Chapter Fifty Eight

Chapter Fifty Eight

Henry’s POV

The garage was quiet now, the kind of quiet that presses down on you, heavy and accusing. Dante was gone—hauled off in cuffs again, his bloody grin still burning in my skull. Felicia sat on an old crate nearby, her arms wrapped around herself, staring at the spot where he’d fallen. Tommy and the guys were outside, talking low with Ramirez, their voices a dull hum through the cracked window.

I should’ve felt relief. Victory, even. We’d taken him down—me, Felicia, the crew. But all I felt was this gnawing ache, like a splinter I couldn’t dig out. My hands flexed, the cuts on my knuckles stinging, and I leaned against the workbench, trying to piece it all together. How the hell had it come to this?

It started with me. That’s the truth I couldn’t shake. Years ago, when I was young and stupid, running with the wrong crowd—Tommy, Jake, Rico, all of us caught up in the life. The mafia wasn’t some grand operation, not like the movies. It was gritty, small-time, a web of favors and blood that stuck to you like tar. I’d thought I’d gotten out—cleaned up, opened the garage, put Sophia in rehab. But you don’t just walk away from that world. Not really.

Dante was proof of that. He wasn’t just Felicia’s ghost—he was mine too. A loose end from a job I’d botched years back, a shipment I’d lost when I was still hauling for the crew. I’d never told Felicia the whole story—how I’d crossed paths with him, how he’d marked me as a weak link. When she came into my life, he must’ve seen her as leverage, a way to drag me back into the mess I’d left behind. And now Sophia—God, Sophia—was paying for it too.

I rubbed my face, the stubble rough against my palms. That call from Dr. Ellis replayed in my head, his voice flat and clinical: “She checked herself out this morning. We don’t know where she is.” My little sister, out there somewhere, lost again because I couldn’t keep her safe. I’d promised her—promised Mom before she died—that I’d fix it. And I’d failed. Again.

Felicia’s voice cut through the haze. “Henry?”

I looked up, meeting her eyes—tired, scared, but steady. She stood, crossing the room to me, her hoodie slipping off one shoulder. “You okay?” she asked, her hand brushing my arm.

“No,” I said, the word slipping out raw. “You?”

She shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Not even close.”

I pulled her into me, wrapping my arms around her, her warmth a lifeline in the storm. She smelled like smoke and sweat, but underneath it was her—just her—and it grounded me. “I’m sorry,” I murmured into her hair. “For all of this.”

She pulled back, frowning. “Don’t. We got him. That’s what matters.”

“Did we?” I asked, my voice sharper than I meant. “He’s out once, he’ll get out again. And even if he doesn’t, there’s more where he came from. This isn’t over, Felicia. Not while I’m still tied to them.”

Her brow furrowed. “Them? Who—”

“The crew,” I said, cutting her off. “The mafia. Whatever you want to call it. I thought I was done, but I’m not. Not really.”

She stared at me, her eyes searching mine. “What are you talking about?”

I sighed, stepping back to lean against the workbench again, my hands gripping the edge. “Years ago, before you, I ran with some bad people. Tommy and the guys—they’re clean now, mostly, but back then? We moved stuff—drugs, guns, whatever paid. I got out after a job went south, but there’s still debts. Work I didn’t finish. Dante was part of that world, and he’s not the only one who remembers.”

Her face paled, but she didn’t flinch. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want you in it,” I said, my voice cracking. “I thought if I kept it buried, it’d stay dead. But it didn’t. It followed me—followed us. You almost died tonight because of me. And Sophia…” I trailed off, the ache in my chest tightening.

“She’s not your fault,” Felicia said, stepping closer. “She made her choice—”

“No,” I snapped, shaking my head. “She’s out there because I wasn’t there. I was too busy fighting Dante, cleaning up my mess, and she slipped through the cracks. If I’d cut ties clean—if I’d finished what I started with them—she’d still be safe.”

Felicia grabbed my hand, her grip fierce. “You don’t know that. And you can’t carry it all, Henry. I’m here. We’re in this together, remember?”

I wanted to believe her. God, I did. But the weight of it—her, Sophia, the life I couldn’t shake—was crushing me. “Together doesn’t change the fact that I’ve got blood on my hands,” I said, my voice low. “And there’s more coming. I owe them one last job.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“A delivery,” I said, forcing the words out. “Something big—cash, probably. They’ve been leaning on me for months, quiet-like, waiting for me to cave. I’ve been dodging it, but after tonight? They’ll come calling. And if I don’t do it, they’ll come for you. For Sophia, if they find her.”

She swallowed, her hand tightening around mine. “Then we do it. Get it over with. Cut them off for good.”

I stared at her, stunned. “You don’t know what you’re saying—”

“I do,” she cut in, her voice firm. “I’ve seen what running gets us—nothing but more running. If this is what it takes to end it, I’m in. But we do it smart. No more surprises.”

Her resolve hit me like a punch, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. She was tougher than I’d ever given her credit for—tougher than me, maybe. “Okay,” I said finally, my throat tight. “But I need to find Sophia first. I can’t—I won’t—leave her out there.”

“We will,” she said, squeezing my hand. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

I nodded, pulling her close again, letting her strength shore me up. But my mind was already spinning, back to the job. It’d be dirty—cash drops always were. I’d need Tommy and the guys, a plan to keep Felicia out of the line of fire, and a way to track Sophia while dodging the crew’s eyes. It was a tightrope, and one slip could kill us all.

The door creaked open, and Tommy poked his head in. “Cops are wrapping up. Ramirez wants a word before we bounce.”

“Tell him five minutes,” I said, not letting go of Felicia.

Tommy nodded and ducked out, leaving us alone again. I looked down at her, her face soft in the dim light, and the guilt surged back. “I never wanted this for you,” I said. “You deserve better than this—than me.”

“Stop it,” she said, her voice fierce. “I chose you, Henry. Mess and all. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Her words cracked something in me, and I kissed her—hard, desperate, like she was the only thing keeping me from drowning. She kissed me back, her hands fisting in my jacket, and for a second, the world shrank to just us.

When we pulled apart, breathless, I rested my forehead against hers. “We’ll get through this,” I said, more to convince myself than her. “Dante, the job, Sophia—I’ll fix it.”

“You don’t have to fix it alone,” she murmured, her breath warm against my skin.

I nodded, but the doubt lingered. Outside, the night stretched on, dark and unforgiving, and I knew the clock was ticking. The crew wouldn’t wait forever. Sophia was out there, slipping further away every minute. And Dante—cuffed or not—had a way of slithering back.

Tommy banged on the door again. “Henry! Ramirez ain’t patient!”

“Coming,” I called, stepping back but keeping Felicia’s hand in mine. We walked out together, the cold air hitting us as we faced the cops, the crew, the mess I’d made.

Ramirez stood by his cruiser, arms crossed. “You two got lucky tonight,” he said, eyeing us. “Dante’s locked up tight this time—extra guards, no chances. But I need your statements. Now.”

I nodded, squeezing Felicia’s hand. “Yeah. Let’s get it over with.”

But as we followed him, my mind was already on the next fight—the job I couldn’t dodge, the sister I couldn’t lose, and the woman I’d die to protect. The mafia had its hooks in me, and cutting free was gonna hurt. Bad.