Blood and Vows

She chose war

Alex’s POV:

The second her car clears the gap I move.

Gun already up, finger tight on the trigger as I hit the comms.

“Ryker. Jace. Move. Stay on her.”

Gunfire cracks across the open land a heartbeat later loud, violent, ripping through the silence.

Bullets slam into the SUV, metal buckling under impact.

“Make sure no one follows her,” I add, louder now.

Jace doesn’t hesitate. “We’re on her.”

Ryker’s voice is lower. “No one gets near her.”

Engines roar somewhere behind the chaos as they break off, gone.

Max jerks the wheel hard, swinging the SUV sideways as rounds tear into the side panel.

“Out!” I snap.

We’re moving before the vehicle fully stops.

Boots hit dirt.

Gun up.

Sight—align—fire.

The first man drops dead, the second he steps out of his car. I take a clean shot to his chest, the bullet going right through. He doesn’t even get his weapon up.

Another ducks behind his door—

I adjust, and fire again.

He goes falls down hard.

To my left, Enzo is already advancing, controlled but ruthless, firing in tight bursts. One man staggers back under his shots, another tries to return fire—

Francesco cuts him off with two quick rounds, stepping in closer instead of backing off.

“They’re spreading!” Marco shouts.

“I see them.”

Three break right, trying to flank, using the dust as cover.

Cassian drops to a knee, steadying his aim—one shot, one down. The second dives behind a tyre—

Enzo finishes him without missing.

The third starts to fire wildly, spraying bullets, a round cracks past my shoulder.

I pivot instantly, tracking him behind the rear tyre of the second vehicle.

I fire.

The bullet punches through the metal edge—

He drops dead.

Max is out now, using the SUV as cover, leaning over the hood as he fires in controlled bursts.

“They’re trying to push through the middle!”

“They’re not pushing anything,” I answer.

Because we’re already closing them in.

Francesco doesn’t hold position—he advances, aggressive, forcing them back. His shots are brutal at this distance. One man barely gets his weapon up before Francesco shoots him through his chest.

Enzo shadows him, calm and lethal, picking off anyone trying to reposition.

Gunfire cracks again louder now.

One of them bursts from cover, firing blindly, trying to break through—

Bullets tear into the ground near my boots.

I step forward, crouching on one knee as I aim for his head, shooting him through his skull.

He drops.

Another tries to sprint between the vehicles—

Max takes him mid-stride, the lifeless and bloody body hitting the dirt hard.

“No one’s getting out,” Max mutters.

Cassian and Marco close in from the rear, cutting off any remaining space. Marco fires once, and Cassian shifts, covering him seamlessly.

A final burst of gunfire erupts from one of the cars in a panic.

Francesco moves in fast, ripping the door open and dragging the shooter out, slamming him into the ground.

Silence crashes down.

I scan the area quickly.

Dead and bloodied bodies everywhere.

Then I press into the comms.

“Status.”

Jace answers. “Still on her. No one behind her.”

Ryker’s voice follows, quieter. “Nobody is following.”

“Stay with her until she’s inside,” I say. “Don’t lose her.”

“Not happening,” Ryker replies.

I lower my hand slowly.

Because now my focus shifts back to what’s in front of me.

Max steps up beside me, rolling his shoulders, eyes dark as he looks over the bodies scattered across the ground.

“They were waiting for her,” he says.

“They were sent for her,” I correct.

Lacy.

Of course it’s Lacy.

This wasn’t a trade.

It was a setup.

I step forward, gaze locking onto the ones still breathing.

One tries to crawl pathetically.

Max steps on his back, forcing him flat, kicking the weapon out of his reach.

Francesco drags another upright by the collar, blood running down his face, barely conscious.

Enzo stands over them, his composure is calm.

Cassian and Marco hold the perimeter behind us.

I crouch slightly in front of the one still conscious enough to understand.

My voice is quiet.

“You were sent by Lacy.”

The man doesn’t answer.

Max lets out a breathe beside me.

“Take them,” I say simply.

Because they’re not dying here.

Not yet.

Francesco smirks, tightening his grip.

“Thought you’d never say that.”

And I straighten slowly.

Eyes flicking once more toward the direction Cassidy disappeared, because she’s the only thing that matters.

And if this is what Lacy’s willing to do then she just made a mistake.

A fatal one.

Cassidys POV:

The road blurs in front of me.

I’m driving too fast.

I know I am.

But I don’t slow down.

My hands are tight on the wheel, shaking just enough to piss me off. I flex my fingers like I can force them to behave, like I can force my body to catch up with my head.

It doesn’t.

Everything feels… off.

My chest pulls tight, breath uneven, like I ran a mile and forgot how to stop.

Behind me, headlights stay glued to me.

Ryker and Jace.

And it should calm me down, but it doesn't.

Because my head won’t stop.

Not the gunshots.

Not the way everything went sideways in seconds.

Not the fact that my boys are still there.

Fighting.

Alex.

Max.

Enzo.

Francesco.

Cassian.

Marco.

And I’m here driving away.

My stomach twists hard, sharp enough that I press my lips together just to keep it down.

I hate this.

I hate not being there.

I hate not knowing what’s happening right now.

I hate that they’re the ones taking the hits while I—

My grip tightens.

No.

That’s not what this is.

They made the call.

They made sure I got out.

My throat tightens slightly.

A shaky breath slips out of me, and I blink hard, forcing my vision to stay clear.

Focus.

Stay focused.

But then—

Kai.

Gabriel.

The thought hits like a punch to my gut.

My stomach drops again, worse this time.

I don’t know where they are.

I don’t know what she’s doing to them.

And that’s what’s eating at me.

Because Lacy doesn’t do anything halfway.

She plans.

She waits.

She makes it hurt.

My fingers tighten again, the tremor in them shifting into something else now—something hotter.

This was calculated.

She knew we’d be ready.

She knew we’d come armed.

She knew we’d think we had control.

And she still pulled that.

My jaw clenches harder.

Filthy.

That’s the only word for it.

Filthy and smart.

And it worked.

I force a shaky deep breath.

And something in me turns.

There’s something else building under this.

Anger.

Because she touched what’s mine.

She took Kai.

She took Gabriel.

And she thought I’d just play along?

She thought that she could kill me, and take Matteo, and that's how things would have gone?

Sneaky f*****g cunt.

My grip tightens harder around the wheel, the shaking still there but different now.

My eyes stay locked on the road, but my thoughts are already shifting ahead.

She wants to play like that?

Fine.

We’ll play.

But I’m not doing it her way.

Not anymore.

Behind me, those headlights don’t move.

The comms crackle suddenly in my ear.

My breath catches—

“Cass.”

Alex.

Just his voice alone shifts something in my chest, not enough to calm me, but enough to ground me for a second.

“We’re good,” he says, steady. “It’s handled.”

I swallow hard, eyes still locked on the road.

“Say it again,” I mutter under my breath, barely realising I’ve said it.

A quiet exhale comes through the comms, like he heard exactly what I meant.

“We’re fine,” Alex repeats, slower this time. “No one’s hurt. We’re wrapping up now.”

My chest loosens just a fraction.

Max’s voice cuts in next, warmer but still edged with something darker. “You should see the other guys, baby.”

A shaky breath leaves me before I can stop it.

Of course.

Of course he’d say something like that.

Trying to make me feel better.

Trying to pull me out of my head.

It works.

A little.

“Finish it and come home,” I say quietly, my voice steadier than I feel.

“We are,” Enzo adds, calm and cold as ever. “We’re right behind you.”

“Not close enough,” Francesco mutters, irritation clear in his tone.

“I know,” I say, my grip tightening again.

The comms go quieter for a second, just the sound of movement, distant voices, the aftermath of everything.

Then Alex again.

“Sweep the rest and move,” he says to the others, voice sharp now.

And then, softer—just for me....

“I'll see you at home, angel.”

I breathe out in relief.

My eyes flick briefly to the rearview mirror.

A small, humourless breath leaves me.

They’re all exactly where they need to be.

They’re okay.

But Kai and Gabriel aren’t.