Chapter 29

Zander was exhausted,mentally and physically, from everything that had transpired since Israel Storm entered his casino. And he knew if he was feeling that way then so were Vince and Scotty. He wanted to give the two men a break, let them have time to decompress.

But they had to deal with the man who’d sent a killer after Vince.

Derri joined them, quiet and sullen, as they made their way back to Jersey. He drove while Zander sat next to him riding shotgun, Vince and Scotty in the back. Zander didn’t ask his ex, his right-hand, where he’d been while Syren Rua—aka the notorious Faro—had made his way into a condo where Zander and his men were sleeping. He would deal with Derri in due time.

But for now, first things first.

The trip back to Jersey was done in heavy silence, though Zander found himself distracted by Vince and Scotty in the back seat. Scotty’s head was on Vince’s shoulder, his eyes closed. Out of all of them, Scotty needed safety and security the most. Out of all of them, he was the most fragile. And likely needed some kind of treatment for his past drug use. Zander didn’t know the first thing about dealing with that, but he would learn. To ensure Scotty had the best of everything, he would learn.

When Derri finally pulled into the private entrance at the casino, Zander blew out a sigh. It felt like it’d been forever since he’d felt at ease. There was nothing like setting foot in a place where you knew you had the advantage. He’d been out of his element in Brooklyn, a strategic move on his opponent’s part, though he’d done his best to hide it. But yeah, being on familiar ground was a relief.

The vehicle came to a stop, and he took note as some of his men stepped away from the shadows and approached. He’d had them waiting for his arrival. Getting out, he nodded to them in greeting, then opened the back door for Scotty and Vince to get out. “Trem.” He gestured to the bulky motherfucker standing aside. “Take Scotty up to my place and stay with him until Vince and I get there.”

“What? No.” Scotty swung to face him. “I want to come with you.”

“You can’t.” Zander took his face in his hands, brushing a thumb over his jaw. “I need you to sit this one out. You’ve already seen enough.” He lifted his gaze to Vince as he told Scotty, “This won’t take long.”

Scotty made a sound of protest, but Vince came over, stroking a hand over his hair. “Zander is right. You don’t need to be anywhere near this. We’ll join you soon.”

Zander released Scotty and went to Trem. “Don’t let him out of your sight, you feel me?”

Trem nodded. “I got you, Boss.”

“Remember, you take your orders directly from me, no one else. If you ain’t hear it from my lips, it ain’t happening.” He held the other man’s gaze. “Got it?”

“Yes.”

Zander turned away, bringing his attention back to Vince and Scotty, who looked so timid as he released Vince’s hand and walked toward Trem. Zander reached out, grabbing Scotty’s hand and yanking him into his body. “This is the last time,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Scotty’s nose and then his lips. “I won’t leave you again.”

Scotty nodded, lips trembling as he stepped back and pivoted to face Trem. With Vince at his side, Zander watched as Trem led Scotty to the elevator which would take them to Zander’s penthouse located on the very top floor of the casino. They would have to figure out living arrangements for the three of them, but that came later.

Once they’d eliminated any threats.

“You ready?” he asked Vince once the elevator doors closed on Scotty and Trem.

“I am.”

Zander took his hand, linking their fingers as he strode toward the second set of elevators. Derri and the others followed closely behind. This elevator was large, with enough space to hold a midsize vehicle. Once they were all inside, Zander tapped a button, then inputted a code on the digital screen that popped up. This elevator wasn’t for public use, hence the code. Only he and a handful of his very trusted men had access, and the code was changed up regularly.

The ride took them down to the bowels of the casino, where all the torture and wet work was conducted. Completely soundproof, with zero cameras, and only one way in and one way out. The entire bottom level was made up of five large rooms: empty, dark, and cold with no furniture, just raw cement floors. The rooms all served the same purpose. His uncle had liked to take prisoners, and on any given day you could find those rooms occupied with somebody shackled, beaten to a pulp, and begging for mercy, willing to bargain away their mother in exchange for their freedom.

That wasn’t Zander’s cup of tea. He wasn’t one for keeping prisoners. He considered this place the kill rooms now. And if you saw the inside of one of his kill rooms, it was a guarantee that you would never see daylight again.

Fuck that shit.

At the moment, there was only one occupant down there. And he was awake. The moment the elevator doors opened he heard Russ calling out for someone, anyone, to help him. The men on guard duty granted Zander silent nods, keeping out of his way as he led Vince to the man who’d betrayed him.

He’d been placed in the middle room. There were no shackles on him anywhere as he sat on the cold ground, naked. His face was swollen purple, and his lips—also swollen—were cut and bleeding. Other than that, and the bullets Zander had put in each of his knees, Russ was untouched.

Zander stood in the doorway still holding Vince’s hand. Russ hadn’t seen them yet, too caught up in screaming for help. But then his head turned in their direction, his swollen eyes squinting.

“V-Vince?”

“Russ. You don’t look too good.”

“Oh my God! Help me!” Russ scooted forward on his ass, unable to walk since his legs were out of commission. “Help me. These motherfuckers—Vince, they tried to kill me. I?—”

“Like you tried to kill me?” Vince released Zander’s hand and stepped into the room, closer to his colleague.

“W-what?”

Vince crouched next to him and Zander drew closer to them. “You sent a hitman after me, didn’t you? After I called to check in with you?”

Russ’s mouth opened and closed several times. “Vince, I would never do?—”

“Spare us both the bullshit.” Vince sounded calmer than Zander had expected. “I just wanted to come and see you, make sure I looked you in your eyes when I told you that I know what you did. I know you were working with DuBois. I know you told him where to find me down in Alabama.” He straightened, standing over Russ, who spluttered.

“I’m sorry. Murray threatened me, man. I couldn’t say no to him. He was on you since you left Jersey, following you.” He sniffed and glanced around, meeting Zander’s eyes briefly with a flinch before pleading to Vince, “They’re gonna kill me. Vince, help me. Please.” Tears ran down his face. “Help me. They’re gonna kill me.”

“They’re not gonna kill you, trust me.”

Russ blinked up at him. “They’re not?” His shoulders dropped. “Thank?—”

“I am.” Vince pulled his weapon and fired once, putting a bullet through his forehead.

Zander went to him, sliding a hand down the arm that held the gun, taking the Glock from him. He handed it off to whichever of his men was nearest him. “You good?” he asked Vince.

Vince gazed down at Russ’s body, his jaw ticking. “I’m good.”

If it were up to Zander, he wouldn’t have put this on Vince, but the other man had insisted on it. Zander couldn’t deprive him of his need for revenge, so he went with it while making sure Vince had his support.

“Let’s get out of here.” Vince turned to him. “The three of us, we’ve been apart for too long.”

Zander couldn’t agree more. Once again, he took Vince’s hand. “Deal with this.” He issued the order to whoever was closest enough to hear it. They would handle the cleaning and disposal of the body. “And don’t bother me unless it’s an emergency.” He ignored Derri’s outraged stare as he made his way back to the elevator, just him and Vince.

“You need to handle him,” Vince murmured.

Zander knew that. “On it.” But that wasn’t as important as the two of them getting back to Scotty. They had a lot of things to work through and figure out, but he looked forward to it. He had his men back.

That was all that mattered.

It wasn’t as hardas it should have been to end Russ’s life. And maybe that was what had Vince feeling a bit let down about the entire thing. He let Zander hold on to him, or maybe he was the one doing the holding, as they rode the elevator up to the penthouse where Scotty waited for them.

He wanted the whole thing to be behind them. Wanted it all over with, so the three of them could have a moment to breathe. Some semblance of a normal life, however they decided that looked for them.

Killing his friend, his superior, had not been anywhere on his radar. The shock of learning just how Russ had betrayed him still sat heavily on his chest, and Vince rubbed the spot with his free hand. He’d thought leaving Jersey would protect him from DuBois, but instead, Russ had sold him out, keeping DuBois apprised of his every move from the start.

It was time for him to make a decision about the job he’d loved so much. He’d never been naive to the corruption that he knew was present in his line of work, but he’d been dumb enough to assume that the bad guys were the outliers. That the good guys would win.

And now he didn’t know who was who.

The man who held him securely to his side, giving Vince his support and strength, was supposed to be the bad guy. And the man Vince had worked with, trusted with his life out in the field, the man he’d reported to and considered a mentor and friend, he would be considered the good guy.

The elevator came to a stop, the doors opening silently into the penthouse.

Vince only spotted Trem. The big guy sat on a black leather couch that was dwarfed by his large frame, legs crossed, staring at his phone. He must’ve heard them because he got to his feet, shoving his phone into his pocket.

“Where’s Scotty?” Zander asked him.

Trem jerked his chin. “Bedroom.”

Vince didn’t wait; he headed in the direction Trem indicated as Zander thanked his employee in a low voice. He found a closed door and pushed it open. It smelled like Zander and he stepped inside, taking in Scotty lying in the middle of the large bed. A smile curved Vince’s lips as he entered the room. Scotty sat up—he must’ve heard the footsteps—eyes widening.

“You’re back!”

“We’re back.” Vince beamed at him, kicking off his shoes and climbing onto the bed to wrap his arms around Scotty. “Are you okay?”

Scotty shook his head, inching away from Vince’s hold. “No, I should be asking you that.” He searched Vince’s gaze with concerned eyes. “Did you—” He swallowed thickly. “You dealt with Russ?”

Vince nodded, arms tightening slightly around him. “It’s done.”

“And that’s the last time we’ll talk about it.” Zander’s voice came from the doorway.

Vince glanced over his shoulder, watching as Zander stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He eyed them on the bed with the most tender expression even though his words were a bit cooler.

“Like Vince said, it’s done.” Zander sat on the edge of the bed. “So you…” He cupped Scotty’s chin and Vince released the younger man, who immediately climbed into Zander’s lap. “There’s nothing you need to worry about. Vince and I will always make sure you’re safe.”

“But what if there’s more?” Scotty asked against Zander’s neck. “You’re, like, a big name in the criminal world. You have enemies. What if they try something like those other guys did?”

“Look at me,” Zander coaxed. When Scotty reluctantly eased back to meet his eyes, Zander told him, “I will always protect the two of you no matter what. I promise you I won’t let anything or anyone harm you. Never again.”

Vince rose onto his knees and went to them, kneeling behind Zander and hugging the both of them. “We will protect each other.” They were all they had; they had to be a united front in all things and all ways.

Zander released a deep sigh. “I wanted to wait to discuss this but I guess this is as good a time as any.” He softly kissed Scotty’s lips and leaned back against Vince’s chest. “I love the two of you. Okay? That’s how I feel. I know this—my life—is fucking crazy, but I want you here with me.” He paused. “Do you want to be here with me?”

Scotty nodded frantically. “Yes, of course we want to be here.” He tightened his arms around Zander’s neck, meeting Vince’s gaze briefly as he smiled and said, “I love you. We love you too.”

Vince repositioned himself so he could stare into his men’s eyes and they could do the same as he said, “I love you.” He directed that to Zander. “And I love you,” he told Scotty. “Wherever the two of you are, that’s where I want to be.” He took a breath. “But I have to make a decision about what I want to do with my job.”

Their expressions turned serious.

“What do you want to do?” Zander asked. “What does your gut tell you to do?”

“I thought about staying, continuing as I’d been.” Vince shook his head. “But my gut tells me to walk away.” He heaved a sigh, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “I love being a marshal, but I don’t know how I can stay and still be with you. And I won’t give you up,” he rushed to add. “I just… It’s a massive conflict of interest. And I refuse to hide my relationship or keep you guys tucked away in some dark corner.” Then there was the matter of all the agents in his field office who were likely on Zander’s payroll. He released a resigned breath. “I guess I’m quitting.” It was a bittersweet thing, coming to that decision. Like he told them, he loved the job. It made him feel as if he had a purpose, as if he were doing something worthwhile. But he didn’t see how he could do that effectively anymore. He also wanted the chance to be with his men. To experience them. To not have to hide or worry about anything.

“What will you do?” Scotty asked him. “If you’re no longer a federal marshal, who will you be?”

That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it? Who was he, if he no longer had a badge? Guess he’d find out eventually. He shrugged. “I don’t know what I will do and I’m not going to worry about it right now.” He had a significant amount of money in savings, so he would be okay on the financial front for a while. He leaned forward, touching his forehead to Scotty’s. “I just want to be with the two of you. I want time together. Anything else will have to take a back seat.”

“Sounds good to me,” Zander said. “If that’s your decision, we support you one hundred percent.” He glanced at Scotty, who nodded enthusiastically. Zander chuckled. “Now.” He kissed Vince, then Scotty. “I’m about to grab a shower. “Who’s joining me?”

They both did.