The rain started as a whisper, tapping against the high glass windows of the penthouse. Outside, Rome blurred in shades of silver and black—cold, wet, and watchful. But inside, the fire burned low in the hearth, casting a soft amber glow over Hayden's bare back as he stood by the window.
Ana stirred under the velvet sheets, the lingering ache of their passion still tingling on her skin. She didn't call his name right away. She watched him instead—his shoulders tense, jaw clenched, like he was bracing for a war he hadn't told her about yet.
She rose, letting the sheet fall as she crossed the room quietly. Her arms slipped around him from behind, her cheek pressing against the warmth of his back.
"You're not here with me," she whispered. "Where are you?"
Hayden sighed, his fingers twitching slightly as he reached to cover hers. "In places I thought I buried."
Ana turned him gently. His face was darker now, haunted—not with guilt, but with something heavier. Something colder. Fear didn't suit him, yet she could sense it threading through his movements.
"You said someone's coming," she said, "but you didn't say who."
"Because I'm not sure yet," he replied. "But the signs are all there. Surveillance hacks. Bank accounts getting probed. One of our safehouses was burned last night. No casualties—but it was a message."
She frowned. "From who?"
He met her eyes. "Someone connected to my mother's death."
Ana stilled.
"The Nicholas family took the blame," Hayden continued, "but my father always suspected someone else was involved—someone powerful enough to stay in the shadows while everyone else took the fall."
Ana stepped back slightly, heart pounding. "Are you saying... my father might not be the only one responsible?"
"I don't know what I'm saying yet," Hayden growled. "But I'm not going to wait around while ghosts circle us."
She saw the fire in his eyes again—not revenge this time, but protectiveness. A savage, all-consuming need to keep her safe. Her heart ached at how deeply she'd become embedded in his world.
He cupped her face suddenly, pressing his forehead against hers.
"I can't lose you," he murmured. "Not now. Not when I finally have something real."
Ana kissed him softly, their lips brushing like a promise. "Then let me help."
He pulled her close, the kiss deepening, hunger igniting again—but before it could spiral, his phone buzzed harshly from the coffee table.
He cursed under his breath, grabbing it. "Luca."
Ana waited, watching his expression shift from tension to fury.
"When?" he snapped. "How many? Were they armed?"
He paced, the firelight casting shadows over his hard features.
"I'm on my way," he finished and ended the call.
"What happened?" Ana asked, already pulling on her robe.
"They hit one of our convoy shipments," he said grimly. "Took out three men. No survivors. Left a mark behind."
He pulled out his phone, flipping the screen toward her. It showed a photo—an emblem burned into the concrete. A triangle wrapped in a circle, with a serpent biting its own tail.
Ana felt a jolt. "I've seen that before."
Hayden's head snapped up. "Where?"
"My father used to draw it when he was angry," she said, brow furrowed. "He said it was the sign of someone who betrayed him."
Hayden's blood ran cold.
He knew the symbol.
"La Coda," he muttered.
"What is that?"
"A group that split from my father's syndicate years ago," he explained. "They believed in chaos over order. My father tried to shut them down. Thought he succeeded."
"Clearly, he didn't."
"No," Hayden said darkly. "They've been waiting. Watching. And now\... they're moving."
He was already pulling on a black shirt, his gun holstered under his jacket. Ana dressed quickly too, sliding into jeans and boots. She refused to stay behind.
"We'll go to the site," Hayden said. "But you stay in the car."
"No."
He looked at her sharply.
"I'm part of this now," she said fiercely. "They're threatening *our* life, not just yours. I won't be some fragile ornament you hide away."
A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. "You're not fragile, Ana. That's what scares me."
They left together—racing through rain-slicked streets, black cars trailing them like shadows. When they reached the scene, the smell of smoke and gunpowder hung heavy in the air. Police had been paid to clear out. What remained were burned cars, bloodstains, and the symbol—freshly seared into the asphalt.
Hayden crouched beside it.
"La Coda wants me to know they're back," he said. "And they're coming for everything I have."
Ana stood beside him, eyes scanning the ruins. "Then we hit first."
Hayden turned to her.
"What?"
"We stop being on the defense," she said. "You have connections. Power. Use it. Track them. Trap them. End them."
A flash of admiration crossed Hayden's face. She wasn't the girl he kidnapped anymore. She was steel. Fire. His match.
"You really are mine," he whispered.
Ana stepped into his arms. "Completely."
He kissed her hard, there in the rain, the fire between them battling the storm. Around them, the city churned, but in each other's arms, they were gods of their own war.
\*\*
Back at the penthouse, they didn't speak. Words were too slow, too shallow for what they felt. Hayden lifted her into his arms, carried her straight to the bed.
The kiss was slow at first—aching with emotion—but the moment his hand slid under her shirt, urgency returned. Clothes were torn away, skin against skin, nothing between them but breath and heat.
"I want to forget the world," she gasped as he kissed down her spine.
"Then let me make you forget," he growled.
And he did.
They tangled for hours, moving with the desperation of people who didn't know if they'd survive tomorrow. He worshipped her body like it was the only salvation he'd ever believe in. She clawed at him like he was the only anchor in her storm.
When they finally lay breathless, soaked in sweat and tangled in sheets, Ana curled against his chest.
"Promise me," she whispered.
"Anything."
"That no matter what happens, you won't shut me out again. We face it together."
Hayden kissed the top of her head. "It's not just my revenge anymore, Ana. It's *ours*."
The war was coming.
But this time, they were ready.
Together.