Chapter 9

**Jake's Anger and Guilt** 

Emma's truth was like a thousand stones pressing down on me as I stood amid the ruins of my own stupidity. I had let her down, and the awareness was like a kick to the gut. They had been let down by me.

The twins.

My boys.

I tried to calm the anger that was building inside of me by running a hand through my hair. Emma wasn't the target. How is that possible? She had been drowning in a nightmare I couldn't even begin to imagine, and I was mad at myself for not seeing it, not asking the appropriate questions, and assuming the worst.

I had been the self-centered, naive fool who had allowed her to run for her life.

Even when sirens could be heard in the distance, it made no difference. Not right now. Emma had been taken directly in front of me, so no. She was Alessi's. And I had allowed it to occur.

I became aware that my fists were clenched so firmly that my nails were stealing blood from my palms as a stinging ache throbbed in my knuckles. I accepted the discomfort. I was entitled to worse.

A harsh, urgent voice cried out behind me, "Boss." My right-hand man, Mason, was there. "We discovered the footprints of their car. They made little progress.

Excellent. Because in order to get her back, I was going to burn the entire planet down.

With a deep snarl, I turned to Mason. "Get everyone. We're on the move.

Mason took a step back to make the calls after nodding.

I took a deep breath, channeling my anger into something more useful, something sharp. Emma wouldn't be saved by regret. Guilt wouldn’t bring her back. However, action? That was something I could handle.

I had dedicated my life to establishing an empire, eliminating rivals, and making brutal choices. I was going to use all of my resources and connections to reverse the effects of my blindness.

Emma had struggled too long by herself.

Tonight, that came to an end.

Disguised as an abandoned warehouse, the safehouse was actually a fortress. Men like Alessi would go there to make people vanish. But his grave would be tonight.

A group of my finest men surrounded the perimeter as we arrived in silence. Every second that went by felt like an unaffordable agony as my heart raced. The woman I should have protected from the beginning was inside that building.

Mason gave us a silent signal, and we took off.

It was a surprise to the first guard. He slumped with the sound of a single suppressed shot. The second barely had time to react before I had my hands on him, snapping his neck in one fluid motion.

We slipped inside, the darkness swallowing us whole.

I was running on pure instinct now. I had one mission: find Emma. Get her out. Kill everybody who stood in my way.

Then I heard it.

A piercing scream. Emma.

My pulse went crazy. I ran down the corridor, kicking open a door with violent force.

And there she was bound, her lip bloodied, but her eyes fierce and unbroken.

Alessi stood behind her, a gun pressed to her temple.

“You’re too late, Sinclair,” he snarled. “She’s mine.”

A cold, deadly calm settled over me. "Alessi, you made a mistake."

He grinned more broadly. "And what error is it?"

My voice was lethal as I raised my rifle. "You believed that I would allow you to leave this place unharmed."

The room erupted into turmoil as the lights went out a moment later.

Gunfire erupted, flashing in the dark like bolts of lightning. I dove forward, tackling Alessi before he could squeeze the shot. Emma rolled away from the battle and fell to the ground, letting out a strangled moan.

His gun skittered across the room as Alessi and I struck the floor with force. I struck his jaw with my fist, and while the bone crack was satisfying, it was insufficient. Not nearly enough.

He bounced back fast, pushing me back with his weight. He wiped blood from his mouth and spat, "Sinclair, you don't get it." "This is not the end of it."

I caught him in the ribs with my next swing. "That's for you."

The battle was vicious and unfiltered, driven by years of anger I was unaware I harbored. I was stronger than Alessi, though. This was no longer about strategy or strength. It was a matter of survival. This was to ensure that he would never again touch Emma or my sons.

Through my headset, Mason's voice cracked. We're clear out here, boss. Need a backup?

I didn't respond. I had this.

Alessi staggered back, breathing hard. “You think killing me will fix what you did to her?” he taunted. "Sinclair, she fled from you too. It's be that you were never the hero she required.

The words struck my stomach like a razor, yet they simply made me more enraged. "I don't have to be heroic." I moved in closer. “I just need you dead.”

I was prepared when he lunged at me. With a single quick motion, I had him trapped and my hands around his throat.

Emma's trembling but resolute voice broke through the confusion, "Jake." "Avoid it."

I paused and tightened my hold. My ears throbbed with my heartbeat. I desired to murder him. I wanted to remove all evidence of his danger. Emma's voice, however, drew me back.

I snarled and let him go, standing while he wheezed and gasped. With their guns up, Mason and the others barged in.

"Take him," I said. "Ensure that he vanishes."

Pulling Alessi up by his collar, Mason nodded. "With delight."

Emma remained on the ground, her eyes wide as she watched me. I moved across the room between us and crouched next to her, touching her face with quivering hands.

I said in a whisper, "You're safe."

Her breath caught. "For the time being."

I supported her weight as I helped her up. “I’m going to fix this, Emma. I promise.

A crash from the far end of the building made us both freeze.

Then the room echoed with a voice I never thought I would hear again.

“Well, isn’t this a family reunion?”

My blood ran cold as I turned.

The last person I ever wanted to see was standing in the doorway.

Emma’s father.