“I know how much you love me.”

“No.” I shook my head, cupping the side of his face. “You couldn’t possibly know the full extent of my love and devotion for you.”

“Tell me.” His voice stroked my entire body like a physical caress, commanding me, seducing me.

“There are no words to give what I feel for you justice.” Shifting on his lap, I straddled his legs and pushed him back into the seat. “But one day soon, I’ll show you.”

“No, now.” He tossed my earlier words back at me.

“I wish I could.” Leaning in, I ghosted my lips over his, stopping when I felt his breath on my mouth, wishing he would break his promise—knowing it was a wasted wish. “But you made a promise neither of us can break.”

The limo stopped, and I realized the driver had only gone around the block. We were right back in front of my parents’ house. Pietro and the other guards were helping Vito and Bennie get the luggage out of the trunk, while everyone else was already inside the house. Like the MC gave each prospect grunt work to earn their patch and become a brother, the twins had to earn their way up in the ranks as well. Zayne, Ryan, and Garret had all had to do the same thing to advance. Cristiano and Ciro never once allowed them to use their last names to get to where they were.

“Two more days, and we’ll be home,” Ryan said as he followed my gaze. “Are you going to miss everyone here?”

I considered the question for a moment before answering. “Missing the people here is nothing compared to how much I miss you when we’re apart. Being without you is like being without my heart. There’s this huge, empty hole right in the center of my chest. It hurts constantly until you’re physically beside me.”

“Then you know what it’s like for me to be without you.”

33

Ryan

Nova was walking across the stage to accept her diploma when the first text hit my phone. Ignoring it, I lifted my hands to my mouth, yelling right along with the rest of our family at how proud of her I was. Everyone in the stands—fuck, this entire damn town—loved her and were cheering, causing their voices to echo around the football field where the graduation ceremony was taking place this year since the weather permitted it.

By the time she was off the stage and had joined her classmates once again, my phone had buzzed six more times. Muttering a curse, I pulled my phone from my suit jacket just as Garret did the same from a few seats over.

They were all from the head of security over at one of the warehouses on the docks where we kept the majority of the coke supply before it was transported to the dealers throughout not only New York, but the surrounding states as well. As I read each message, my jaw began to tighten more and more, my fingers clenching harder around the device as my rage boiled in my veins.