"They'll kill you,” Dante said.
"Not before I give them a reason to turn on each other,” Rocco growled.
Lark frowned. "What are you thinking?"
Rocco smiled. "Keller thinks Hale betrayed him, and Hale thinks Keller betrayed him." He pulled Rafael's bloodstained list from his pocket. "What happens if both of them suddenly believe they have proof?"
Dante stared at him for several long seconds, and then a slow grin spread across his face. "You sneaky bastard."
"I’ve been called worse,” Rocco said.
Lark looked between them. "I don't like this plan."
Rocco reached for her hand. "I know."
She squeezed his fingers tightly. "Come back." His chest tightened at those two simple words. They were the same words she'd said to Dante, not because she couldn't choose between them, but because she'd already made her choice. She wanted both of them.
He lifted her hand and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. "I will." Dante stepped forward without a word, and the two men clasped forearms. There was no rivalry, no jealousy, only trust.
"You come home," Dante said quietly.
Rocco nodded once. "Wait for Avery to get here. And while they're busy trying to kill each other, you guys need to get everyone out.” He looked toward the mission one last time.
The three of them shared one last look before separating into the darkness. If everything went according to plan, Keller's empire would collapse before sunrise. If it didn't, none of them would be leaving the mountain alive. Everything was riding on his plan, and Rocco just hoped like hell that he wasn’t going to lose the new family he had only just begun to build.
The mountain was quiet—too quiet. Rocco moved through the darkness with practiced ease, sticking to the shadows as he circled the mission. The bloodstained list Rafael had died to protect rested inside his jacket. It wasn't just a list anymore—it was bait. That list was exactly what Keller and Hale would kill each other for.
A pair of mercenaries rounded the corner ahead, and Rocco ducked behind an old stone retaining wall, waited for them to pass, then slipped through the open service entrance Sofia had marked on the map. That section of the compound had no alarms or cameras. Keller had been so focused on protecting himself from an outside assault that he'd forgotten the oldest rule in the world—the greatest threat was already inside the walls.
The underground bunker buzzed with controlled panic. Men hurried through the corridors carrying hard drives, stacks of files, and locked cases. They were running, and that thought made Rocco smile. He waited until no one occupied the hallway before slipping into Keller's private office. The room was immaculate. A mahogany desk sat in the corner of the room. The walls were adorned with expensive artwork, and there were multiple monitors showing security feeds. His office showed the arrogance of a man who believed he'd never lose.
Rocco laid Rafael's list in the center of the desk, and then he added something else—a flash drive Avery had managed to recover from Keller's network. It contained every financial record, offshore account, and shipment. It was enough evidence to bury an empire.
Finally, he pulled a pen from the desk and wrote a single sentence across the top page.
Victor, I know everything. —Adrian
He smiled, satisfied with his handiwork, and walked out of the office. He’d laid the bait; now all he needed was for Keller to take it.
Rocco didn’t have to wait long. Within ten minutes, the bunker erupted into chaos. Shouting echoed through the corridors as gunshots rang out. Rocco ducked into a maintenance closet and listened to the men shouting outside the door.
"You lied to me, Keller!” Hale shouted.
"You were selling me out to the authorities!" Keller’s voice answered with equal fury.
"You stupid son of a bitch!" Gunfire exploded outside the door, and Rocco peeked through the cracked opening. Mercenaries who had been loyal to Keller suddenly turned their weapons toward Hale's men, and others fired back. Within seconds, the bunker descended into civil war—exactly as planned.
His radio crackled once. "Rocco,” Dante’s said.
Rocco pressed the earpiece. "Go."
"We've got the prisoners,” Dante said.
Relief washed through him. "How many?"
"Twenty-three, just like Sofia said.” That was every woman that Keller had planned to disappear forever.
"Is our girl safe?” Rocco asked.
