Bound to the calloway's heir

ZANE.

Sienna had charged at me before I could speak, her small fists slamming into my chest with a force that surprised me. Each hit landed with a dull thud, her knuckles grazing the leather of my jacket. I stood still, letting her rage, letting her pour every ounce of her frustration into me. A laugh bubbled up in my throat, not because I thought her anger was funny, but because she had no idea how close she had come to dying that night.

Her mischievous plan to sneak out of the cathedral, meeting that scar-faced bastard in this rotting warehouse, was so reckless it bordered on suicide, yet I had allowed her to carry on like I didn't know. Jason had informed me the second she strolled out, and I had given him the order to step down, just to see how deep she was going to go. If my brothers hadn't walked in when they did, if I hadn't followed her, she would be a body on the floor, not a fury throwing punches.

"Zane, you ruined everything!" She yelled while her fists continued to land on my chest. Her hair fell loose from its knot, strands sticking to her sweat-dampened forehead, and her eyes glistened with tears she refused to let fall. I wanted to grab her wrists and shake some sense into her, but I stayed rooted, my arms at my sides. She needed this, needed to burn through the anger before she could hear me enough to understand the danger she was in.

The door behind me creaked, and my hand twitched toward the gun at my hip, but I let it drop as I recognized our company. Damian, Liam, Ethan, and Noah quietly made their way in, my brothers. Relief flickered in my chest, but I kept my eyes on Sienna. She froze mid-swing, her breath hitching as she registered their presence too, her gaze darting past me to the four figures stepping into the light.

They had come because I had called them, partly because I wanted them to see she was not hiding anything that could threaten our empire. She was merely playing with her cards in a very foolish way. Mostly because I knew Sienna's stunt would land her in deeper shit than she could handle. And I was right. Just like Belinda had hinted, she was headed on a deadly path, and I needed the rest to see her for what she was and not misjudge her.

Sienna's fists dropped, but the fire in her eyes didn't dim. "What are they doing here?" She was trembling with something that wasn't just anger anymore. She stepped back, her gaze flicking between me and my brothers.

I couldn't help it, as she acted like our prisoner, caught in the act of trying to escape. I laughed again, the sound echoed in the space.

"What is funny?" She yelled at me.

"You think this was about me ruining your plan?" I said, "You think you were outsmarting everyone, sneaking out to meet that bastard?" I pulled the tablet from my jacket, the screen already glowing with the images I had been sent minutes ago. My thumb swiped across it, pulling up the first photo, and I held it out to her.

Her eyes narrowed, then widened as she took in the image. It was a body sprawled in an alley, blood pooling beneath a shaved head, a rifle lying just out of reach. "See that? He's a hired sniper. One of the three my brothers had taken out around the warehouse before I had even stepped inside." I swiped again, showing her the second, then the third, all positioned to take her out. The second she showed her face after their deal.

Her breath hitched, her hand flew to her mouth, and for the first time, I saw the realization hit her. She knew she had been played. "The Scarred Face Man hadn't come to give you answers; he had come to end you. You trusted them. You thought you could walk into their trap and walk out with secrets."

I stepped closer, close enough to feel the heat of her, to see the way her lips trembled, the way her eyes flickered with shame and fear. "If I hadn't followed you, and we were not here, you would be dead."

She shook her head, her hands balling into fists again, but she didn't swing this time. Her gaze dropped to the tablet, then back to me, and I saw the fight drain out of her. "I... I didn't know," she whispered.

Damian stepped forward. "You're in deep, Sienna," he said, "Deeper than you can realize. The cartel you're tangled with doesn't play trivia games. You're either with us, or you're with them. Pick a side. Now."

Her eyes flicked to him, then to Liam, Ethan, Noah, and back to me. I could see the gears turning in her mind.

"I..." She swallowed, then pulled out a flash drive from her bag. She held it out, her fingers shaking while her eyes locked on mine. "This is everything I have been keeping. Names, dates, locations. The cartel's plans. I thought... I thought I could use it to get out and be free."

"You're not free yet, but you're with us now. That's a start." Liam snorted,

Damian pushed off the crate. "About time she picked a side," he muttered, but there was no real venom in it anymore. Ethan and Noah nodded.

"We need to move," Noah said, glancing at the door. "This place isn't safe. They will know she didn't die, and they will come for her again."

I nodded, my hand resting on Sienna's arm, guiding her toward the door. She didn't resist, but I felt the tension in her, the way her muscles coiled under my touch. She was scared, maybe even ashamed, but she was with us now. That was enough. For now.

I kept my hand on her arm, not tight, but firm enough to let her know I wasn't letting her out of my sight again.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see that the screen showed an unknown number. The text was short, but the content was all I needed.

My grip tightened on Sienna's arm, and she looked up at me, questioning, "What is it?"

"Belinda's in trouble. They know you betrayed them."

"Oh my God!" Sienna screamed, clasping a palm over her mouth.

֍ ֍ ֍

ZANE.

My body reverted to Sienna's tantrum, her fists pounded the headrest in front of her, each was a dull thud that echoed in the vehicle. Her screams pierced through the silence nonstop.

"You're just going to keep sitting there, Zane. You don't care that they have got Belinda?" Her voice cracked as she twisted in her seat.

I gripped the armrest, speeding through the streets. Sienna didn't understand and despite how hard I wanted to explain, she couldn't. The cartel wasn't some street gang we could storm with guns blazing. They were a calculated group whose every move played was designed to draw blood. Rushing into their hideout would be like walking into their plan. Belinda was alive, for now. That was the only leverage we had, and I wasn't about to squander it on Sienna's impulsive rage.

"Zane, say something. I hate this unbothered silence." Sienna's voice hit a new pitch, loud enough to make my ears ring. She slammed her palm against the seat, "We need to go now! She's my sister!"

Damian, who was behind the wheel, let out a low whistle, hunching his broad shoulders. His eyes flicked to mine in the rearview mirror, but he didn't say a word. He didn't have to; I knew that look. He was one frayed nerve away from snapping. "This chick's going to make me crash," he muttered, barely audible over Sienna's yelling.

I didn't respond since my gaze was fixed back on her, whose face Sienna was flushed, with fury out of fear for Belinda's fate. Her hands trembled as they balled into fists. I wanted to pull her close to tame that wildness. But that was a dangerous thought. Not when she was out of comprehension of what the danger was.

I needed to focus on the cartel's method of operation, which was always the same. They bait, trap, then eliminate. They had taken Belinda to lure us into making a mistake. I could see it unfolding in my mind, their hideout, which was always a nondescript warehouse on the edge of the city with snipers. Men who would kill without blinking. I had made the same call enough to know the playbook. They wanted us emotional and reckless. Sienna was giving them exactly what they needed.

"Zane!" Her scream snapped me back. She lunged across the seat, her fingers touching my jacket. "Why aren't you listening? We have to save her."

I caught her wrists. "Sienna, stop for a minute. You're not thinking straight. If we go in now, we're dead. Belinda's dead. You want that?"

Her eyes widened, a flash of hurt cutting through the anger. She yanked her hands free. "Don't you dare put that on me," she hissed. "You're the one who's stalling. You're supposed to call the shots, right? So why are you acting like a spineless..."

"Enough!" Damian's voice cut her off. He jerked the wheel slightly, the SUV swerving just enough to make us sway. "I'm done with this noise." His hand dipped into the console, and before I could react, he pulled out a sleek tranquilizer gun. The move was practiced like he had done it repeatedly. He caught my eye in the mirror again. He had a single raised brow asking for permission.

Sienna was too caught up in her fury to notice. I gave Damian a subtle nod quickly. He didn't hesitate as he pressed on the tranquilizer gun, it hissed off a soft puff of air, and a dart buried itself in Sienna's thigh.

She froze, her mouth half-open, "What the-" she managed to say before her eyes fluttered. Her body slumped, and I caught her just as her head dropped forward. Her head fell on my shoulder. I adjusted her carefully, cradling her neck so it wouldn't strain. The silence that followed was rewarding for our despicable action.

Damian let out a long, exaggerated sigh as he relaxed his shoulders. "Thank Christ," he muttered, tossing the tranquilizer gun back onto the console. "Women are always a damn mess. Screaming, crying, making everything harder than it needs to be."

I didn't answer. I brushed my fingers through Sienna's hair, the strands felt silky under my touch. She looked peaceful now since her features had softened. The angry fire in her eyes was now hidden behind her closed lids.

My chest tightened in a pull I couldn't ignore. She was beautiful, even in her chaos, and that was the problem. She made me feel things I couldn't afford to feel. Not now. Not when the cartel was waiting for us to slip.

The thought didn't stop me from tracing the curve of her jaw with my eyes. I memorized the way her lips parted slightly as she slept. She was a damsel, sure, but not the kind who waited quietly for rescue. She was a fighter and I was her anchor whether I liked it or not.

Damian kept talking, his voice distracting me from my vain thoughts. "You gotta admit, she's got guts. Stupid, but gutsy. Charging into a cartel hideout? Your girl's got a death wish." He chuckled, shaking his head. "You sure you can handle her, man?"

I ignored him, my focus back on Sienna. Her snore grew softer, and I shifted to keep her steady as the SUV hit a bump. My hand lingered in her hair, and I let myself imagine, just for a second, what it would be like to wake up to that sound every morning.

I shoved the thought down, locking it away. The cartel didn't care about my feelings, and neither could I.

My mind drifted back to the problem at hand. Belinda. The cartel had her, and they weren't playing for small stakes. They had taken her to send a message that we couldn't double-cross them without a reaction. One wrong step, and we'd all be dead.

The city became flooded with sensory light as we reached the penthouse. Damian pulled into the underground garage, the SUV's tires squealing faintly on the polished concrete. Sienna stirred, letting a soft murmur escape her lips, but she didn't wake. I lifted her carefully, her body felt light in my arms, and carried her toward the elevator. Damian followed silently.

The elevator hummed as it climbed, the numbers ticking up too slowly. Sienna's head rested against my chest, her breath warmed through my shirt. I caught myself watching her again.

The elevator dinged, the doors sliding open to the penthouse entrance. I carried Sienna to the leather couch just inside, laying her down gently. Her hair fanned across the cushion, and I resisted the urge to brush it back. Damian leaned against the wall, watching me with a smirk. "You're in deep, brother," he said. "Hope you know what you're doing."

"Shut up," I muttered when Sienna stirred. She shouldn't be up until we have a plan ready. That was the only way she would forgive us for sending her to sleep without her consent.