Page 23 of Promise of Hellfire

Hunter took the box from my hands and knelt in front of me. “We always listen,” he mumbled as he strapped the leather to my body, carefully checking the placement and buckles.

When he was finished, Dominic stepped behind me, his breath feathering across my exposed skin. Slipping a knife into the sheath on the right side and a gun on the left, he murmured in my ear, low enough where no one else could overhear what he was saying. “Do you like them?” His fingers slowly trailed up my thighs to my hips and I nodded.

“I don’t really want the gun,” I admitted quietly, “but I do like them.”

He pulled me back against his chest. “I know, but it’s for your safety.” He pressed a quick kiss to my cheek before releasing me. “Are you ready?”

I adjusted the beanie Ethan had haphazardly placed over my hair and walked over to Smudge. She was lying on a stool at the breakfast bar, watching the commotion going on around her. I scratched her behind the ears before responding. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Heavy silence enveloped us as Dominic grabbed my hand and pulled his car keys from his pockets. I tapped my free fingers against my thigh as we walked into the elevator, trying to center myself and push away the nervous energy. Ethan stood beside me and placed heavy objects inside my pocket. As much as I hated belts, I was grateful for the one I was wearing today. The weight of the metal pulled the fabric of my pants down. I reached inside and my fingers touched cold metal. Two extra magazines. I glanced at him and frowned.

“Just in case,” he mouthed at me. My mind flitted back to the day he carried me to the firing range at Aldo’s warehouse, all of them insisting I needed to learn to use a gun.“There are situations where you won’t be close enough to stab them.”I shook my head, trying to free myself from the memories. That day, I’d finally been able to shoot the paper silhouettes. The shots had been messy, but the extra rounds would ensure that eventually I’d hit something, hopefully disabling the person I was aiming at.As long as they didn’t hit me first, I thought to myself.

Dominic’s fingers tightened around mine as the doors opened and we stepped out into the parking garage. The cold bit at my skin as we walked toward the black SUV and the anxiety that had been threatening to suffocate me all week was replaced by determination. No matter what we had to do or who we had to take out, the women trapped at the Rose would be free today.

I settled into the backseat next to Hunter and locked my seatbelt in place. Wordlessly, Dominic pulled out of the garage onto the city street. I stared out of the window into the darkness, watching as the lights and buildings blurred by. Hunter’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen. “They’ll be there in ten minutes. Oliver’s already parked down the block at the old auto body place.”

“Good. We’ll be there around the same time,” Dominic said, focusing on the road. “Let’s hope everyone is ready at the safe house. Nia’s still on standby?”

“Yeah, everything is taken care of,” he replied. He rested his arm across my back and tugged me closer. I rested my head on his shoulder, relishing the warmth of his body for a moment. “After this is over and Ayers is dead, we should go somewhere. A family vacation of sorts. Where would you want to go?”

I thought for several seconds before replying. “I don’t care, as long as it’s far away from here and the three of you go with me.”

“My vote is the beach,” Ethan chimed in. “We can swim or lay out in the sun. Drink lots of rum. Maybe go fishing.” I snorted at his response, and he gave me a curious look over his shoulder. “What?”

Of course, he would choose the beach. Ethan looked more like a surfer than a businessman with his wavy blond hair and blue eyes. I tried to straighten my facial expression. “It’s nothing. Where would you go, Dominic?” This was mindless small talk, but filling in the silence helped to keep my nerves at bay.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, a habit I noticed he did when he was thinking. “The beach would be fine. Or if you wanted, we could rent a cabin in the mountains. We could still fish, but it would be more secluded.”

“I like that idea,” Hunter whispered in my ear, his fingers trailing along my ribs. “It’s decided,” he said louder. “We should find a cabin. We can go in the spring when leaves start sprouting on the trees again.” I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the corner of Dominic’s lips lift.

“Oh, and we can stop by all the little mom-and-pop candy shops,” Ethan added.

Soon, the SUV pulled into the parking lot of the Ruby Rose, gravel crunching underneath the tires, and the visions of somewhere faraway were replaced with the reality of the present. The neon sign still flashed, casting the parking lot in a pink glow. There were a handful of cars scattered near the building, but thankfully, none of the dancers hung around outside like our last visit. I straightened up and unbuckled my seatbelt as Dominic parked behind the building, out of sight and away from any street lights.

Soon, a second black SUV pulled into the parking space beside us. I quietly opened the door and stepped out, stretching my legs. The shadows shrouded us as we stood there, waiting for everyone to pile out of the vehicles. “Maybe we should have parked farther away,” I mumbled. “What if they see us?

The men around me pulled guns from their pockets and nodded at each other before slowly stalking toward the building. “Tonight, we aren’t worried about the element of surprise. Anyone left inside who works for Ayers, minus the dancers…”

He stopped speaking, and I could fill in the blanks. All the security still inside was collateral damage. They knew about the auctions and they would see our faces. They’d signed their own death warrants.

Chapter fourteen

Dominic

ThedrivetotheRuby Rose was short, less than twenty minutes given the light traffic on the road this time of the day. I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, lost in thought as I navigated the city, trying to keep track of what needed to be done today.

Hunter discussed where we would all go after everything was over, more than likely in an attempt to keep Rayne’s mind off of what we were about to do. Sure, she’d done jobs for Oliver before, but this would probably turn into a bloodbath.

Part of me wished that Rayne had stayed behind at the safe house across town with Victoria and Kourtney. At least she would’ve been out of harm’s way. Despite those thoughts, I knew that bringing it up was a terrible idea. As fiercely stubborn as Rayne was, the conversation would have been nothing more than an argument waiting to happen.

At least she knew how to use a gun now, thanks to Ethan. He’d never told us exactly how well she’d done that day, but I was confident she could figure it out. Add in the amount of ammunition Ethan tucked into her pockets and the probability of her hitting a potential target increased exponentially.

I went down my mental checklist as I pulled into the parking lot, glancing around for the best space to park the SUV. The back corner seemed like a reasonable bet. There were fewer lights and windows in that area, though in just a few minutes, none of that would matter. The security inside would notice our presence quickly.

As I exited the car, Paul pulled into the spot beside me. He stepped out of the vehicle and walked toward me. “In and out as quickly as possible. We’ll burn all the evidence so that he can’t use this location again,” he said where only I could hear.

I nodded at him. “You know he’ll just move everything somewhere new.”

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