We’re going to loseblood.
I look at Axel as we approach the SUV.
Damn that boy.
“I get it,” I say, keeping my voice level. “But all this posturing? It’s wasted energy. Emotions are high, yeah—but we’ve got work to do. And right now, that’s what matters. Axel will keep his shit together. That’s a guarantee. But let me make one thing clear—no one, not your sister, not my grandkids, not even God himself, puts their hands on my family without consequence.”
We reach the club SUV. The doors slam shut as we pile in. After putting the phone on speaker, I toss it on the dash.
Sam’s voice drops a notch, like we’ve entered a new phase of the conversation. “I know you know about the kids now. I know Talon knows. So, you understand we’re family now. Dysfunctional as hell, but family. Axel, I know you can hear me.”
I shot my son a warning look.
Axel scowls at the phone, jaw clenched. “I hear you.”
Sam doesn’t hesitate. “You may not trust my sister. Hell, you may hate her. You don’t understand how she kept those kids from him, but shetried. He was too stubborn, too caught up in his shit to hear her. She never did it to be cruel. That woman has spent years protecting your blood. I know you,fratello. You’ll stay pissed until it eats you alive. But let me be crystal fucking clear—if you ever lay hands on my sister again, Iwillkill you.”
There’s no mistaking the venom in Sam’s tone. Calm. Cold. Lethal.
Axel doesn’t flinch. “I hear you, Sam. But you’d better hear me too. If anyone puts my family at risk—I don’t care who the fuck they are—I’ll do what I have to. That includes your sister.”
Sam lets out a grunt. “Brick, I’ll text you Gabriella’s number and where she’s staying. She’s not gonna sit still—things are already moving. She and Bellamy will have a piece of this handled by week’s end. If you want in, call her. She expects it.”
He pauses—just long enough to drive it home.
“But keep Axel the fuck away from her. Not for her sake—my nieces and nephews are on edge. And anyone who comes at their mother sideways will end up like thatputtanadid—catching a bullet.”
He chuckles, then the line goes dead.
I exhale through my nose, jaw locked as I look between my sons. The silence is thick, weighted with everything we’ve heard and everything we haven’t.
I shake my head, disbelief and exhaustion curling in my gut.
“What a fucking shitshow.”
Seventeen
“Each piece of the puzzle will reveal itself and either be put in its place or taken off the board.”
It’s been a few days since the chaos at the hospital since Talon got shot. Since the past smashed into the present the way it always does—loud, messy, and without warning. Bellamy and my crew have been on it nonstop. Pulling threads, cracking files, watching movements. Every inch of Salvatore’s life is under the scope—weak spots, habits, side deals, who he owes and who owes him. We ain’t just prepping. We’re lining shit up.
Moving fast wasn’t up for debate. When it comes to this part of my life, this aspect of who I am, I never allow problems to linger. I don’t give threats air. You allow an enemy to breathe, and they start thinking. Thinking leads to angles. And I don’t like angles I didn’t design. That’s how I’ve kept my family and the club alive this long—by staying ten steps ahead and striking before the smoke clears.
“Brick supposed to meet us at the spot?”Bellamy’s voice crackles in my ear, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah,” I say, eyes fixed on the surveillance feeds. “He’ll be here.”
Brick called the night it all went down with the family. At some point after the kids and I left the hospital, he spoke with my brother. Sam brought him up to speed, which is why he reached out to me. I expected fury. Hell, I was ready for it. But what I got was... control. Frustration? Yes. But Brick didn’t come unhinged. He listened. He asked questions. And then he processed.
That earned him my respect.
After we talked, he wanted to meet Malikai and Olivia, because at the time, Seb and Fi were still on assignment. I wasn’t sure how that would land. My kids don’t trust easy. Life taught them too young how ugly the world can be. But when Brick walked in, Liv melted. That girl was gone in seconds. Kai followed, cool but curious, drawn to something he didn’t even understand yet.
Brick showed up for them. Checked in. Took them out. Made them laugh like he’d been in their lives all along. Even surprised Kai at a sparring session—stood in the back with that quiet grin like he was watching his own son in the ring.
Fi had a few brief conversations with him, keeping it surface level. She’s watching, clocking everything like she always does. But Sebastian? He’s a whole different storm. That boy ain’t budging. Too much damage behind those eyes. Too much of his father in his bones.
I figured Brick would push. Maybe catch an attitude. But he didn’t.
