"You own nothing."
"Don't I?Let's see.I know where those children go to school.I know their schedules, their routines, every vulnerable moment in their day.I know everything about everyone you care about."
The threat is clear, and ice water floods my veins."You wouldn't."
"Wouldn't I?I had your brother killed, Evangeline.Do you really think I'd hesitate to eliminate a few more obstacles?"
The casual admission steals my breath.I knew, intellectually, that Ethan had Marcus and Calla murdered.Hades showed me the evidence, walked me through the timeline.But hearing him say it so casually, like he's discussing the weather, makes it real in a way that turns my stomach.
"You're a monster."
"I'm a businessman who removes problems efficiently.Your sister-in-law was a problem.She found financial irregularities, started asking questions that would have exposed my entire operation.So I removed her."
"And Marcus?"
"Collateral damage.She shouldn't have hired that PI.If she'd just left things alone, she'd still be alive.They both would be."
The rage that floods through me is so intense it actually helps clear my head.This man, this monster who I almost married, is responsible for everything.For the kids losing their parents, for me losing my brother, for all the pain and fear and chaos of the past weeks.
"Hades is going to kill you," I say with absolute certainty.
"Is he?Because from where I'm sitting, I hold all the cards.I've got you, which means I've got him.He'll do whatever I want to keep you alive."
"You don't understand him at all."
"Don't I?He's in love with you.Pathetically, desperately in love.The kind of love that makes men stupid.Makes them take risks they shouldn't take, make choices they'll regret."
"Unlike you, who never loved anyone but yourself."
Ethan's smile is cold, reptilian."Love is a weakness, darling.I learned that a long time ago.The only thing that matters is power, and right now, I have all of it."
"Do you?Because it seems like you're hiding in an abandoned warehouse, working with criminals, desperate enough to kidnap your ex-fiancée.That's not power.That's pathetic."
I see the moment my words hit home, see the fury flash across his face.He moves toward me, and I brace for another hit.
Instead, footsteps echo from outside the room.Heavy boots, multiple people.The door swings open and three men enter.They're wearing leather cuts with a serpent logo I don't recognize.
Shadow Hawks.
"She awake?"one of them asks.He's older, maybe fifty, with a scarred face and cold eyes.
"As you can see," Ethan replies, his tone dismissive.
"Good.We need to discuss terms."
"We already discussed terms.You get the Saints' territory; I get my woman back."
"Plans changed.Turns out your woman's boyfriend is worth more than territory."
Ethan's expression shifts to something dangerous."We had a deal."
"And now we're renegotiating.See, the Saints took out the majority of our club.They took our territory here in Boston.Having leverage over their enforcer might convince them to reconsider."
"I'm not interested in helping you fight your territorial disputes.I want Hades destroyed, and I want Evangeline under control."
The Shadow Hawk laughs, a sound like gravel grinding."You think we care what you want?You came to us, Morrison.You needed our help because your own people couldn't handle a simple kidnapping.That makes you the junior partner in this arrangement."
I watch the power dynamic shift, see Ethan realize he's not as in control as he thought.The Shadow Hawks aren't his allies.They're using him the same way he's been using everyone else.
