Page 74 of Brutal Mercy

Fed up with all of it, with everyone and everything, I storm past him. He catches my arm. “Where are you going?”

“To take a bath. Alone. Or is that something you’re going to try and forbid me from doing too?” I yank my arm, and he releases me.

I escape the room with my head held high. My heart shrivels. The dreams I’d begun building shatter, along with the rest of my life.

I shut and lock the bathroom door, then lean against it. The sound of the bedroom door slamming shut has me bursting into tears all over again.

How has my life come to this?

Chapter twenty

Hades

FuriouswithmyselfandDiego for mucking up my plans, I slam out of the bedroom. And march down the hall to my office. She’s hurt and upset. This will pass. But like hell I will let her divorce me. She’s mine. There’s no turning back or reneging on the vows we took. All I want is to turn around, head back to our room, and comfort her.

I should explain why there’s been hesitation on my part in rescuing her sister. But she won’t listen to me right now.

I stalk into my office. Anger vibrates from me. Because Luna’s right. We’ve sat on this long enough. I made her a promise. And if I want her to continue to trust me, then I have to make good on our agreement.

At my desk, I yank out my phone and find the person I need to help me accomplish my aims.

Roman answers on the third ring. “To what do I owe the pleasure.”

“Your men need to be ready to move in two days’ time.”

“Hades, we need another week to get all the players into position,” Roman explains.

“And my wife needs her fucking sister back. That fucker Diego burned her family’s store to the ground last night. Time’s up. We need to move whether we have everything in position or not.”

“Shit. Really? Goddamn them. Diego always did have bigger balls than brains. There’s no way he could think you won’t strike after such a direct assault.”

“I know. And while I don’t want to be brash about this, my wife’s sister is seventeen. There’s no telling what those fuckers have done to the poor girl.”

“Fuck. I’ll call you back once I have everything in place. It may not be the full entourage, but I’ll see what we’ve got ready.”

“We go with what we’ve got because we’re out of time. You have forty-eight hours to get your men ready.”

“Understood. And I agree. Talk soon.” Roman disconnects the call.

I text my brother.

Where are you?

In the gym. What do you need?

My office. Now.

Because I am a man of my word. And I’m sending him in to get Lyla Abbott.

On my way.

While I wait for my brother, I pull up the battle plans. I need to meet with my men in the ballroom before nightfall. The chairs are still up from the wedding. It’s as good a place as any to go over everything we need to do to get ready. And we call in the assets we have in Denver too, and get them ready to mobilize.

Ares, in a muscle tank and gym shorts, shoves his way into the office without bothering to knock, a gym towel over his left shoulder. He’s sweaty as fuck. But his face is all business. He takes a seat across from me.

“You saw the store.”

“We did. It’s nothing more than charred rubble.”

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