Chapter 1

Chapter On e

Christine

B lood sprayed against my face, misting it with droplets, and I winced. Even if I wanted to move, being handcuffed to the waterline in the concrete wall made it nearly impossible. When I look back up, I was relieved to see Jensen Maloy, Don Supreme’s personal executioner, discarding my fiance’s bodyguards to the side like rag dolls. They landed on the concrete floor of the warehouse with a thud. Maloy’s blood-speckled, rugged face turned toward me, and I nodded, silently confirming I was okay. He was in a pair of jeans and a tight-fitting T-shirt. He let out a heavy sigh when Jacob Macanroy, my not-by-choice -fiance, stepped in front of him and swung, connecting with Maloy’s face, growling, “Get away from her.”

When Maloy stood, he chuckled. “Macanroy, you got balls, I’ll give you that, but she’s coming with me.”

Jacob, who was in a pair of slacks and dress shirt, grabbed a crowbar on one of the nearby crates and swung wildly for Maloy’s head. Jacob’s long blond hair, which was usually in a manbun, had come loose and whipped around, blocking his view, causing him to miss. After he stumbled back and brushed his hair out of his face, his bright blue eyes were laser focused when he jumped over Maloy’s foot as he tried to trip him. Maloy grinned at the movement. As Jacob straightened, Maloy moved behind him and gripped his hand around his neck. His eyes flicked to me, silently asking if I cared if the man lived.

Before I could even blink, Jacob kneed Maloy in the groin, causing him to take a step back. For all that Jacob and I had been through, I couldn’t find it in myself to be scared for him. He had to have known going up against Jensen Maloy was a death sentence, yet there he was. Maloy, knife in one hand, countered each of Jacob’s swings with the pipe he had grabbed.

Why did I find the entire fight mesmerizing to watch? It was the level of skill and the majestic choreography of their deadly dance. Occasionally, Jacob would hiss as Maloy’s knife carved into his skin, and the scrape of their feet on the concrete had a musical rhythm to it. I had the distinct feeling that Maloy was toying with him. The man wasn’t breaking a sweat and hadn’t so much as blinked in reaction when Jacob whirled and slammed the crowbar against Jensen’s bicep. It was beautiful to see Maloy work. I’d heard the stories of his abilities and ruthlessness, everyone had, but to see it in person was something else. It didn’t take long before Jacob started to wear out and lose ground.

Maloy kicked Jacob’s pipe from his hand and swung for Jacob’s neck, but Jacob ducked and dove for Maloy’s stomach. Grunting, Maloy picked Jacob up by the waist and threw him over his shoulder.

Landing flat on his back, Jacob gasped for air. Maloy studied him as he slowly got to his feet, ticking his head to the side with a crooked smile on his face. Jacob’s face was full of resignation as he shook his head and met my gaze. There was an understanding in his eyes. He knew he wouldn’t make it out alive against Jensen, yet before Maloy had busted in here, he’d promised that he was the only one that would leave with me at his side. In that moment, he was saying goodbye in his own way. A wave of sadness went through me. We didn’t hate each other. We just didn’t become engaged for any other reason than we were ordered to.

There was a question in his eyes before I nodded, and acceptance that I was the one who must have called Maloy in filled his gaze. Jacob mouthed a thank you for everything before he turned to look back at Maloy, just as one of Ivanov’s men came barreling in and, with a flick of the wrist, sent a knife flying through the air.

“Maloy!”

He grabbed onto Jacob’s shirt, pulled him close, and used him as a shield. Jacob’s eyes went wide as the knife embedded into his back. Maloy removed it, and without taking his eyes off the man who just walked in, slit Jacob’s throat from one side to the other. I stared at Jacob’s body as Maloy dropped him to the ground, blood pouring from Jacob’s throat, and stalked toward Ivanov’s man. The man who I had been contracted to marry swung his gaze to me for a moment before his eyes went vacant.

Staring at him, I heard the chaos around me, but I didn’t know what to feel.

Shock rolled through, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

He was dead. Jacob was dead .

Maloy was here to get me out.

I could relay the information I needed to, and then . . . I could be free.

All the pent-up energy that I’d been carrying for months came out in a long, shaky breath. Not only that, but Maloy had the one thing I needed for my life of freedom. The question was in what capacity I could have it back.

Maloy’s face came into my field of vision as he crouched down in front of me. “You hurt?”

“Not enough that I can’t move.” Nodding, he noted where the handcuffs had dug into my skin from when I’d fought and killed a few of the guards. “It’s superficial. I’ll be fine.” Within a few moments, he had the cuffs off, and I was being lifted from my knees. “I need a couple things from my room.”

He gave me a look of exasperation and sighed. “Christine, we don’t have the luxury of time.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “If you want the information I have, and you do, then there are two things that you are going to give me. The first of which is going to be that you get me to that room before we get the hell out of here.”

He sighed. “How big are we talking?”

“Top of the food chain of other families.” After I spoke the words I knew would get his attention, he stared me down as if he were waiting for me to cave to him. “You know what I want, Maloy. Most of the place is abandoned, and the ones who were still here are dead in this room. Ivanov was storing us here until the plane was ready tomorrow morning to take us to the Caribbean. Seriously, it will take less than five minutes. I need to grab three things from my room. I won’t leave without them.”

The man stared at me for a moment longer before narrowing his eyes. “Fine. Let’s move.”

I strode past him and looked back and forth, checking the other side of each doorway as we went through. Just as I had promised, within five minutes we were climbing up into the black SUV. A man with dark brown hair and kind eyes looked back at me through the rearview mirror. With a nod, he said, “Ma’am.”

As soon as we were in the backseat, we were speeding away from the Ivanov safe house. Maloy turned to me and said, “Start talking.”

“I’ve overheard some more than interesting information. As you know, San Augustine has torn Ivanov’s businesses to shreds.” He nodded. “They are also constantly talking about his princess and how she’s untouchable because she’s under not only San Augustines’ protection, but also the Agostis’.”

I shook my head. I didn’t understand because it was widely known that Vincent San Augustine only had one son and no daughters.

Maloy leaned his head back and just muttered, “She is.”

“I’m sorry, what? ”

“San Augustine has a daughter, and she’s married to one of Don Agosti’s Alpha team. That is information that has been very tight-lipped, but it’s true.”

“Well, shit. That makes what I know likely more important.”

Maloy’s head lifted, questions in his eyes as he asked, “And what is that?”

“You know what I want for that information.”

He grabbed a tub from the floor, set it between us, grabbed some of the wet wipes in there, and started wiping his face, hands, and arms off. The black T-shirt at least hid most of the blood. He nodded at the package. “Use them to get cleaned up. You’ve got blood on your face and arms. Not to mention, your hair is soaked with it. How did that happen?”

I swallowed, trying not to gag at the memory. “Let’s just say before they tied me to the wall, I fought. The blood you spilt isn’t the only blood that was coating the ground.”

Understanding crossed his face. “How many?”

“Three,” I said, meeting his eye and starting to clean up my face.

He nodded.

I was silent for a moment, and when I finished, he held out a bag for me to toss in the dirty wipes. “Let me talk to Andrew and then I’ll tell you everything.”

He opened his mouth, and I cut him off.

“Take. Me. To. Andrew. Webber. Now.”