I clench my jaw, twirling my finger. “Take these two fuckers too. Throw them in the same room as Skully.” Then I reach for Ruby, an arm curled around her back as she falls into me.

I wipe the blood from her cheek and scoop her up in my arms. “I’m sorry, baby. We had to be careful.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s fine.” She jitters in my arms and I know she’s not fine. She’s tough as shit, but what just happened isn’t something you just move on from. Any fucker who lays a hand on a woman without her permission dies by the fucking sword.

I take the steps toward the back of the forest clearing, where it opens out onto the asylum at the front. He is smart. Do it here because he wants me here, only he doesn’t expect the distraction of Ivy, which gives us enough time.

“Baby?” As soon as her voice drifts through the air, Ruby’s body stiffens in my embrace, but then relaxes. “Give her to me, please.”

She stiffens again, this time bringing her head up off my chest and straight ahead to where a black SUV is parked.

“Mama?”

Pearl La Rosa’s arms stretch wide as tears roll down her cheeks.

Ruby bounces out of my arms and crashes into her mother. “Mama?” Her wails burn every single inch of my skin and I open the back doors, sliding them inside.

I go to close them in when Pearl stops the door, her warm eyes resting on mine. “Thank you, Vittorio. I will always be in your debt for taking care of all of us girls.” I decided a long time ago that Pearl would be the only person who would ever be allowed to call me my birth name.

I smile gently at her, pressing a kiss on both of their heads. “It’s what I do, remember?” I close the door gently and turn to see Val standing near the curb, a cigarette in his mouth.

“I want fucking in.”

“Jesus Christ.” Shaking my head. “You know I get that Ivy is yours and Mikhail’s little plaything, but Ruby is more than that to me, Vasili Kozlov.”

Val steps closer to me, flicking the cigarette down onto the ground. “I respect that, but I was beside that girl for years, Wicked. I loved her like she was one of my own even though it went against everything I was raised to do.” I clench my jaw, baring my teeth.

“Fine.”

Reaching the door handle, I stop. “Thank you, by the way.”

“For what?” Val flashes me a smirk.