The command room had become a slaughterhouse. Blood slicked the concrete floor as cartel enforcers in tailored suits opened fire. Aria’s world narrowed to the barrel of her father’s gun pointed at her chest and Rogue’s bloodied, towering frame stepping between them like a wall of pure muscle and rage.
“Put it down,” Rogue snarled at her father, voice lethal. “She’s not your bargaining chip anymore.”
Her father’s eyes were cold with years of regret and selfishness. “It was the only way to keep the family alive, Elena. Derek and the Syndicate wanted you. I delivered the witness. Rogue was supposed to soften you up and hand you over. He went rogue instead.”
Rogue’s fist connected with her father’s jaw before the man could finish. The gun clattered away. “She’s mine now. Not yours. Not thei
