I hacked away at his wrists two, three, four times before they pulled free.

“Get in here and clean up. Leave the body,” I said.

Some of our men moved in with gloves on and went about cleaning up the evidence. All that would be left behind was the body of a thief. No one stole from the Vitale family and lived to see another day.

I washed the blood from my hands before heading out of the house and toward my car. Giancarlo’s hand gripped my shoulder, and I stopped. I cocked a brow at my brother as he studied me.

“You seem different.”

My natural reaction to tell him he was seeing things didn’t come forth. Could I deny it when I felt different?

“Things are changing.”

He nodded. “What are you going to do about him?”

Gin didn’t have to specify for me to know he was talking about Tex. My heart fluttered, and I absentmindedly rubbed at my chest. “I’m going to drag him home.”

Giancarlo’s mouth tilted down in a frown. “He’s a cop.”

“He’s the man I love.”

We both stood there, Gin’s eyes wide as his mouth fell open. Saying it aloud only cemented the feelings.

“Enzo.” Gin’s voice was sullen.

I pulled free and turned to face my brother. “Tex is mine.”

Gin pushed his fingers through his hair. “You know what they say. If you love something, let it free or some shit like that.”

I shook my head. “That is ridiculous. It should be, if you love something, lock it away so that it never escapes.”

Giancarlo laughed. “Man, I’m starting to feel bad for a cop.” He moved past me. “We solve this shit and get things back in order. After that, we’ll see about you getting your cop.”

“Tex.”

Gin cocked a brow at me.

“He is more than a cop. His name is Tex.”

Giancarlo laughed and it helped dissipate some of the tension that constantly surrounded me as of late. “Right, a mobster and a cop.” More laughter bubbled out of him. “Fuck, you got it bad.”

There was no denying that. I loved Tex Caster, and there was a future for us even if I had to clear the way with blood.

“Let’s go, people!” Sergeant White’s voice broke over the radio. “We need to get into position and fast before the Vitales realize what we’re up to.”

My chest squeezed so tight I briefly wondered if I should stop and go straight to the hospital. I tugged my bulletproof vest away from my body and groaned. Stupid thing feels like it’s suffocating me.

“Stop fidgeting,” Rourke muttered.

“Can’t.” I squirmed in my seat.

It was almost time to leave the car, and then the action would start. This was that exact moment that I loved on rollercoasters, that second when the platform shifted, and there was no going back. The truth was that hundreds of feet up in the air, it got my dick so hard I could burst. But now? I shivered. Cold sweat trickled down my back, and I was pretty sure my balls had jumped up inside my body.