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“You ready?” I ask the guys, opening the glove compartment and grabbing my Glock.

Damien turns the safety off his AK and unrolls his window.

Antonio holds his gun, ready to fire at any moment.

Cristian and Benny Marchetti are in the SUV behind us. While they usually don’t involve themselves in other families’issues, Neomi told Benny she’d file for divorce if he didn’t help get Genesis back to safety.

Benny immediately grabbed his gun and jacket, telling us to come on.

Love does some crazy shit to men’s brains.

I shift the SUV into drive and floor it toward the gate. As soon as the guards notice us, they raise their guns. Damien sticks his AK through the window, ducking low, as I speed toward them.

Damien’s bullets hit both men right between their eyes, and they crumple to the ground. I swerve, running one over, and crash through the gate. A man sprints toward us, a rifle in his hand, and stops in front of us in the driveway. He gets three bullets out before I run him over as if he were nothing but a mere speed bump.

Looking in my rearview mirror, I see Cristian Marchetti following right behind. Benny thrusts his body out the window, shooting two men standing alongside the fence, as Cristian runs over another.

I love bowling with motherfuckers as the pins.

As soon as we reach the house, I shift the car into park, jump out, and run into the house. A man sitting in the foyer, headphones on, jumps up from his chair.

He scrambles for his gun, but I shoot him in the head before he gets the chance to find it.

What kind of dumb motherfucker wears headphones when you have a hostage in the building?

Antonio, Damien, Benny, and Cristian are behind me.

“Genesis!” I scream, darting up the stairs while the others search the house. “Genesis!”

As soon as I make it on the second floor, a door opens, and Genesis darts out of the bedroom.

“Julian!” she sobs, running straight into my arms, shoving her face into my shoulder. “They killed Sage … I killed them.” She digs her fingernails into my shirt. “I’m a murderer.”

I cup the back of her head, massaging her wet hair.

While I’m proud of Genesis for killing Dima, I know it’ll haunt her.

Most people aren’t made for murder.

While I have dreams of murder instead of nightmares, Genesis is the opposite. Her heart is too pure.

Good people aren’t made to kill.

The unfortunate thing is, sometimes, they have to.

“No, Genesis,” I say, kissing the top of her head. “You’re a survivor. You did what you had to do.”

“You’re also a badass, Genesis,” Damien says, standing behind me. “You outsmarted a Bratva boss and killed his ass. Good for you.” He squeezes Genesis’s shoulder as he passes us. “Where’s the body?”

Genesis pulls away a few inches, pointing toward the door she ran through. “In there.”

We all look toward the door at the sound of sirens.

“Fuck,” Cristian grumbles, massaging his forehead. “Who called the cops?”

“That’d, uh … be me,” Genesis mutters.

“You really need to memorize my number, baby.” I smack another kiss to her head while massaging her shoulder.