Page 52 of Devil's Game

Conviction iced over the pain, freezing the flames invading my soul and soothing the burn of loss echoing in my chest.

I hadn’t lost anything. These men were what had made this place feel like home, when the rest of the world threatened to swallow me whole.

A place would never replace how full they made my heart. A place could never compare to the love and support I received from them.

I tore the paper into shreds, until the words faded from my mind, until the handwriting was a distant memory turned to dust. The paper scattered on the ground, strewn around me like the tattered remains I would’ve become if I hadn’t escaped, if my men hadn’t helped me get out of there. As though the universe, too, was trying to extinguish every trace of Tommaso from my life, the wind swept the torn words in a sharp gust, sending them dancing on an invisible breeze until they reached the inferno still blazing before us.

I let the world back in—the white flashing lights from the fire truck and the shouts of the firefighters as they battled the blaze, keeping it at bay before it spread to the fields. Three sets of hands gripped me. Spade’s arms reached around my waist,keeping me nestled close to his chest, my warm cocoon of safety amid the chaos. Merrick gripped my shoulder, the pressure a plea to not slip away from him. And Kellan’s hands were wrapped around my palm, a reassuring, comforting presence.

“No one was in there, right?” My throat was raw from the smoke coating it as the words tumbled out. I knew there wouldn’t be, but I had to make sure.

“No one was in there,” Kellan echoed, giving me a solemn nod.

“Giana.” Merrick’s hazel eyes pleaded with me to give him a sign.

“It was a place.” A wistful smile tinged with sorrow curled on my lips. “It was a home for us when we felt like we had none. But truly, you’ve always felt like home to me. So, anywhere the three of you are, the memories of us will follow. You’re all I’ll ever need.”

My eyes locked on the bell at the top, perched in the tower that was about to come crashing down, judging by the warnings from the firefighters. Until now, when I had seen it in the distance, no matter what had happened that day, I knew I was safe. I knew I was loved. Now that symbol of love, of home, was my battle cry.

We were moving too slow. We needed to ramp things up, and we needed to do it now.

“Let’s go back to the club.” Steel coated my resolve as Merrick’s frayed nerves began to calm, reassured that I was okay, that I wasn’t about to let Tommaso destroy me.

Ikicked the officedoor open, letting the guys take care of the enraged security rushing up behind me. We’d filled Merrick in on the conversation with Sebastian on the way back, and he was more than happy to go along with the plan. We hadto know determine Sebastian’s game, and if he was to be trusted, we had to get his men and move to the next stage of the plan.

Zane stumbled in front of Sophia and reached for his gun, his shock quickly shifting to resolve before he registered who had just burst through the door.

“Giana,” Sophia exclaimed, pushing past Zane as she rushed to my side. We trusted that they wouldn’t do anything to harm her, especially since both of the men seemed to have taken an interest in her.

I grasped her arm, giving her a reassuring squeeze before pushing her behind me.

“What’s going on?”

I ignored her question, my attention on the men in front of me. Zane kept his hand on his gun, holstered under his black suit jacket, and eyed me with a wary expression as Sebastian stood, straightening his suit while he gave me an appraising look.

“You know the handle works fine. We didn’t need all the dramatics.” Sebastian motioned to me and my defensive stance.

“We’re dealing with this once and for all. No tricks, no games. If we’re working together, you’re not going to stash away dirt on us to use for a rainy day.” The familiar presence of my three men pressed in at my back, silently punctuating my point.

“Interesting.” Sebastian tapped his chin, his eyes roving over the four of us before focusing back on me.

I didn’t even need to look to know where my guys were. Kellan was on my right, keeping a close eye on Sophia, Merrick was behind me, my steady support, and Spade was on my left, leaning against the wall as he waited for his favorite source of entertainment—watching me cut men down to their knees.

“What evidence do you have?” I prompted him with a pointed look.

“I wasn’t going to use anything—”

“Second strike.” I cut him off, giving him an icy look. “What evidence do you have?”

Some of his bravado slipped, his throat bobbing as he tried to regain his usual composure. “I had one of my men follow you. He didn’t get there in time to see anything, but he spotted you leaving and took a picture of the aftermath to send to me, over a secure server.” He straightened his tie, the only tell he would show. “Everything has been permanently wiped from the server and our devices.”

“You won’t mind giving our tech guy access, then, will you?” Merrick growled, murderous rage radiating off him in waves. My lips twitched as I leaned back into him and he rested a large palm on my shoulder in support.

Sebastian’s head tipped in agreement. “Of course.”

“Now, Merrick fulfilled his end of the bargain. He fought and packed the house to the rafters, while letting your prized fighter save some face, at least.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “We’re moving to the next phase in our plan, and we’ll need your men to do it.”

“They are at your mercy.” He sat down, inclining his head to Zane, the latter taking his boss’s lead as he warily slipped back into his seat, his gaze still watching us intently, but his hand eased away from where it had been poised beneath his jacket.

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