Page 132 of Hidden Memories

Kat scrambles to her feet, taking Theo into her arms.

Chaos erupts in the room when Gabriel and Anton burst through a window, and Marta steps back, her cold veneer cracking for the first time.

She shouts into the space. “Damon! Where the hell are you? Do something!”

I trust my brother and Anton to secure the space while I take care of showing Nic what happens when he comes into my world…

I’m consumed by blinding rage. His head snaps to the side with every punch. Desperation twists his features, butI’m on autopilot, the survival instinct to fight possesses me. Blow after blow of uncontrollable rage pummels down on Nic, who is crumpled on the floor, powerless, but it still doesn’t feel like enough.

An animalistic need urges me to keep going.

You touch her. You touch my family. You die.

Tears stream down Kat’s face. “Santi! Stop!”

Nic gasps for air, but I’m not done. I seize his collar in a savage grip, dragging him upright until there’s no escape from the fury burning in my eyes.

I growl, low and dangerous. “You think you can lay a hand on them and walk away?”

He glares at me, blood trickling from his lip, but there’s no fight left.

I shove him back, sending him sprawling to the floor. He scrambles to sit up, his chest heaving, his defiance crumbling when Gabriel steps forward, his gun trained squarely on Nic’s head.

Nic spits blood onto the floor, glaring up at me with venom. “You have no idea what you’re up against.”

Gabriel steps forward, his gun trained on him. “We know exactly who we’re up against. A man who’s about to do life.” He grabs Nic forcefully by the arm, gun still trained on him, and cuffs him.

Nic struggles to his feet, clutching his side, his face contorted with pain and rage. “You think this is over?” he snarls at me. “It’s only just begun.”

Marta’s icy facade cracks when Anton strides toward her, forcing her to raise her hands in surrender.

“On your knees,” Anton orders.

Marta hesitates, her sharp gaze flitting between the gun in Anton’s hand and the shattered remnants of her plan.

She lowers herself slowly, her lips curling into a faint,disdainful smile. “You think this changes anything? We have an entire army behind us.”

Anton shoves her to the floor, checking her for weapons, his grip unrelenting. “They’re not here today, lady.”

And I have to believe in my brothers, in GhostEye. I have to hope that this fucked-up ordeal will lead them to helping the FBI close down the ’Ndrangheta once and for all. And maybe help countless other people from their terror.

Nic’s features twist with evil humor, his breath ragged, but his defiance intact. “Just wait and see what happens next… you’re too naïve to see this is so much bigger…”

“Shut up!” Kat’s voice cracks, sharp as broken glass. She takes a step forward, Theo trembling in her arms but holding tight, his small hands clutching her like a lifeline. Her glare locks with Nic’s. “You’re finished, Nic. You’ll rot in whatever hell you crawled out of.”

His resistance crumbles into something darker, more sinister. “You’ve pissed off a lot of people, Katinka…”

She chooses to leave it. So I do, too.

The wail of sirens grows louder, red and blue lights bounce off the stone walls of the foyer. The air is thick with the smell of gunpowder, sweat, and fear. My fists are raw, the skin split and bleeding, but I can’t feel it. All I can feel is the steady weight of Kat and Theo pressed against me. The two people I swore I’d protect at any cost.

I glance down at Theo, his eyes wide and unblinking, taking in the flashing lights, the uniforms, the weapons. He shouldn’t have to see this. He shouldn’t have to know what this world can do, what people like Nic and Marta are capable of.

I failed. My knuckles bleed, but it doesn’t compare to the ache in my chest. All my strength, all my planning, andstill, Theo was taken. Kat faced her worst nightmare. They both suffered because of me.

But then, small fingers grip my wrist.

His hand is tiny, but his hold is firm. Like Theo is anchoring me instead of the other way around. He stares up at me, his wide eyes still glassy from everything he’s been through, but there’s something else there, too—something steady.

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