CHAPTER SIXTY-THREEETHAN'S POVRose's concentration is unwavering as she meticulously cleans my face. Her fingers are gentle yet firm, and when she reaches the cuts near my eyes, she pauses. "It might hurt a little."“It’s nothing.”“Have you been hurt like this before?”“Of course. Being shot makes this look like a child’s game.”She strokes the pads of her fingers over the scar on my chest. “How did this happen?”“That was because of Godfather—Gotham.”“Was Gotham part of your group?”"He trained us. Godfather is one of The Underground’s first generation. They're called Team Zero, and all have weird names. My group is considered part of the second generation."She continues to carefully clean my wound. “What’s the difference between the first and the second generation?”“The first generation are now old men—and women. We’re younger and prettier, I guess?”She shakes her head. “Is that the only difference?”“Well, that and the fact that they were drugged. Their loyalty was ensured b
CHAPTER SIXTY - FOUR ETHAN’S POVMaybe she knows me better than I thought possible. At this moment, the only thing that can stop me is her. I even came back here, risking being shot to death by that fvcker Hades if it meant seeing her one last time.Godfather and all the fvckers from The Pit—especially Flame—would be so unimpressed with how I chose to die. By a Russian. For a woman.I would laugh if I could. They would tell their children tales about how pathetic I’ve become, how the mighty have fallen.And yet, I’d still come back here in a heartbeat.“Instead…” Rose tRosels off. “I will take revenge against Rolan on your behalf.”I Rosese a brow. “You will?”“You have my word.”“What to do? My revenge might start with Rolan, but it doesn’t end with him.”“Then how does it end?”"A Russian was there that night—the one who betrayed my mother. Unless he dies, my revenge won't end."“Is he one of us?”“I believe so, but I’m not sure if he’s one of the existing ones or if he went back t
CHAPTER SIXTY – FIVEROSE AMARA POVA week later, when I wake up alone, a thousand dark thoughts flood my mind. My hands shake as I reach for my phone, each second feeling like an eternity. When I finally manage to grab it, the message waiting for me soothes my anxiety.Ethan: Morning, Princess. I'm off with Laye for business with the Italians. Don't forget to eat breakfast. Come home early so I can make up for not fvcking you first thing in the morning. P.S. Wear that red thing from the other time.I smile, imagining his exact tone as if he were speaking those words aloud. Ever since that night when he burst into my room, bloodied and bruised, and declared he was staying, it feels like I'm living in an alternate reality, one cloaked in fog. I know the mist will eventually lift, and he’ll realize staying is dangerous. But Ethan isn’t afRosed of danger. If anything, his life has made him addicted to it.Every night, after he makes me scream in ecstasy, he holds me close and answers my
CHAPTER SIXTY – SIX ROSE AMARA POVI needed to keep track of their conversation. Pharaoah is clearly planning something. First, he got his octopus hands on Laye, and now he's going after Pakstan—whom I at least thought couldn't be swayed.My phone vibrates, and I swiftly pull away to check the text.Hades: Uncle River wants you in his office.With a groan, I go back upstairs. Pharaoah and Pakstan will leave after they are called by Uncle River. I need to figure out what they're plotting, or at least Pakstan's fixation. If I can get him away from Pharaoah, I can convince him to switch to my side.I knock on Uncle River’s door before stepping inside. Hades and Igor are sitting with him in the lounge area. I nod at my supposed father-in-law, and he nods back before focusing on the paperwork splayed in front of him.Hades doesn't spare me a glance. His jaw is tight, and his beard appears thicker today, casting an ominous shadow on his face. He's been in a foul mood since I released Ethan
CHAPTER SIXTY - SEVENROSE AMARA POVI curse inwardly, but I pause when Abe laughs, wrinkles forming around his eyes, then speaks in a subtle Japanese accent. “Always a black sheep, Pakstan.”"I will drink to that." He swallows another gulp of his vodka, then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "Now, spare us the suspense, and let us know why we're here."“Patience, young man.” Abe sits beside Pakstan, and the asshole doesn’t even attempt to give him room.Kai smiles at me in greeting before he kneels beside me in an upright posture that somehow appears reverent. He places a hand on my thigh. “Have you been well?”“Yes,” I murmur as I remove his hand. “And that question doesn’t need to be asked while you touch me, does it?”He chuckles softly. “I didn’t expect anything less from you.”After the food arrives, a mixture of soups, noodles, and an exquisite fish dish, Abe and Kai unhurriedly dig into their meals. Pharaoah and I join, mimicking their pace. Uncle River taught me how
CHAPTER SIXTY – EIGHT ETHAN'S POVThis isn’t exactly where I want to be. It's not where I should be, either. Who gives a fvck about the Italians' business? Certainly not me.The only things I would rather be doing right now are either shooting the fvcker Rolan in the face or eating my wife out. There's no in-between.The first part is out for now. I asked Flame to stay on standby—an option he wasn't thrilled about since the lack of action bores him. That makes two of us. Flame and I are the types who will only accept a mission if we deem it exciting enough. The adrenaline wave is our bitch, and we ride it every chance we get. Now, the only one I want to ride me is Rose.I like how adorable she looks when she thinks she has the upper hand before I flip her onto her back and tease her while—"Focus," Laye speaks low enough so only I can hear. "Or try to appear as if you're focusing."We’re sitting in one of the Bratva’s empty clubs downtown with the Lucianos’ underboss, Nicolo. He brou
CHAPTER SIXTY- NINEROSE AMARA POV"This won’t do." Pakstan checks his gun, then curses in Russian. He's down to a few bullets. I’m not any better off.My gaze trails to Pharaoah, who’s firing over the car's hood. The three of us are huddled behind the vehicle, caught in a gunfight that has lasted only a few minutes but feels like an eternity.I had expected the British, but it's worse. Their Albanian allies have joined the fray and seem to have no fear. They readily step into gunfire as long as it means taking out their targets. Uncle River once told me that if a soldier dies, the Albanian leader honors him and ensures his name goes down in the organization’s history with reverence.The ambush was smart. They managed to catch Pakstan, Pharaoah, and me together with only a few guards. Outnumbered, it's easier for them to try and take us out now.We’ve been trying to stall until backup arrives.“How much do you have left?” I ask Pharaoah.“Five.” He fires a shot, hitting an Albanian in
CHAPTER SEVENTY ETHAN POVNicolo’s earlier words about what they did to his grandmother tighten a noose around my throat, suffocating me with each gruesome detail. I stormed in front of Pakstan and grab him by the throat.“How the fvck did you let them take her? Where the fvck were you?”His guard moves to intervene, but Pakstan dismisses him with a wave. “Not that I have to fvcking answer to you. They wouldn’t have taken her if I were there. I was fighting one off, and when I turned around, they were carrying her and Aleksander into a van.”“Aleksander was taken too?” Laye’s suspicious gaze shifted to Pharaoah and back to Pakstan. “Why would they take a guard?”“Fvck if I know.” Pakstan brushes off the soldier fussing over his bleeding arm.“In Pharaoah’s place,” Pharaoah pants, gripping the Albanian tightly. “They took Sasha into my place.”Sasha? Ah, right. The Italians and their nicknames—how they associate Sasha with Aleksander is a mystery.“It still doesn’t make sense why they