The Exchange

They scrambled into the Maserati. Nico shoved her into the passenger seat and slid behind the wheel. He gunned the engine, spinning the car 180 degrees, tires screeching on the wet asphalt.

The rear window shattered as a bullet punched through.

Nico drove like a madman, weaving through the maze of containers, drifting onto the main road. He didn't slow down until they were on the expressway, miles away from the docks.

The silence in the car was deafening.

Elena was shaking. Adrenaline was crashing.

Nico reached over. His hand found hers. He gripped it so tight it hurt.

"Are you hit?" he asked, his voice raw.

"No," Elena whispered. "You?"

"I'm fine."

He drove them not to her apartment, but to the Valenti Hotel. He bypassed the lobby, driving straight into the private underground garage.

He dragged her into the private elevator. He didn't speak until they were in the Penthouse, the doors locked, the world shut out.

He turned to her. He looked wild. His coat was wet, his eyes frantic. He grabbed her face, checking her pupils, checking her neck for bruises.

"He touched you," Nico rasped. "I should have killed him slower."

"Nico, stop," Elena grabbed his wrists. "I'm okay. I got away."

"You tackled him," Nico stared at her in disbelief. "You broke the ties. You tackled a man with a gun."

"I learned from the best."

Nico let out a shuddering breath. He collapsed his forehead against hers. "I thought I lost you. When he called... I thought that was it."

"You came for me," Elena said. "You gave up the ports."

"I would give up the city," Nico said. "I would burn it all down."

"Then why won't you kiss me?"

Nico pulled back. "Elena..."

"Don't give me the 'good girl' speech," Elena stepped closer, cornering him against the kitchen island. "I was kidnapped. I tackled a corrupt cop. I am an accessory to murder. I am not good anymore, Nico. I am yours."

Nico stared at her. He saw the resolve in her eyes. He saw that the line he had drawn in the sand had been washed away by the rain and the blood.

"You can never go back," Nico warned. "If I kiss you, you are part of this life. You are a Valenti target. You are mine."

"I've been yours since I was twelve," Elena whispered.

Nico groaned. The dam broke.

He grabbed her waist and lifted her onto the marble counter. He kissed her.

It wasn't gentle. It was years of starvation. It was possessive, desperate, and terrifying. It tasted of rain and danger. Elena wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, finally breathing for the first time in a decade.