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“Always.” I brush my thumb across her cheekbone, memorizing the feel of her skin under my touch. “You’re my home now, Eve. You and Leo both.”

She pulls back just enough to meet my eyes, and I see everything there—all the love and fear and fierce determination that mirror my own feelings.

“Go,” she says softly. “Figure out what we have to do to bring our boy back.”

I kiss her once more, gentle this time, before forcing myself to step away. The walk back to the car feels like moving through molasses, each step harder than the last.

I slide into the passenger seat, and Eli puts the car in drive then heads for the gates. I watch Eve in the side mirror until she disappears from view, taking a piece of my heart with her.

The drive to the private airfield passes in silence. My mind races with all the ways this could go wrong. But underneath the strategic planning, one thought keeps surfacing.

I love her.

It should terrify me. Instead, it fills me with a strange sort of peace. Whatever happens in New York, whatever game Nicolo is playing, I know who I am now. Know what matters most.

And it’s not the power or the money or even the redemption I’ve been seeking. It’s a fierce cop with emerald eyes who sees past all my darkness. It’s a little boy who makes me want to be better, be worthy of the trust he places in me.

It’s family. Real family, not the twisted version Nicolo preaches about.

The plane waits on the tarmac, engines already warming up. As Eli pulls up alongside it, I check my phone one last time.

A message from Eve lights up the screen—Remember what you’re fighting for.

I type back quickly—Always.

Then I shut the phone off and step out into the late morning air. Time to face my past, deal with old ghosts, and finally choose my own path.

Nicolo Moretti wants to play games? Fine.

But he’s about to learn I’m not the same man who left New York all those years ago. That man had nothing to lose.

This one? This one has everything to live for.

And I’m coming home to claim it.

“You ready for this?” Eli says quietly as he hands me my bag before grabbing his own.

“Let’s do this.” I nod, gripping his shoulder one last time before heading up the stairs to the plane. The door closes behind us with a thunk.

As we taxi down the runway, I close my eyes and picture Eve’s face, Leo’s smile, the family waiting for me back in Columbus.

The plane lifts off into the dark sky, carrying me toward whatever fate awaits in New York.

But my heart? My heart stays behind, safely guarded by a cop with a sharp tongue and an even sharper mind.

And that makes all the difference.

The private jetbanks smoothly through clouds as we approach LaGuardia. Eli sits across from me, his massive frame somehow making the luxury seats look small. He hasn’t said much since we left Columbus, letting me stew in my rage.

“Boss.” His deep voice cuts through my dark thoughts. “Touchdown in ten.”

I nod. The plan—confront Nicolo, find out what he knows about Leo, and make it clear that targeting my family was his last mistake. Simple. Clean.

Except nothing with Nicolo is ever simple or clean.

“Remember,” I tell Eli as the plane begins its descent. “No matter what happens in there—”

“I know.” He checks his weapon, then smooths his jacket. “Eve doesn’t hear about the details.”