“Calm the fuck down, you two,” Sebastian growls from the front seat like a parent disciplining his two children. “But I agree with Carter on this one. The fucking safe house is shit. Couldn’t you just put her in a spare room at your place and ignore her?”

I huff out at his question. There is no way I could have Little Red in my house and ignore her. That was my original plan and look how it ended up. “It is the safest place for her. No one knows about it, and it is off the books.”

Moving her to the safe house is something I should have done the moment I met her. It would have saved me all this fucking heartache and complication that has seeped into my life. The guilt and remorse I feel for having her and Leo attacked in my own fucking home runs deep, as I know it does for both Sebastian and Carter too. The compound is our home. It is the one place our families have always been safe. The fact that it came under attack has made us all feel uneasy and each of us blames ourselves for it happening.

Carter was the contact on site, but due to him being down in the computer room, locked away, reviewing footage and data, he was hard to reach and farther away than usual. Sebastian and I took the whole main team with us to Allure, leaving just the new soldiers behind. A rookie error on our behalf, because they were no match for Angelina who walked right in, claiming to be my wife there to pick up Leo. They just let her walk straight in; no one questioned her, no one wanted to upset the wife of their boss, so assumed she was not dangerous as her and her two men walked into the compound and straight to my place like they had every right to be there. The confidence that rolled off them was astounding, and every night when I watch the security footage over and over again, I still cannot believe that Angelina did it. What is not surprising is that Dominic didn’t show his face. Of course, he wouldn’t, preferring to leave all the dirty work to others, laying low to extend his life, because he knows I am gunning for him now. There is no coming back from this.

Angelina died of multiple gunshot wounds, something that the team and I are extremely remorseful for. Harming women and children is not what we do, and even in self-defense for one of our own, it is still something that doesn’t sit well with us. Her body, along with those of her men, were cremated, and we put her ashes into a lot at the cemetery for Leo. Because I know one day, he will grow up and need a place to reflect and remember.