio.I quickly reach into the waistband of my pants and grab my gun. I raise it quickly, preventing him from moving. However, to my surprise, Everett simply crosses his arms over his chest as if he was bored."I think it's time we h