5. Victoria

My breath comesout in ragged gasps as we walk across campus in broad daylight. People stare, but I don't give a fuck. I can't muster a single shred of remorse. Asher Quinn, the monster of my past, will never touch another soul again. The thought grants me a grim sense of peace. He's gone, and the relief that floods through me is cold, hard, and real. No more looking over my shoulder, no more fear-cloaked nights. It's done.

Gianluca kisses the top of my head as we walk back to the townhouse in silence.

"Will you help Luke?" I ask, looking up at him. "I feel terrible leaving him alone to sort out my mess."

"Our mess, cara," he murmurs, but gives a swift nod and turns back to the gruesome murder I've left behind.

Cian guides me steadily, glowering at anyone who comes too close or looks at me for too long until, eventually, we arrive at the front door. Once inside, I head straight for the shower, peeling off clothes that are too tainted to keep.

"Burn them," I mutter to Cian.

He them gathers up without question and disappears.

The hot water of the shower scalds my skin, but I welcome it, a physical sensation to drown out everything else.

Then, the shrill ring of my phone cuts through the pounding water. I step out, wrap a towel around me, and stare at the screen.

Dad.

"Hello?" I croak, wondering how he knows already.

"Victoria. I don't have much time." My father's voice, usually so composed, carries an edge of urgency. "Listen carefully. There's a new threat."

I grip the phone tighter, feeling the ever-so-brief respite slipping away. "What kind of threat?"

"We aren't sure, but you need to keep your head down and your eyes open until we know more. I'm only giving you a heads-up because of some rumours we've heard floating around."

"What kind of rumours?" I ask, a frown creasing my brow, exacerbating my headache.

"Bad ones."

"Don't be coy, Charles," I snap, using his name in my impatience. "Details."

He chuckles, seemingly impressed with my enthusiasm, but then the tension over the airwaves descends like a black-winged demon ready to sweep us all into hell. "We've heard someone is targeting the next gen."

"Targeting how?"

"Wiping them out. A raid on a University up north alerted us to this new threat, and then there was that incident at Castle the other month, but we aren't sure if it's related. Just keep alert but do not, and I mean this Victoria, do not go looking for trouble."

"Who? Me?" I murmur.

"Vicky," he snaps.

"Okay, okay, I won't. I promise." Like hell.

"Inform your… men," The sneer is blatant, but I choose the high road and ignore it: bigger fish and all that shit.

"Understood," I say before hanging up.

Another fight looms on the horizon. But for now, I place the phone on the counter, let the towel drop to my feet, and climb back into the shower to let the steam engulf me, washing away the blood, easing my muscles and prepping for what's coming.

When the water starts to cool, I turn off the taps and step out a new woman with a new mission. As I towel myself off, I let a slight smirk cross my lips. Asher Quinn may be gone, but the game is far from over.

This is where we thrive in the utter chaos of the mafia world. These last few weeks have been a bit of a downer, truth be told. I've had to show sides of myself to these men that I wanted to stay hidden for eternity, but here we are, and now the only way is forward.

I gaze at my reflection in the mirror and smile when I get dressed in black combat pants, boots, and a tight black tee. It's slow, sinister, and a little bit unhinged. Asher's murder has left me feeling more myself than I have for a while. Crossing over to the door, I bend down and heft Bonnie into my hand, swinging her around a bit. I hear the glorious swish of air and feel the breeze from her weight on my face.

Despite this threat, all is right with my world today, and while I have no doubt it will all come crashing back down at some point, I want to live in the now.

Downstairs, the boys are huddled together in the living room, deep in conversation. They all look up when I enter, concern etched on their faces. I give them a nod, letting them know that I'm okay.

"That was quick," I murmur, eyes on Luke.

He grins. "Fast worker, baby."

"You mean Sinclair is a fast worker," Gianluca snorts.

"Wow, way to step on my bragging, dipshit."

Even Cian cracks a chuckle at that, but then he catches my eye and frowns.

"What's up?"

"We need to talk," I say, propping Bonnie up near the door and heading towards the couch to take a seat next to the man who would walk through fire for me, kill for me, die for me.

"What's going on?" Cian asks, his hand reaching out to rest on my knee.

"My dad called before I even got a chance," I begin, taking a deep breath. "There's a new threat. Someone is targeting the next gen."

The room falls silent as my words sink in. Luke is the first to break the silence.

"Do we know who?" he asks, his voice steady despite the worry in his eyes.

I shake my head. "No, but we need to be prepared. My dad said to keep our heads down and our eyes open."

"We can do that," Cian says, his hand tightening on my knee. "Did you mention the other thing?"

Pressing my lips together, I shake my head. "No, I didn't. I was caught a bit off guard, and then the moment wasn't right. To be honest, I want to try not to have that conversation for as long as possible. It means coming clean about everything, and the way I feel right now is that I want to forget it all."

"It's going to come out," Cian murmurs.

"I know. I know. But let's focus on the other stuff first. Dad said a uni up north was targeted but gave no details. We need to try to figure out who, what, why, where, and when. He also said there was an incident at Castle a few months ago. I don't remember that. Want to ask Robert?"

"Want to ask Eliza?"

His response makes me snort. "I thought you two had made up-ish."

"He's fine. He's Robert. I was trying to be a little more strategic thinking. If you contact Eliza, who is effectively Queen of Castle, you might get more out of it than just information."

"A solid alliance. She is your sort of family."

"Yeah, but you are two badass bitches. You have a lot in common."

I nod, considering his words. "Alright, I'll reach out to Eliza. In the meantime, you guys work on finding out more about this threat. See if there are any whispers in the underworld, anything that might point us in the right direction. My dad came to me, so Luke, Gianluca, ask your parents. Cian? You need to use that new mafia family head position to get to the bottom of this shit. Somehow, somewhere, you were left out of this. Why?"

He shrugs, not taking it as personally as I would. "Maybe because Oisin was already up to speed, so no one has bothered to fill me in. I'll rectify that."

Luke nods, his expression serious. "I'll see what I can find out. The Duke is due a phone call this week." He grimaces at the mention of his dad, but I don't pry. There's time enough for that later.

Gianluca looks thoughtful. "I'll speak to my parents, but they are usually forthcoming with this type of thing."

Cian's hand is still on my knee, his thumb tracing circles. "We need to make sure that we're prepared for anything."

I lean into his touch, feeling a sense of calm wash over me. These men have my back, and I have theirs. It's a perfect circle.

"Good," I say, standing up. "Let's get to work."

A sense of excitement hits me. This is exactly what I need right now. A welcome distraction. This is what we do best – navigating the dangerous world of the mafia and coming out on top.

Part of me is looking forward to reaching out to Eliza. I might even drive over to Castle and give her an in-person visit. She is fucking fierce, but so am I. Maybe we could be friends because Christ knows, I could do with some. Especially ones in similar situations to me.

"I'm going to head over to the Castle campus," I say. "Keys?"

Luke throws me the keys to his sleek sedan, and I catch them.

"I'll see you all later."

"Do you want company?" Cian asks, standing up.

"I think this is something I have to do on my own, but I've got my phone. I'll stay in touch."

He nods but doesn't look convinced.

"I'll be fine, I promise." I kiss him and then turn to Luke with a small frown. He grins up at me, and I bend down to kiss him as well before Gianluca grabs my hand to drag me onto his lap. He shoves his tongue into my mouth, twisting it around mine as his hand drops between my thighs. He squeezes my pussy, riling me up until I'm squirming.

Then he smiles and lets me go, slapping my ass in dismissal.

I narrow my eyes at him but saunter out of the room, grabbing Bonnie as I pass and heading out to Luke's car parked in the driveway as if this was just another day.