Page 28 of Devil’s Embrace (31 Days of Trick or Treat: Biker & Mobster #10)

Mina had darted ahead toward the haunted house display, joining a small crowd of children admiring the moving skeletons and glowing pumpkins. I closed the distance between Emory and myself, sliding my hand to the small of her back as we followed.

She leaned into the touch, a subtle movement that spoke volumes. A year ago, she would have flinched, her body remembering the violence my hands were capable of. Now she pressed against me, her warmth seeping through the thin material of her sweater.

"She's having a good time." Emory watched Mina laugh at the antics of a mechanical zombie.

"So it seems." I kept my tone casual, but my gaze never stopped moving, cataloging every person who came too close, every unexpected movement in the periphery.

A figure at the edge of the crowd caught my attention—male, medium build, standing too still while pretending to check his phone. My hand slid imperceptibly toward the weapon at my waist, muscles tensing for action.

The man looked up, and the street light illuminated his face—an ordinary father waiting for his kid. I exhaled slowly, forcing my hand to relax.

"Everything okay?" Emory didn’t miss my momentary tension.

"Fine." I caught her knowing look. She'd learned to read me too well over the past year. "Just being cautious."

"You're always cautious.” There was a hint of teasing in her voice.

"It's kept us alive."

I caught Marco's eye across the street and gave a subtle hand signal—all clear, maintain positions. He nodded once, returning to his casual posture while keeping his eyes in constant motion.

Mina came running back toward us, her bucket now heavy with candy, her eyes bright with excitement. "The zombie gave me THREE candies!"

I expected her to take her mother's hand.

Instead, her small fingers wrapped around mine, sticky with sugar and trust. The simple gesture hit me with unexpected force.

This child, who had seen me at my most violent, who had witnessed horrors no child should know existed, reached for me without fear. Without hesitation.

"That's quite a haul." My voice sounded rougher than I’d intended.

"I'm going to count it all when we get home." She swung my hand as we walked. "I bet I'll have a hundred pieces!"

"At least." I felt the weight of her hand in mine like an anchor to a world I'd never expected to inhabit.

We'd reached the main square, where a band played Halloween-themed music and children danced in their costumes. Mina strained to see over the heads of the crowd.

"I can't see the band." She pouted, rising onto her tiptoes.

Without thinking, I crouched down. "Climb up."

Her face lit up as Emory helped her settle onto my shoulders, her small hands coming to rest on top of my head. I stood carefully, holding her legs to keep her secure.

"I can see everything!"

Emory unwound her scarf—orange and black for the holiday—and wrapped it around all three of us, connecting us in a circle of warmth. Her eyes met mine over the festive fabric, something soft and wondering in their hazel depths.

The crowd moved around us, costumed children and chattering parents creating a bubble of normality I'd never thought I'd be part of.

From my shoulders, Mina pointed out costumes and decorations, her excitement vibrating through her small body into mine.

Beside me, Emory's hand found mine again, her fingers intertwining with mine in silent acknowledgment of what we'd become to each other.

I'd built an empire on blood and fear. I'd eliminated enemies without remorse, expanded territories without mercy.

I controlled operations across three states that would put me behind bars for multiple lifetimes if authorities ever gathered enough evidence.

I was feared, respected, obeyed without question.

And none of it—not the power, not the money, not the respect—meant as much to me as the weight of a child on my shoulders and the warm hand clasped in mine. This strange, impossible family had become my weakness and my strength, my vulnerability and my purpose.

I'd kill anyone who tried to take it from me. I'd burn down my entire empire to keep them safe. And that terrified and exhilarated me in equal measure. The Devil had found something worth protecting, something more valuable than power.

As Mina chattered above me and Emory's thumb traced patterns on my palm, I realized with crystal clarity that I would never be the same man I was before they entered my life. And for the first time in my existence, I was grateful for the change.

I glanced down at Emory and thought about the small velvet box in my pants pocket.

She didn’t know it yet, but once we had Mina tucked into bed for the night, I planned to ask Emory a very important question.

It had been a year, and I hated living apart from her and Mina.

My world would never be anything but violent, and I knew there were risks.

But I still wanted it all. My empire and my family.

Besides, there was a secret Emory thought she was keeping from me, one I’d discovered anyway.

I looked down at her smiling face and wondered what she’d think of my proposal.

Would she accept? Or would she try to run?

I’d allowed her to move into the small home a year ago.

I’d given her time, played by her rules for the most part. Now it was time to do things my way.

After tonight, I’d take my family home, where they belonged. I glanced down at her still-flat belly. All three of them. Emory, Mina, and our unborn child.

Tonight, Emory would find out the Devil always gets what he wants.