Page 74 of Forgotten Vows

LACHLAN

Icall Declan first thing in the morning, after reluctantly leaving Adriana asleep in our bed. I wanted to stay there, wake her up slowly with my mouth between her thighs and then my cock, have sleepy, lazy orgasms before spending all day together.

But that comes later. When I know we can be safe.

Declan answers on the second ring. "Lachlan?"

Within a few minutes, I fill him in on what happened at the bar. He whistles under his breath. "Shit, man. What are you going to do?"

"You know exactly what I'm going to do. But I need your help."

He pauses. "I'm in, Lachlan. Whatever you need."

"You mean that? Enough to take your guys and go up against Gio for me?"

Another pause. "Lachlan, you're my best friend. It's been years, but I don't forget we grew up together. Gio is an asshole, and what he did to your girl… she didn't deserve that, and you didn't deserve what that family did to you, either. I'm with you, brother."

"You know how Gio thinks—you worked for him long enough. You know his patterns, his security protocols, the way he positions his men. I need someone I trust running point on this. Someone who can get my team in position while I go after Gio directly."

"You're going in alone?"

"Not alone. I'll have men with me. But the main assault needs to be a distraction—draw Gio's men away from the mansion so I can get to him. That's where you come in."

"That sounds like a hell of a plan." Declan pauses. "Alright. I'm in. But we do this smart. No cowboy shit, no charging in blind. We plan every detail, every contingency."

"Agreed."

We spend the next two hours going over every detail of the plan. By the time we're done, my head is pounding, and my throat is raw from talking, but I feel better. More in control.

This is going to work. It has to.

"When do we move?" Declan asks.

"I'll fly in early tomorrow morning. I want us to go in when it's dark, if we can. Broad daylight is no time for this kind of shit."

"Agreed. For what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing. Gio's not going to stop. Not until one of you is dead."

"I know."

"And I'll be there to make sure you don't get yourself killed."

I manage a smile at that. "Counting on it."

When I hang up, any levity that there was drains out of me, though. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to walk into hell. I'm going to face the man whose family has tormented Adriana for ten years, who helped take my son from me, and tried to destroy everything I've built.

And I'm going to kill him.

That night, when I go to my bedroom after my post-dinner work, I find Adriana already there, to my surprise. She's wearing one of my shirts, the fabric hanging loose on her frame, and her hair is still damp from the shower. She looks so beautiful it hurts.

"Hey," I say softly, and she turns, her expression softening when she sees me.

"Hey, yourself." She walks toward me, straight into my arms, and when I pull her close and hold her tight, she leans her head back, her expression suddenly concerned.

"What's going on?"

I press my face into her hair. I want to tell hernothing, but I made her a promise.

"I'm going to New York. I talked to Declan, and we made a plan. He and his guys are going to help. I'm going to kill Gio, Adri, and I'm going to end this. No more waiting for him to make a move, no more war. I'm finishing it."