Page 64 of Breeding Justice

"Dante gives Vito intel that leads him to the industrial yard," I said after looking at the message Dante had sent me, outlining the next steps. "We make him think it's a goldmine, and we take him out when he's most exposed." Each word was a directive, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

Justice leaned forward, her determination nearly a physical presence. "I'm coming with you," she declared, as if challenging me to stop her. Her eyes burned with a mix of stubbornness and fearlessness that I loved and hated in equal measure.

I shook my head, firm but not unkind. "You and SJ stay at the secondary location. If things go south, you'll have the only exit strategy." I tried to keep my voice steady, but the thought of them in danger made it crack, just a little.

Hassan took it in stride, nodding as he often did. "Zane and I will work on security coverage with Dante's contacts," he offered, hisvoice steady and practical. It was the reliability I'd come to count on, a surety in a world that was anything but.

Zane agreed, but his eyes flicked to Skylar, a silent check-in that spoke volumes. Skylar met the glance with a slight nod before smirking. "And I'll be the bloody eyes and ears," he said, his bravado both comforting and reckless. "Nothing slips past me."

Justice's shoulders dropped, the fire in her gaze dimming but not extinguished. "If Vito finds me or SJ," she warned, "no amount of planning will save us."

The weight of her warning followed me as I took a last look around. Each of them had their roles, their risks, their reasons. And I had mine: to keep us all alive long enough to see if the sacrifice was worth it. The room buzzed with focus and fear, the kind that could either electrify or destroy. This was the world we lived in, and the only way through was straight into its heart.

The air hummed with the sound of preparation—guns being loaded, engines being checked. The crew moved with the kind of precision that only came from facing death together more times than we could count. My eyes followed each of them, cataloging their motions, their readiness, the unspoken fear that hung over all of it. The time for planning was over. Now, it was about survival.

Skylar checked the clips on a pair of rifles, his confidence almost reckless. Zane and Hassan murmured over a map, their focusabsolute, each man's presence grounding the other. Justice moved slower than usual, the bandage on her side a reminder of how close this game had come to checkmate. Yet her resolve never faltered, even as she watched SJ build a tower of blocks, oblivious to the chaos that churned around him.

I took a deep breath and crossed the room, pulling her aside. "This isn't just about survival anymore. We're fighting for something bigger," I said, letting my words carry the weight I felt in my bones.

She turned to me, eyes wide with something between fear and hope. "It better be worth it, Bash. I can't lose him." Her hand went to her side, the bandage a stark white against her skin, her vulnerability a sharp contrast to the warrior I was used to seeing.

I placed a hand over hers, feeling the fragile line we walked between life and loss. "We'll protect SJ. And we'll end this once and for all." My voice was steady, but inside, it was a different story.

The words were a promise, one I couldn't afford to break. The weight of it pressed against my chest, but it was a burden I'd carry a thousand times over for her, for all of us.

Around us, the rest of the crew continued their preparations, the urgency a living thing that moved and pulsed in every corner of the safehouse. We were almost ready, but the real battle would be in keeping the family we had built intact. I glanced back atJustice one last time, meeting her gaze with everything I couldn't put into words. Then I turned, the determination surging through me as fierce and dangerous as any weapon we carried.

The burner phone felt like a live grenade in my hand, each ring a ticking reminder of how close we were to blowing this wide open. I made the call, my voice steady even though the stakes threatened to crush us all. The crew watched, every set of eyes on me, as if waiting to see if I'd pull the pin or let it drop.

"You sure you're ready for this?" Dante's voice cut through, tense and tight. "Once Vito smells blood, there's no turning back."

He was right, but we were past the point of second guesses. "We've been ready since the day he came after my family." My response came with the force of everything we stood to lose, and everything I was determined to win.

There was a pause, the kind that stretched far enough to test anyone's nerve. "You better not be bluffing," Dante warned. "See you on the battlefield, Knives." The call ended, but his suspicion lingered like a shadow, a threat that loomed as large as Vito himself.

I let out a breath and met the crew's eyes. Justice stood closest, her resolve a match for my own, as unwavering as the fear she didn't bother to hide. Skylar's expression was wilder, a mix of excitement and recklessness that only seemed to fuel him.Hassan and Zane were calmer, their faces set with the same determination that pulsed through every inch of the safehouse.

I turned inward for a moment, feeling the raw intensity of the gamble we were about to make. It was more than a fight for control—it was a battle for survival, for a life that didn't end in blood and loss.

The air was thick with it as I faced them all, the last pieces falling into place. "Let's go end this," I said, my words a challenge and a promise. We moved as one, every step taking us closer to the moment when everything would either come together or break apart. And if it broke, if it shattered, at least we'd be there to catch each other on the way down.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Skylar

Iwas perched high above the ground in a crumbling shell of a building, like a vulture waiting for the kill. Dust hung in the damp Miami air, thick as guilt, coating my throat with each careful breath. The whole place was a graffitied monument to the way things fell apart—glass and concrete fighting a losing battle against time and the elements. But it had its advantages. Namely, giving me a perfect view of the upcoming shitshow.

Through the binoculars, the industrial yard was a cold labyrinth of steel and shadows, the kind of place only the rats loved. And tonight, those rats were supposed to include Vito and his men. It looked abandoned to the untrained eye, but I knew better. Even from this distance, I could see potential hazards and handy escape routes. I adjusted the focus, spotting the ideal place to spring our trap. I was doing more than just watching; I was memorizing, mapping out each detail with the care of a painter creating his masterpiece.

“Looks quiet so far,” I reported, the words clipped through my earpiece. “No sign of the bastard yet.”

Bash’s voice came back, all command and certainty. “Keep us updated. We don’t move till we know exactly what we’re up against.”

Zane’s voice was next, steady and reassuring, like it always was. “Don’t do anything stupid, Skylar.” I grinned at that, though no one was around to see it.

There was a time when I lived for moments like this—the adrenaline, the high stakes, the beautiful chaos of it all. Maybe I still did, but the thrill wasn’t the only reason I was here. It was for Zane, for Justice, for all of us wrapped up in this mess. We’d carved out something worth keeping, and I wasn’t about to let some old-world crime lord snatch it away.

I shifted slightly on my perch, feeling the comfortable weight of my gun and knife. Years ago, they’d been just toys in the game, but now they were part of the family. I was a long way from where I started, but then, so were all of us. That’s when I saw him—a figure moving in the shadows. A lone wolf sniffing around the edges, checking the scene before the rest of the pack showed up. My grip on the binoculars tightened, my body tense with readiness.

“We’ve got movement,” I said, voice low and hard. “Looks like the asshole’s doing his homework too.”

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