Chapter 65

 Christian's POV

Three months. Three goddamn months since Leo snatched Hailey. It felt like a lifetime. Each day bled into the next, a monotonous cycle of dead ends, whispered leads that turned to dust, and a gnawing fear that threatened to consume me whole.

My hands tightened around the steering wheel of my Lamborghini as I navigated the rain-slicked streets. Haiden sat beside me, his jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his temple. Xan, Zack, and Akira followed closely in separate vehicles, their presence a grim reminder of the war we were waging.

"Anything?" I asked, my voice a low growl.

Haiden shook his head. "Still nothing. It's like she vanished. Leo's good, I'll give him that, but he's not this good."

"He's got help," I spat. "He always does."

The tension in the car was thick enough to cut with a knife. We'd been running on fumes for weeks, driven by pure rage and desperation. Every lead had dissolved, every contact had clammed up. The silence was broken by Xan's voice crackling over the comms.

"We're approaching the warehouse. Everything looks clear."

Liar.

The second we stepped out of the cars, the unmistakable scent of gunpowder hung in the air. It was an ambush. A hail of bullets ripped through the night, turning the warehouse district into a chaotic warzone.

"Skulls!" Zack roared, diving behind a concrete barrier.

The Skulls. Jess's Skulls. The bane of our goddamn existence since we were kids scrapping for territory. They were ruthless, unpredictable, and Jess, their leader, had a personal vendetta against Haiden and me that ran deeper than blood.

A savage grin split my face. Good. Let them come. I needed to bleed. I needed to rage. I needed to forget, even for a fleeting moment, the agonizing absence of Hailey.

I returned fire, the Glock in my hand spitting lead with deadly accuracy. Xan and Akira moved with a practiced efficiency, their years of training honed to a razor's edge. Zack, ever the wild card, was a whirlwind of furious energy, his shotgun booming like thunder.

We fought like demons, fueled by adrenaline and a primal need to survive. The Skulls were good, but we were better. We were fighting for something more than turf or money. We were fighting for Hailey, even if she didn't know it.

Jess appeared from the shadows, his eyes burning with malicious glee. "Missed you boys! Thought I'd give you a little welcome back present."

He lunged at me, a knife glinting in his hand. I blocked his strike, the force of the blow jarring my arm. We traded blows, a brutal dance of steel and flesh. I felt a searing pain in my side as his knife found its mark, but I barely registered it.

The fight was a blur of gunfire, explosions, and the guttural cries of men locked in mortal combat. I saw Haiden take a bullet to the shoulder, his face contorted in pain. Rage surged through me, eclipsing all else. I slammed Jess against a wall, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Where is she, Jess?" I snarled, pressing the barrel of my gun against his temple.

His lips curled into a bloody sneer. "Go to hell, Montes."

He headbutted me, the force of the blow sending stars dancing behind my eyes. He broke free and disappeared back into the chaos. I wanted to chase him, to rip him apart, but I couldn't. I had to get Haiden out of here.

The fight had devolved into a stalemate. Both sides had taken heavy losses. We needed to get out. "Pull back!" I yelled, my voice hoarse. "We're leaving!"

We retreated back to the cars, leaving a trail of blood and destruction in our wake. Adrenaline kept me going as I drove, but I knew we were all running on borrowed time.

We arrived at the safe house, a nondescript building in a quiet residential neighborhood. The private nurses and doctors were waiting, their faces grim.

They rushed Haiden inside, while I leaned against the car, panting. The pain in my side was becoming unbearable. Xan clapped me on the shoulder. "You okay, Christian?"

"Fine," I lied, pushing myself upright.

They patched me up, but my mind was elsewhere. Haiden was still unconscious, and the image of him falling haunted my every thought.

I sat by his bedside, watching his chest rise and fall. He looked so vulnerable, so unlike the ruthless mafia boss he was. I knew he'd do the same for me. We were brothers, bound by blood and a shared destiny.

But Hailey... Where was she? Was she even alive? The thought was a cold blade twisting in my gut. I wouldn't let Leo win. I wouldn't rest until I brought her home. Even if it killed me.