“This soon? Doesn’t that make it obvious?” Alonzo asked, playing devil’s advocate. It did seem too soon to him. The shooters should have known Alonzo and his bodyguards would be there in full force. Armed. He had four bodyguards with him, not two. It didn’t make sense to him. It was ill-conceived. Poorly carried out.

“Amodeo is a hothead,” Joshua said, disgust in his voice.

“Emilio?” Drake asked. “You said he wanted Evangeline. He’s certainly been around long enough to have affiliations with the biker club. He’d know whom to call on for a hit he didn’t want traced back to him. Elijah? You would know that as well.”

Elijah shrugged. “I prefer to do my own dirty work so there is no chance of it being traced back to me. Paying someone leaves a money trail. If they’re caught, before I can have them killed, they might talk to the cops just for a plea bargain.”

“Check into Emilio. And don’t forget that gun shipment. Alonzo, can your men still take care of that?” Jake asked. “If you can’t . . .”

Timur stirred, irritated that their work integrity would be called into doubt. He didn’t make the mistake of protesting, just looked as expressionless as Alonzo.

“We have it under control,” Alonzo assured.

Eli Perez, a former DEA agent, hurried into the room. He was married to Catarina, the woman who had set so many things in motion. She’d run from Rafe Cordeau and when Rafe had disappeared, his territory had been left open. Joshua now ran it, but because the territory had been up for grabs, Siena’s grandfather, Antonio Arnotto, had made his try for it. That had ended in his murder and forced Alonzo to fill the opening left by Antonio’s death.

“Sorry I’m late. How’s your woman? Have you heard anything? And the bodyguard?”

Alonzo had fought beside the man and knew him to be tough as nails. He hadn’t expected the inquiry, especially about Mitya. He looked around the table at the men sitting there. Jake Bannaconni. Drake Donovan. Elijah Lospostos. Eli Perez. Joshua Tregre. The men guarding them. All leopards. All alpha. All in love with their women. So different than the way he was raised. The lair he’d been born into. They were genuine friends, watching one another’s backs.

“They’re both still in surgery,” Alonzo said gruffly. “And Catarina?”

“She’s good. She’s visiting with Emma right now. I told her I’d drop her off to see Siena next.”

“Thanks, Eli,” Elijah said. “Triplets are tough to carry. She’s exhausted a lot, although she pretends she’s not.” He turned toward Alonzo. “The women can’t wait to meet Evangeline, Alonzo. She’ll have plenty of friends.”