Jordan’s POVI heard Sierra’s phone beep and watched her reaction as she read the text that had just come in. Before I could get a word in, she passed out. I ordered Andrew to call the family doctor and placed Sierra properly on the bed. I pushed the tray of breakfast to the other end and began to roll my sleeves. I checked her pulse and breathed a sigh when I felt it.The room was air conditioned but Sierra was starting to sweat and I was starting to worry. I opened the curtains to let in some fresh air and tilted her head back a little. I took off the headband she was wearing and proceeded to remove other similar accessories. My feelings started to go from worry to anger. Why the hell was Andrew taking this long? The family doctor was just on the opposite wing. It was no news that people who worked for the mafia family had to be kept close to the family, in case of emergencies. Like this one.Everything I was doing was working. I glanced at Sierra and saw that she was starting to
Jordan’s POVI gathered my army in the underground basement. It was time to go to war and they had to be ready. I left Sierra in our room and told her to remain there until I got back. I wished I had time to explain to her, but that would have to wait. “Lorenzo has been acting like a bitch and it’s payback time. I need y’all to put your houses in order. We’re going to war,” I told themI had my tech guys give me the locations for Lorenzo’s warehouses, I planned to destroy about three of them that day. Depending on how Lorenzo reacted, I was going to destroy one warehouse every day until his business ran dry.I had another two find out the people who had been tailing Andrew earlier that day. They were going to be scapegoats for the others. I told the guards I had already stationed in different parts of the house to maintain their places. I couldn’t leave my house unaccounted for.When I got the locations, I created three groups of four people each and sent each group to each location.
Sierra’s POVJordan left me in our room, saying he had “business” to attend to. When I asked him what business he was talking about, he said something about having had enough of Lorenzo. I decided not to pry. I thought he was going to be away for a few hours, but it was getting darker and Jordan wasn’t back. Andrew wasn’t around either so Jordan had a different guard stationed outside our room. Whatever I needed, I simply had to ask him. When I asked him where Jordan was and what he was doing, he didn’t even look in my direction to acknowledge that I was, at least, saying something. I was upset, yet I was trying to be very understanding. At least, Jordan didn’t leave me stranded. He had told me earlier that he might be a while. He could have filled me in that it was going to be longer than a while though. I was getting irritable. I decided to take a moment and look back on how my day went.I had received a threat message from Lorenzo, the same man who wanted my husband dead, if I wa
Sierra’s POVThat explained why Andrew was nervous as hell. It was Charlotte! I felt like Albert Einstein. The first thing I got to know about Andrew was that he liked my friend! I almost giggled. The man never gave anything away. If he thought he was doing a good job at hiding it, then he was, of all of us, the most laughable. If the situation we were in wasn’t critical, I would have teased Charlotte.“You look awful,” I said to her. “Are you okay?” I probed further.“Gee, thanks, best friend.” Charlotte eyed me playfully, forcing me to laugh. Trust Charlotte to make you laugh in the middle of a war.“You haven’t answered me, lady.” I reminded her.“Nothing. I was just worried, that's all. Your bodyguard was already at my door when I heard gunshots. He dashed back into his car and the guys who were shooting at him followed suit. I watched everything happen and I started to panic.”I remember Charlotte telling me how she didn’t like violence because watching people being violent mad
Jordan’s POV When I got the intel that some of Lorenzo’s guys were spotted leaving Crystal Bay, I knew where they were headed. My villa. I called Andrew to change routes, but his number wasn’t going. Then, I called Sierra, hoping she’d answer as well. When she did, I wasn’t surprised at the tone with which she spoke to me. I owed her an explanation, one I promised myself I’d give her as soon as this whole Lorenzo situation boiled over. I dealt with Lorenzo so bad that he wouldn’t be able to get back up for a long time. I instructed Andrew to take the ladies to my safe house. The following morning, I texted Andrew to let him know it was safe for the ladies to return. Lorenzo’s guys were still outside the villa. I had my guys keep an eye on them, in case they decided to try something funny. Lorenzo had been blowing up my phone since the day I burned down his warehouses. I wasn’t ready to deal with his drama, so I didn’t let his relentless calls bother me. I needed Sierra brought
Sierra’s POV Jordan didn’t come after me. It wasn’t as if that would have changed anything, but maybe it would have made me feel more important. I gave Andrew the stink eye as I grabbed the car keys off his hand and got into the car. I knew Jordan had his guys tailing me, otherwise, why would he allow me to leave like that? At that moment, I was thankful that I learned how to drive when papa insisted. It had been a while since I had been behind the wheel, but I was too upset to mind. Thankfully, I got to Charlotte’s in one piece. I came out of the car and headed for the front door. It was slightly ajar. “Charlotte?” I called. Andrew had dropped her off not too long ago. Did she go somewhere? After calling out to her multiple times and not getting any response, I called her phone. I could hear her phone ring. It was in her living room, but she wasn’t there. I could hear splattering, but I didn’t know where it was coming from. When I turned to climb the staircase to the bedroo
Jordan’s POV“What do you mean by she’s gone?” I gripped my phone tightly in my hand. “The men lost her. They were right behind her, following her when she came out of Charlotte’s. They noticed some moments later that she had tricked them.” Andrew explained cautiously, knowing I was going to flip.“What the f**k do you mean by Sierra tricked them? How the f**k can one person trick several trained bodyguards?” I growled. That didn’t even make any sense.I opened my phone to see where Sierra was. Good thing she still had her phone with her. I could tell she was heading out of Crystal Bay. Where in the world was she going to?I got into my car and started following her. I was going to look for her personally. I didn’t want to hear cock and bull stories anymore. I called Andrew and told him to find out from Charlotte what must have caused Sierra to want to leave.As I passed by Charlotte’s house, I saw police men coming in and going out of her house. And it just clicked. Charlotte had be
Andrew’s POVOne of the guards called me to let me know that they couldn’t find Sierra. I didn’t know how I was supposed to tell that to Jordan, but I had to. Perks of the job. Obviously, he was mad. I would be too. The next thing I did was open up Sierra’s location on my phone. She was still in Crystal Bay which was a good thing, but according to the map, she was driving out of town.My bodyguard instincts kicked in. I was trained for moments like this. If Sierra was frightened out of Crystal Bay after visiting Charlotte’s, then something wasn’t adding up. Even if they had a disagreement, it wouldn’t have been that deep.I left Leila’s at the front of her parent’s house and started driving towards Charlotte’s. If I didn’t like the woman, trust me, I wouldn’t have been so bothered. There was just something about her. She was the second person I’d met who could easily read me.To many people, I was indecipherable. I knew Sierra thought the same thing too because I never really gave he
Jordan’s POVThe war didn’t end overnight. It took us months of intentional planning, restructuring and rebuilding trust.Carlos and Lorenzo Moretti not only maintained control of their syndicate but did so under stricter rules. Enough with the senseless bloodshed.” No more betrayals.Alessandro emerged as the power broker but moved to settle relations among erstwhile opponents.What about Gabriel Dravamen? He continued to be a wild card but honoured the pact. It meant Sierra would never have to see him again. He slipped away into the shadows, leaving us in peace.***I should have known that peace was an illusion. The second we made a truce, I felt the claws of the past itch at my back, lying in wait for an opportunity. The life we had struggled to break free from wasn’t going to be free easily. When our fragile new beginning unravelled, it was the enemy without who tore it apart but it was one of our own. Night had descended, cloaking the safehouse in lulling tranquillity. Sierra
Jordan’s POVIt was a lengthy, ruthless and tumultuous struggle. Blood spotted the pavement, and the air was still tinged with gunpowder and sweat. Gabriel Dravamen’s cultists had shaken the very foundation of the city’s underworld when they turned against the men of Carlos Moretti. But now, looking at the rubble, I knew this battle would not last forever. I glanced at Sierra, her face smeared with dirt, her hair a wild tangle from their adventure, but the spark in her eyes was still bright with fierce determination. She had fought for me, she had risked everything, and I’d be damned if I was going to let her spend the rest of her life in constant fear. We had to put an end to this insane battle by hook or crook regardless of how weak I felt.“Jordan…Do you think this battle is worth it,” she asked but I looked at her and suddenly lost my words.“What do you suggest we do?” I asked her after taking time to think on her question for a few minutes.“End it. Reconcile with your enemies
Jordan’s POVThere was a palpable tension in the night air, a heavy mix of unvoiced threats. My fingers flexed at my sides, and every muscle in my body stood up, ready to pounce. The instant the door opened on the van I sensed it. Before us, lined up like a barricade, the fleet of cars stood, their headlights casting harsh beams into the dark, illuminating the figures waiting beyond. Dressed in shades of dark, masked under darkness, armed men stood at attention. Their postures screamed discipline, precision, and most importantly, prepared to unleash hell. From the outside looking in, it was evident these were not just hired guns. They were men trained for combat, their loyalty inextinguishable, and their mission palpable. Carlos Moretti moved like a man in command, rolling the cuffs of his pricey suit as though he wasn’t in the heart of a goddamn battlefield. He flourished on chaos; it had shaped him, and if nothing else, I knew he never walked into a fight he didn’t think he coul
Sierra’s POVSilence enveloped us for a heartbeat, the only noise the drone of the engine and the uneven gasps of our party. Inside the van, the air was thick with anticipation and something more, something dark.Then, as my eyes adjusted to the low-light interior, I froze in my throat. In the corner sat Carlos Moretti, wearing a sleek black suit, and dark glasses on the bridge of his nose. A cigar hung limply from one side of his mouth, a thin wisp of smoke curling up to the ceiling.“You all didn’t know I was here. Well, I accept that compliment you gave earlier,” he said, “Oh, you are welcome,” he barely echoed and pumped out more smoke into the air with reckless abandon.Still talking to himself and all, he chuckled, a slow and gruff laugh that sent a shiver down my spine. It went on too long, stretching that moment into something just disgusting, something grotesque and even annoying, that made my stomach flip.I felt like reaching out to him and smacking him in the face to keep
Sierra’s POVA sharp crack of gunfire pierced the night, and instinct kicked in. Jordan was tumbling down with me as a bullet whined past us and struck the concrete wall behind us.My pulse throbbed so violently that I feared it might rupture my ribs. Dominic was already shooting back, his responses quick and exact. Ethan drew his weapon too, well braced as he shot at the men surrounding us. “Go! Go! Go!” he shouted to his men and directed them with one hand in the air as he plunged them ahead whilst the other hand rested solidly on his gun. He looked in our direction as well and nodded his head for us to move to where the huge crates were stacked.I held Jordan and moved towards the crate whilst Ethan watched our fours ensuring we were behind the crates before going head into the battle that had been staged. I wondered where all the police vans had gone because such chaos and ceaseless firing should have bought them out of their cocoons except they had been bought over.Hiding behin
Sierra’s POVI wrapped my arms around Jordan when balance abandoned him and he walked with me like an old man slowly finding his step. He had just been through a serious coma, and I knew he needed time to get his strength back. His body had not fully recovered, but his spirit, his fighting spirit, was as full as a young man's spirit should be. Every step we took together led us onto shaky ground, but I was unwilling to drop the thread. I wasn’t about to let anything or anyone pull him away from me again. As I led him down the sterile corridor, I kept looking back at him, asking him over and over if he was in pain. "How do you feel? Is anything bothering you? Does anywhere hurt?”We had to put up a brave front, of course, but Jordan shot me a cheeky smile with twinkling eyes that had mischief reflected in them, even with that happening.“You’re babying me too much, Sierra. I'm fine," he pouted back with love in his eyes.I couldn’t help but chuckle, though every fibre of my being wa
Author’s POVCarlos stared blankly for a moment, trying to process the gravity of what had been revealed. But he also knew that in a game like this, someone was always behind the curtain, calling the shots. But this new player, this enigma, was the wild card he hadn’t counted on. He looked over at the door, his brain already working out the next few things. The stakes had never been higher. The fate of his family, even the power dynamic in Crystal Bay, it all was at stake and if this new player had been behind it all, the rules of the game would have changed and Carlos needed to adapt fast, or else lose it all.He walked around the room, the quietness in the area surrounding him was murky. The unknown player stuck in his mind and gnawed at him. Who were they? Why had they decided to make their move now? Because he knew all too well that everything was about power in this world, but the ones pulling the strings, those behind the scenes could make or destroy it all.His men had been
Author’s POVOnce Lorenzo and Alessandro were gone, Carlos settled into the same chair, fingertips tapping a gentle beat against his desk as he processed the contents of the file. There was an atmosphere of tension around, and the doubts he had been trying to suppress grew louder by the second. There was no telling the moves of a man who might be willing to betray his own brother.Dominic Pierce was a wild card. But that was something Carlos could not lose, not at stake. Carlos picked up the phone off the desk and dialled a number he recalled by heart with a soft sigh. It was one of his most trusted men, a loyal veteran beyond question. Moments later, there was a click on the phone, and a voice came through to the other end.“Did you knock, boss,” the voices said, low and steady. "What’s the situation?"“I want an update,” Carlos said. His tone was steady, but there was an undercurrent of urgency. “How is it along the outside of the facility where Jordan’s being held?”There was a b
Author’s POVAlessandro had his hands clasped behind his back, standing with a proud and confident posture, but there was a glimmer of awareness in his harsh features. He was expecting this conversation. He knew Carlos would bring up his concerns, it was his nature. No victory was ever too quickly celebrated, and no ally was ever completely trusted.After a long silence, Carlos released a breath. “You’ve done well, Alessandro,” he eventually said with a smoothness that had an edge of something sharper.“Getting Dominic Pierce to play our little game was no small task. You managed to do it, and for that, I salute you.”Carlos leaned back in his chair, his eyes cold, and warm applause echoed through the crowded room. The gentleness of his tone was just a preface to something colder.“But…” he said, letting the single word hang in the air like a dangerous pause. “A brother betraying his own blood?” He cocked his head a little, studying Alessandro’s face. “A man of this sort is not to be