35

She let out a bitter laugh, eyes burning. "What was it you said? 'I can't be involved in this, Kaela. Don't call me again.'"

Rylan's jaw tightened. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how the hell did you mean it?" Her voice rose. "Because it sure sounded like you wanted nothing to do with me!"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I was scared, okay?"

Kaela scoffed, crossing her arms. "You? Scared? That's rich."

"You don't understand," Rylan insisted, deciding to explain himself now. "When you mentioned the mafia, all I could think of were all those mafia lords—Viper, Scorpio, Wolf, Python. They're not just criminals, Kaela. They're monsters."

"I had no idea how you got involved with Viper, but I didn't know what to do. If I had tried to reach you then, I would have been dead before I even got close."

Kaela swallowed hard, her heart hammering against her ribs. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that he had been powerless to help her.

But the pain of his abandonment still lingered, making it impossible for her to fully listen.

"So what changed?" she demanded. "Why now? Why did you suddenly decide I was worth saving? Aren't you scared anymore?"

"Because I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try," Rylan admitted. "I made a mistake before, Kaela. I left you once when you needed me, and I drowned myself in work and other distractions just so I couldn't feel the guilt."

"Now that you've reached out to me, I knew I couldn't do it a second time. So I'm here now, and I swear I will get you out of this."

Kaela stared at him, weighing her options and his words. Could she trust him?

Her heart begged her to believe him—to cling to the hope she had nearly lost. But the part of her that had spent weeks trapped under Dante's control, humiliated and broken, screamed at her not to be a fool.

"You have no idea what I've been through," she whispered, her voice shaking. "You have no idea what kind of hell I'm living in."

Rylan's eyes darkened. "Then tell me. I'll make that man pay for everything he's done to you."

Kaela shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

"It does," he insisted. "I need to know everything if I'm going to get you out of here."

Kaela hesitated. Him saving her was a shot in the dark, but he had come for her, and that meant something.

For the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to believe.

——

The warehouse was filled with the low murmur of voices, men shifting uneasily, hands gripping their weapons as they waited for orders. None of them had any idea why Dante had called suddenly, but they weren't going to wait for long.

They stood at attention as he stepped into the room, flanked by Vito, Luca, and Marcel, his underboss.

Dante strode to the center of the room, his icy blue gaze swept over the gathered men, taking in their curiosity with a smirk.

"Tonight," he began, voice smooth yet laced with steel, "we hit Petrova where he'll feel it the most—his Onlookers Casino."

There was silence as the men glanced at one another, eyes widening. Just as he wanted, none of them expected this. And whoever the mole was also didn't know about it, so Caius could not be warned.

Dante continued, voice cutting through the tension. "If any of you are afraid, speak now."

No one moved. And he smiled coldly. Good.

He gestured to Marcel, who unrolled a map onto a nearby table. "We move in groups. No unnecessary casualties—this is a show of power, not a massacre. Petrova's men will fight back, but by the time they realize what's happening, we'll be too deep inside for them to stop us."

A few men nodded, tension giving way to grim determination.

"Vito, take your team through the back entrance," Dante instructed. "Luca, you and your men handle security. I want every damn camera in that casino disabled before we step through the front doors."

He turned to Marcel. "We're leading the main assault."

Marcel gave a sharp nod. "Understood."

Dante took a deep breath. His fingers curled around the gun at his waist, his heart steady. He lived for this. "Move out," he ordered.