Page 94 of Secrets of Euphoria

“Wow, you got tougher,” he grinned.

I drew my fist back to strike again, but Luke caught it in mid-air and brought it to his face, pressing a gentle kiss to my knuckles. “Go with Tyler and Chance,” he said softly. “I need to handle this.”

I flickered my gaze over to the group of men before bringing it back to his piercing stare. It was useless to argue. I knew deep down it wasn’t my responsibility, no matter how much I wanted it to be. Sighing, I offered a single nod before walking away, but Luke grabbed my hand and forcefully pulled me toward him. His lips crashed into mine, with a different kind of possessiveness I hadn’t experienced from him yet.

“My God!” Dante chortled. “Point made!”

Breaking away from the kiss, Luke’s eyes shifted to Dante. “I’ll deal with you when my daughter’s out of sight.”

“She’s my dau?—”

Before he could finish his sentence, I broke free from Luke’s grasp and swung my fist across his face once again. “Shut up!” I snapped.

Rotating to Ian, who had a small smile on his face despite the tension, I gave him a quick nod. He pried Maddie off him, and she immediately ran into my arms, hugging me securely before embracing Luke. He held her close and kissed her head before turning to me and pressing his lips to mine one last time.

Tyler stepped forward and took Maddie’s hand in his, leading her out of the warehouse with Chance guiding me behind them. As we made our way toward the waiting car, I felt a sense of closure, knowing I’d never have to worry about Dante again, but now, I had to make sure Maddie was okay.

“I’m coming for you, Mel!” Dante’s voice echoed as he shouted my old nickname. It was his last attempt to scare me, but I knew he was the one who should be terrified. He wasn’t leaving alive.

LUKE

Jacob and some of his men were with ours, and on the way when Jade stormed out of the warehouse. And just by chance, her timing couldn’t have been better. Ian had called his brother-in-law before we even left the house. His team was only a few miles away, finishing up another job when he got the call.

Chance, Nico, and Tyler exited through the side door the minute James was dead and Jade was out of sight. They went around to the side of the warehouse, keeping watch in case Dante made a move. However, none of us had anticipated him taking Maddie as a hostage, and I seethed with anger at his low blow.

Jade didn’t want me to kill James, but I knew it was necessary for our plan to work. I needed her to get angry and storm out so that we could lure Dante inside without any surprises. The warehouse windows were set too high off the ground and dirty to see any potential threats approaching from outside.

Now, here I was, face to face with the man who’d tried to destroy my family, and he was going to pay. I relished the thought of inflicting immense pain on him before finally allowing him to meet his end. And after that, we’d take care of the rest of his family and put an end to the generations-old feud between them all.

Jacob gestured with a flick of his finger. “Lock it up. Let’s go!”

A man I’d never seen before approached. “Cross, what do you want us to do with the mess?”

He surveyed the chaotic scene around us before locking eyes with the stranger. “We’ll clean it up once my brother-in-law takes care of things. Is that clear?”

The man hesitated before nodding. “You’re in charge,” he replied before returning to the others.

Jacob brought his attention to Ian. “You know I’ve got all your backs,” he exchanged a glance with each of us, “so do what you need to do, and we’ll make it all go away for you. This is my team, and they’re familiar with the special protocol.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Dante snapped, glaring at Jacob. “Who the fuck are you?!”

Jacob offered him a menacing look. “Someone who already has most of your family in custody, thanks to a tip we got.”

“What the fu?—”

“Don’t bother swearing at me,” Jacob interjected. “If I had it my way, you’d be in prison being someone’s bitch with hot sauce for lube. But I have a feeling,” he added, giving me a knowing look, “her boyfriend’s about to do far worse to you.” He reached out, shaking my hand, then Ian’s. “Do your worst. I’ll handle the rest.”

Ian sighed. “Thanks, what about my sis?—”

“Don’t worry about that,” Jacob nodded once. “I got you.”

With that, he spun on his heels and left, his men close behind. As they made their way toward the door, one of our own men emerged from inside and dragged out a body before shutting the door behind them. It was a satisfying sight to see our people working together with Jacob’s team.

Once we were alone with Dante, Ice Man strode over to the chair and set it upright while Nico grabbed hold of him and forced him into it. Ice Man began securing his ankles first, but Dante kicked him in the face.

“Mother fucker!” Ice Man spat before quickly recovering with Nico’s help to restrain him within seconds.

“You’re a fucking coward!” Dante taunted me, struggling against their grip. “You really can’t even fight me without me being tied up?!”

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