Page 229 of Inferno

We’ve got an army outside the warehouse. But this is his turf.

Vlad’s a malicious bastard, and he’s not going down easy.

“I know the plan,” Declan says, jaw tight. “And I’m sticking to it.”

I stroke his cheek, catching the fire behind his eyes. He hates that I’m the bait. But he’s smart. He gets why it has to be this way.

“There’s one more thing,” I whisper against his lips.

“What’s that, sweetheart?” he asks, twirling his finger through my ponytail.

“If the worst happens… There’s something I want you to read. It’s saved on the laptop you gave me.”

He raises a brow.

“You make me a naughty video?” His voice dips, playful and sinful.

I laugh, patting his hard chest. “No. Well, maybeword porn. I started a book. Based on us. Or… what I wished for us if we were different people.”

His expression shifts, brows drawing together. “Why different people? Why not us?”

“I never thought I’d see you again. I wrote it as a dream. In that world, I was free. I never betrayed you. It’s ourwhat if.”

He’s quiet, processing. “And how does it end?”

I shrug, sliding my hands up his chest. “I don’t know. I never got that far.”

He grabs my neck and kisses me like he’s claiming my soul.

“You’re going to finish it. And then we’re going to reenact every spicy, dirty, kinky scene you write. Hell, I’ll help inspire you,” he growls.

“Oh, yeah? You want to help write our future?”

His eyes lock on mine. “More than anything.”

A grin tugs at my lips as I whisper, “I’ll hold you to that… Jimmy.”

Chapter 88

DECLAN

The car comes to a halt outside the warehouse unit, its tires crunching over gravel and frozen dirt.

“Still no signs of Vlad or his men,” Mikhail huffs through the comm in my ear, his voice clipped, tension rippling beneath every word.

Charlotte glances at me, eyes flashing with unease, a subtle tremor in her jaw betraying the storm she’s holding at bay.

“Nothing on this side either,” Conan confirms, his voice low but steady.

We’ve got the place surrounded. Conan's stationed with his sniper rifle in the woods to the left, nestled beneath the pines like a ghost. He’s got eyes on the main entrance. Mikhail and Frankie’s men are scattered in tight formation, blanketing every approach with ruthless efficiency.

“We’ll go in and get in position,” I say, the words grounding me. Stick to the plan. Don’t let the adrenaline pull me under.

“Any contact from Drago?” I ask, glancing at Charlotte. I know her mind is half on this mission and half on the man who risked everything to protect our daughter.

“No,” Enzo replies sharply.

He’s our tech and our drones in the sky, cameras hacked, tracker active around Charlotte’s neck. If she’s scared of Vlad, I’m taking no damn chances.

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