I gritted my teeth as I slammed the car door shut. The tires screeched as I sped down Rosaline's street. Multiple horns honked as I zoomed past, but now wasn't the time to follow traffic laws and I had a job to do.

I dialed Xavier's number as I made my way out of the city. He picked up at the first ring.

"I thought we weren't meeting the Romanovs for another two hours," I snapped before he could get a word in as I swerved past the bridge and out of the city.

"We were, but I got word the Russians decided to move their weapons in the next hour. Probably sell us an act that their hands were clean." Xavier spoke gruffly into the phone. "Negotiation is officially off the table."

"And I wore this damn suit for nothing." I muttered to myself.

Xavier ignored my complaining as he shouted at his driver to move faster on the other line. "If we miss them now, we lose our only chance to take out their operation. They will be impossible to track - we fail at stopping their shipments and lose our chance of getting information."

Hearing the urgency in his voice, the familiar adrenaline surged through my body, preparing for an upcoming fight.

"We can't have the police deal with this instead? I'm sure Benson would be more than willing to gloat about taking down a giant shipment from one of the most dangerous mafias in the world." I said with a hint of amusement in my anger, my grip tightening on the steering wheel.

"They won't make it in time and won't make the same calls we will. I'm not waiting to let them escape our grasp, especially due to the incompetence of that damn detective. Besides, the Romanovs have eyes and ears everywhere and I'm damn sure they have something useful about Angelo. We'll hand them over once they've served their purpose," Xavier spat. I heard Xavier yelling again before addressing me once more. "My ETA is thirty minutes and Erik should be there already. Interrupt and hold them off until I arrive, will you?" Xavier said with a hint of glee in his voice.

I felt a smirk raise on the corner of my mouth.

"It would be my pleasure. You will have to pay for any tailoring I'll need for my suit after I am done. It's going to get messy."

I slammed on the gas as I sped to my destination.

~*~

"Took you long enough." Erik scoffed as I walked towards our group.

We were in the middle of an empty dock, which had been abandoned for years. The compound was right next to it, the daylight making the building look worse for wear. It was the perfect place to operate without people stumbling by.

I ignored Erik's jab as I analyzed the men on this mission. I nodded as I recognized a few of the men. Including the new recruits, there were twelve of us in total.

John Hernandez sat in the back of his truck, polishing his weapon. John was a former SEAL. His skill as a sniper and military tactics made him one of our best hitters in the business.

He joined our organization two years ago after the death of his wife and two children by a group of dirty cops. They were slain in front of their family home because they witnessed something at the wrong place and time. The police dismissed the case as unsolved and the men walked free.

We sought after John after hearing word about mysterious deaths of multiple officers. After hearing his story, we decided to help him track down the rest of the cops to bring justice and peace for John. John stayed on with us as one of our main strategists and a close friend.

I nodded in John's direction and he returned the gesture.

I also spotted Julian and Josh Anderson bickering with each other. I cursed, unsure what mood they were going to be in.

The Anderson twins came to Xavier when they were eighteen in order to ask for help in relocating their sister from a local drug lord. In return, they offered their services.

At first, we were skeptical. Both boys were lanky and seemed too goofy for their own good. Any doubt was erased after their first mission to stop an assassination attempt on a senator in Washington. Their love for knives and daggers have proven they were not to be underestimated. Coming from a rough upbringing, they had a lot of anger to let out. Five years later, they could be considered to be the best mercenaries in the world.

"Give me a report," I ordered Erik as he started typing something into his laptop with his long and slender fingers. Erik's dark wavy hair was everywhere from running his hands through it. While Erik wasn't the muscle of our group, his intelligence and hacking skills made up for it. If there was a third in command, Erik would take that title with pride.

"I had the men check on the perimeter. There are ten guards surrounding the compound and are heavily armed. After hacking the security cameras, I counted twenty more– ten moving the shipments and the others keeping watch. The leader seems to be on the sidelines ordering them," Erik turned his screen to show me the security tapes.

I watched as the Russians carted their cargo into one main crate, a taller man in a suit shouting and pointing. Erik gestured to one area on his screen.

"There are plenty of crates to cover us from any bullets, but the hard part will be getting to them."

"Leave that to me," John interjected as he moved towards us to look at the monitor. He seemed to analyze something before he nodded. "Give me ten minutes."

I nodded and frowned as I found what John was looking at. There were different explosives settled in the corners of the building. John wanted to get messy today. So did I, but we usually tried to have a low casualty count.

But under these circumstances and who we were dealing with, I wouldn't lose much sleep tonight if we took everyone out.

"Fire only on my signal. Worst-case scenario," I said and John put his intercom into his ear before disappearing down the dock, probably looking for higher ground.

I checked the time. Xavier was twenty minutes out and we needed to secure the area. "Erik, keep track of Xavier. Julian, take four of the men with you and silently take down the guards outside– but I want them alive. Only kill if necessary. The rest of us will go inside." I ordered.

The men nodded as they dispersed into groups. Julian stayed behind, pouting.

"You want them all alive?" Julian whined as he waved his dagger. I rolled my eyes at his childishness.

"I said 'alive', not 'uninjured'. As long as they can recover from the wounds."

His eyes gleamed with excitement at my clarification. He scurried away before I could tell him any other restrictions. I shook my head. There were times I really worried about him and his twin.

I tossed my jacket to the side, loosening the buttons on my shirt so I had more room to move. Josh passed me a bulletproof vest, which I secured and took the gun out of my gun holder on my belt. I turned the safety off my gun and secured my earpiece before nodding my head toward the compound.

My men moved swiftly, taking down opponents one by one. I briefly saw Julian stab a man in the thigh and knock him unconscious before a single sound could escape the guard's lips.

Julian gave me the signal to move in. I waved my arm quickly as my group went inside.

A shot echoed through the building as a bullet lodged itself into the crate next to me, wood splintering from the impact.

"Damn it," I cursed as I realized they heard us coming. I quickly moved behind the cargo and slowly moved toward the main space. My men covered me, trying to get the enemies' attention.

I took cover again and I checked my watch. John was almost in position and I needed to hold them off. I shot a man in both shoulders, causing him to drop his weapon and land on the floor. Seeing that Josh and the rest of the men took out almost half of them, there were only a few Russians retreating in a large container.

"Outside is secure," I heard Josh through my earpiece as I took another shot.

"Good. I don't see the leader. Check if he's run off outside," I shouted over the gunfire as five men began firing rapidly in our direction.

I heard a grunt and saw one of my men grab his shoulder, blood oozing through his fingers.

"You good, Clark?" I asked, keeping my eye on the action.

"Pretty sure it's a graze. I'll live." Clark responded before firing again, letting out a grunt of satisfaction when he hit his target. We stayed behind our shield as the Russians kept firing. It was nearly impossible to take them out since some were hidden well or in the crate.

I spotted a Russian quickly heading towards the explosives closest to us, aiming his gun to fire. I tackled him, knocking him unconscious. More men were headed in our direction and I knew we needed to leave fast before they killed us all. These groups of Russians were willing to die rather than surrender.

"I'm in position," John said through my earpiece. I turned to the rest of the men who looked ready to bolt after hearing John's announcement.

"Retreat!" I shouted, and we ran out of the building. We dodged the bullets being fired at the exit.

"Now John!"

Not even a millisecond later, heat bloomed against my back as an explosion burst throughout the building, the roof collapsing onto itself. The force of the explosion lifted us off our feet, our bodies rolling onto the dock.

Grunting, I slowly got up and noticed rips and bloodstains on my suit.

"Damn it," I muttered as I secured my handgun back into my holder. I examined the poor state of the building.

Guess our idea of few casualties went out the window this time around. Hopefully the men who were patrolling outside were still alive–

I heard shouts and turned to see Josh and Julian pulling the struggling Russian leader toward me. The twins threw him on the ground and the rest of my men formed a tight circle around us, blocking any escape.

Before the leader could look up at me, I threw a punch to his jaw, knocking him to the ground again.

"That's for wounding one of my men," I said casually as the man spat blood onto the worn wood.

The man glared up at me hatefully and started ranting in Russian. From his tone and expression, I could tell he wasn't saying anything friendly. I ignored him as I turned to Erik.

"Is he here yet?" I asked.

"Just in time apparently," Xavier spoke up.

The men created a path for our leader to walk through with John in tow. He stopped next to me, amusement on his face.

"I said stall, not blow the place into pieces," Xavier shook his head as I shrugged indifferently.

"You weren't specific–you owe me a new suit. The Russians decided they would rather die than surrender," I said off-handedly. "There were thirty men in total and at least five of them are dead because of John. Some are underneath the rubble and ten are unconscious. And finally, we have one very angry Russian."

"Perfect," Xavier said as he pursed his lips. He looked down at the Russian and he smirked in recognition. "If it isn't Boris Ivanov! It's funny running into you here. For a second, I thought you canceled our meeting."

"Our deal is off. You had no business in this. We were only to talk and you kill my men and destroy our shipment. You have waged war against both mafia groups! The Romanovs will have your heads," Boris hissed with a heavy Russian accent.

Xavier chuckled humorlessly and I almost snorted at the idea of being considered a mafia group. If anything, we were their worst nightmare.

"The Romanovs won't care if they think the authorities got here first. We can easily cover any evidence that we were here. With you in jail, you won't have any say in what really happened. Of course, if you were to somehow be set free, you would be killed on sight. Russians are prone to kill then reason, especially when you fail them," Xavier explained as Boris paled. "However, I'm sure we can find a way to keep you safe if you help me out."

"What do you want?" Boris gritted out.

"You have some information that I need. You are one of the Romanov's many eyes and ears. I need everything you know about Angelo De Luca. If you tell me, I'll let you go free."

"And if I refuse?" Boris sneered, but flinched when I took a step in his direction.

Before Xavier could answer, we heard sirens approaching, indicating they were close by. Boris' eyes looked panicked before he nodded quickly.

"I'll tell you, just let us leave!" Boris shouted.

Xavier and I smirked at each other before Xavier ordered Erik and the rest of our men to take him to one of our secure areas.

We quickly got to our cars as the police and fire department arrived.

I drove back to the city, unworried about the government discovering us. They wouldn't be able to track us down; they never did.

We left a simple note on one of the unconscious men's chests for them to find:

Romanovs: military weapons shipment. Casualties inside building. – O

I cracked my neck to the side, my body content from the action and coming down from the adrenaline rush.

I only hoped Boris had the useful information he claimed to have. If not, we were going to hit another dead end. Rosaline would then be our last straw to grasp, and even that was a stretch.

I thought about last night's events and I rubbed my face in exhaustion. The bits and pieces I was learning from Rosaline weren't helpful. She was very vague and uncomfortable about the subject.

I had to tread carefully. Last night was progress and I could only hope I learned more about her.

A small voice in my head whispered that I wanted to know more about her than the reason behind her sudden move to New York. I wanted to know more about her family, her likes and dislikes, what made her smile, how she–

I quickly shoved those thoughts to the side as my mind began to get muddled. I ran my hand harshly through my hair.

Fuck.

I needed a drink.

~*~

I went behind the bar counter in Elysium, not bothering to go to the VIP room. The club was empty and I grabbed a bottle of tequila, lazily pouring the golden brew into a shot glass.

Bringing it to my lips, I threw my head back, closing my eyes and enjoyed the familiar burning sensation in my throat.

"I'll allow that to be on the house," a rough voice said in amusement. I smirked and opened my eyes to see Frank. "Now get your ass away from my counter."

I sat on a stool and Frank poured me another glass. Frank eyed my ruined suit and chuckled.

"That good, huh?" Frank asked as he poured himself a drink. "I hope whatever stunt you pulled doesn't connect the club to anything."

Frank was one of our operatives. Though he tried not to become directly involved for his family's sake, his club was where most of our meetings and deals took place. It was a good cover and Frank was well paid for it, even though he refused to accept until Xavier blatantly sent the money straight into his bank accounts.

"Russians. They're a pain in the ass. Had to blow up a building, " I muttered as I finished my glass. I checked my watch. It was two o'clock which meant I left Rosaline's place at least four hours ago. I would need to visit her soon.

I heard the door open and heavy footsteps thudded in our direction.

"I need two shots of vodka," Xavier groaned as he sat in the stool next to me. "Sometimes I hate being the boss."

Frank snorted at his statement but gave him the shots.

"I thought you were interrogating the Russian," I said with a hint of surprise. Xavier sighed before finishing his shots.

"Boris is being sent to a safe house." Catching my look, Xavier waved me off. "He's being guarded until I have a word with him. He's not going anywhere and to be honest, where's the fun if he doesn't sweat a bit?"

Xavier chuckled and I rolled my eyes at his mischief. Xavier always enjoyed watching our targets squirm.

Frank grabbed our glasses before refilling them.

"As long as I don't have to deal with your drunk asses tonight, then it's fine by me. Since both of you are here, I need to talk to you. The locals and staff are asking questions about the business you guys do in the VIP room. I worry that rumors will spread and Detective Benson will be insistent to snoop around. Maybe you should lay low for a little bit, relocate your meetings temporarily." Frank advised as he washed the counter with a cloth.

Xavier shook his head. "Sorry Frank, but both of our girls work here and we're not leaving them without protection. I refuse to let Maria serve tables unless I'm around. But don't worry, we'll be careful," Xavier reassured.

Frank's eyes slightly widened when Xavier said 'girls'. Frank turned his focus on me.

"You found yourself a woman, boy?" Frank asked me in disbelief.

His reaction wasn't a surprise, or even offensive. Looking at my former relationships, they were basically...nonexistent. I had one-night stands before, but I never saw any of those girls again. I didn't do seconds— it made it appear more personal than it really was. Though I found girls beautiful, none of them drew me in.

Except for Rosaline.

"I'm keeping an eye on one of your employees. Maria is worried and we may think she has some information we can use." I explained calmly.

"He's infatuated with your new waitress," Xavier chuckled and ignored the glare I sent his way.

Frank's eyes almost fell out of his sockets as he understood who Xavier was referring to. He pointed at me in accusation.

"You're interested in Rosaline?" Frank said before he choked out a laugh. "I thought I would never see the day Damon Cohen would settle down. I thought out of anyone in New York, you would pass Rosaline up."

"Well, I thought one day he was going to be celibate for the rest of his damn life. All of this is a shock," Xavier agreed as they both chuckled at my expense.

I held back the urge to punch my supposed best friend and snapped back.

"At least I didn't turn into a stalker and practically pulled on Maria's pigtails because I liked her. Do I need to remind you how you looked ready to pass out when she smiled at you for the first time?" I smirked as Xavier shut his trap, his cheeks beginning to flush. Frank chuckled gruffly until he calmed down, looking at me thoughtfully.

"As funny as this is, I am happy that you chose her. Rosaline seems like a good kid and needs someone to support her. I may have met her a couple of days ago, but if you harm her, I won't hesitate to come after you." Frank stated.

I looked at him in shock. Frank never did favorites with his employees. Though Maria was like a daughter to him, he made sure he kept all interactions with his staff professional.

"Then why did you hire her? If you knew she needed protection, why did you let her serve tables to a bunch of sexually deprived men? This is probably one of the worst decisions you've ever made," I muttered as I moved my glass closer to me.

Frank sighed as he put away his washcloth.

"In the end, I am a businessman. As much as I hate to say it, Rosaline attracts the right people into Elysium. Almost all dominant men can't resist going after a beautiful innocent woman, wanting a taste of her seduction. They easily take the bait and my business booms. I've hired multiple employees to play innocent hostesses and schoolgirls, but they understood the risks and were cautious. It's one thing to act like one and to be one. You've seen men follow her as she works. She is oblivious. Besides, I could tell that she was lost and alone. If I can help her by giving her some money, I will," Frank said as he took another drink.

I tightened the grip on my own glass. Xavier sensed my agitation and decided to move the discussion.

"Do you have any information about Rosaline that would be useful?" Xavier asked.

Frank shook his head.

"I don't know much since she just got hired. I can tell that she got herself into some trouble since the girl flinches around everyone. I don't think she's aware that she does it. She's jumpy, so I would be careful what you say around her. One wrong move and she'll run." Frank warned.

I nodded slowly, taking his warning seriously.

Not if I catch her first.

My phone beeped. I checked it and found an incoming call from Maria. Confused, I answered the phone.

"Maria?" I greeted as Xavier snapped his head in my direction, his eyes narrowing at the mention of his wife.

"Damon, thank goodness!"

I almost dropped my glass as I recognized the voice.

"Flower, what the hell are you doing with Maria?" I growled as I turned my back from the two confused men.

"Maria offered me some drinks at her house and I decided to—"

"Damn it, Rosaline. I told you to stay at your apartment. Do you have any idea what could've happened to you on the way there? Were you even cleared by security?" I snapped. Though I added her to the list in case of emergencies, they still could've touched her. The thought made my blood boil.

The line was silent for a few moments. My anger vanished as worry and guilt took over. I knew I was being an asshole towards her, but I couldn't help but be worried.

"Flower, I know you called for a reason. What's wrong?" I coaxed her softly.

"Maria fainted. She found out some news and it overwhelmed her. I'm really worried and I thought that her husband should know, but I was more comfortable talking to you first," Flower stuttered.

I straightened up quickly before grabbing my keys from my pocket.

"Hang in there, Flower. We will be there in about twenty minutes. Take Maria to her bedroom and get her some wet towels. I'll send a doctor and security to guard the door until we get there."

Rosaline said a quick "okay" before hanging up to follow my orders.

I threw some cash on the counter and said a quick goodbye to Frank before hauling Xavier from his stool.

"We need to head to the mansion now. I'm driving." I rushed out as Xavier easily pulled out of my grip.

"What the hell is going on?" Xavier said as worry flashed in his eyes. We both got into my car and I started the ignition. I knew this was going to be one hell of a ride once I told him the news.

I pulled the car out and decided to just rip the band-aid off.

"Your wife passed out. She's fine-"

I could feel Xavier's panic passing through me in waves.

"What? Fuck! What the hell are you doing?! Fucking drive!" Xavier roared as I slammed hard on the gas.

I prayed that I would be able to calm Xavier down before he reigned hell.