"Hey Wolf. By any chance do you know this lovely lady?" she was on her knees, her lip bleeding from the beating they'd given her and her eyes were looking up at him. Pleading. She wanted him to save her but knew he couldn't. Still, there was a tiny ray of hope shining in her teary eyes, hoping he'd make her the exception. He looked from her to the man pressing a gun at her temple.

"I don't like games, Damiano. What do you want?"

"I want you to stay on your end of the town and stop hijacking my shipment. Simple"

"And if I don't?"

"Then I kill this puttana right here"

Wolf laughed. "You say that like it's supposed to mean something to me"

"You've been visiting her a lot lately so she has to mean something to you" Damiano said but his voice wavered. For the first time they'd found a bargaining chip to use against Wolf but the man didn't look like he cared. If this didn't work then he and his men were dead for sure.

"So what? I enjoy her pussy once in a while. And that mouth of hers can suck a man to oblivion but that doesn't mean I give a shit about her. Come on Damiano, did you think for a second that I'd gone soft?" Wolf asked, hoping they wouldn't see he was bluffing. It was true that he didn't care about her but he also didn't want them to hurt her. Something pulled at him, asking him to take action before it was too late. But he was known as the Lone wolf. He couldn't afford to care about anyone.

"Well then. Let's test that theory now shall we?" BANG!

---

Jonathan startled awake sweating profusely. He couldn't get that day out of his head no matter how hard he tried. Gradually, it had imprinted itself in his head, keeping him awake everyday. He couldn't shake off the guilt he felt or forget the way Lilith's brains had spread on his shoes. Granted he'd killed that son of a bitch Damiano but it still wasn't enough. He'd said some awful things about Lilith and even though she was a prostitute, she didn't deserve that. At the back of his mind he knew that day would be with him for the rest of his life. He wasn't a saint. He had a lot of demons that haunted him but that particular incident ranked first on the list of his transgressions. Wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, he threw the covers off and swung his legs over the bed.

Now that he couldn't go back to sleep he would have to pass time in the gym. It was the one place that always helped him clear his head. He hit the treadmill with force working his muscles to the extent they screamed in pain but he still kept going. Some days the guilt was easier to live with while others it was worse. All he thought about was that he could have saved her. If he had put his pride aside and not acted like an asshole then he could have saved her. But he didn't and now she was dead because of him. He increased the speed going faster than his legs could carry him. He shouldn't have sought her out the second time. But he'd liked that she didn't ask questions or try to play up to him the way other whores did. Once she was done with her job, she asked for payment then left. All too soon the machine slowed down bringing him out of his dark thoughts. "Are you trying to kill yourself?" Pasquale asked looking at him as if he was a mad man.

"Fuck off!"

"What's crawled up your ass so early in the morning?"

"Can't a man have one moment of peace?"

"Have you tried going to church and confessing your sins?"

"What do you want?" Jonathan gave up trying to get Pasquale to leave him alone. The gym was in an underground part of the house. It took up one part while the other hosted a few cells where they kept their prisoners. Which meant there were no windows but if the idiot in front of him was awake then it meant it was already morning.

"The shipment arrived safely and it's secured at the warehouse. When you aren't feeling so bitchy please go and make sure everything is in order before we send it out"

If it was someone else, they would be dead with a bullet between their eyes if they spoke to him like that. But he and Pasquale had been friends for a long time before they'd joined the organization so he got a pass. "Fine," Jonathan grumbled then left the gym. It wasn't like he needed to work out anyway. He ate well and his work kept him from retaining any fat. Add Wes to the mix and he didn't think he'd ever gain weight or a beer belly. Heading to his room he thought about Jennifer and if she would call him this time.

True he wanted to help her but he also had a motive. If by any chance she accepted his help then she would be helping him too. Maybe by doing this his guilt would lessen.

---------------------

Jenna tossed and turned all night, trying to get comfortable. She'd woken up in the middle of the night due to a very weird dream and hadn't been able to go back to sleep. Jeremiah was down the hall and for a second she was tempted to go to him and fall asleep in his arms. She remembered that when she was with him, her nightmares had been almost non-existent. Not that she'd had a nightmare. No. This was the kind of dream she couldn't stop thinking about. Dare she say it was a sex dream? And a certain person had made an appearance cutting the pleasurable dream short. She didn't want to think about it, which was the reason she kept tossing every few seconds.

Huffing she got up and put on a robe then headed to the kitchen. Since she couldn't sleep anymore, maybe she'd get a head start on breakfast. She took out the pancake batter then stopped torn between berries and bananas. Gracie and Harrison preferred blueberry pancakes while the rest went for banana pancakes. Should she make both or choose one? Her kids were still young and as a mother, it was her responsibility to make them understand that they couldn't have everything they wanted. But they hadn't had easy lives. Maybe just this once she should...

So deep in thought she didn't see Jeremiah come in. He walked over to her and stood beside her appreciating her flushed skin. He'd forgotten how pretty she looked with mussed up hair and a face void of any makeup. His hands moved on their own, brushing her hair aside and before he knew it he was placing a kiss on the crook of her neck. Jenna sighed leaning in to him. He moved behind her running his hands up and down her arms while her body sagged against his. "Jonathan" she whispered, making him freeze.

"What did you say?"

Jenna stood upright realizing it wasn't all in her head. Jeremiah moved into her line of vision making her take a step back. The look in his eyes was chilling. "What- what are you doing here?"

"Did you just call me Jonathan?"

She blinked. Had she? "I- what?"

"Answer me Jennifer. Do you like that bastard?" Jeremiah growled

"It's none of your business. I think you should go back to New York already. Your girlfriend must be waiting for you" She snapped her anger rising. He wasn't her husband anymore which meant she could do whatever she wanted. He had no right to question her. But at the back of her mind, she knew she'd get mad if he mistook her for someone else. Not that she was going to admit that now. Was she?

"Good morning" Zoe whispered the last part looking from one person to the next. They were both fuming, making her wonder why they'd start whatever was going on so early. "Is everything okay?"

Jeremiah spoke first. "Yeah. Fine. I have a meeting with a client today and I have to go" he said, looking at Jenna for an extra full minute before he started moving.

"Are you okay?" Zoe asked again.

"Yeah. What do you want for breakfast?" Jenna tried to change the subject but Zoe wouldn't let her.

"Whatever you're making. What happened between you two? I'm pretty sure you guys were facing off"

"Really Zoe. It's nothing"

"Not good enough. Try again" she said, opening the fridge then pouring herself a glass of juice. Coffee was Chloe's thing not hers.

"I called him Jonathan" Jenna blurted out then regretted it when Zoe choked on her juice.

"You what?" she asked after a few seconds of trying to get air in her lungs.

"Please don't make a big deal out of it"

"Oh Jen. It's not me you have to worry about."

"What do you mean?"

"I suggest you make sure Jere never crosses paths with Jonathan again. My brother can be a caveman sometimes"

"Maybe you're right. When do you think he'll go back home?"

"I don't know. Honestly, we didn't even know he was coming with us until we were at the airport."

"Who are we talking about?" Chloe asked from the doorway, making them both jump in surprise.

"No one" Jenna said way too quickly, giving herself away. What she didn't know was that Zoe couldn't keep secrets from her twin even if her life depended on it.

-----------------------

There were crates filled with guns. This was their normal order but something was off. The moment Jonathan stepped foot in the warehouse he knew something wasn't right. But he was a patient man when it came to business, so he acted like someone who was passing through. Checking everything while walking through and counting in his head. At the end of it he knew what was off. One crate was missing which meant they'd either messed up with the order or someone was being stupid and greedy. Pasquale was beside him smoking while two guards were at the door keeping an eye out for any unwanted company. "All good?" Pasquale asked, looking at the ring of smoke he'd just expelled dissolve into thin air.

"No. Did you check the order before you guys transported it here?"

"Yeah. I'm not a rookie. I know the drill" he replied sounding offended that Jonathan would doubt him

"And did you stay with the shipment all the way here or did you take a detour?"

"I went to the club and let Jonny and Chris do the transportation. What's wrong?" he queried, sobering up.

"We're missing one case."

"Shit"

"Yeah. Normally I'd find out what's going on but with Wes being in town that case better show up or he's going to start dropping bodies"

"Fucking morons. I'll hunt them down and ask what happened"

"Keep it quiet."

"Sure boss man"

Three hours later and everything had turned into a circus. Somehow Wes had caught wind of the missing crate and delayed his flight back to Italy. He demanded to know what had happened and when Jonathan didn't have an answer, he lined up the guys responsible for the transportation the previous night. Currently they were looking down at their shoes like five year olds. "Gentlemen let's keep this simple. Whoever took that crate is going to take a step forward so that the others can get back to work" Wes said casually but Jonathan knew better. Nothing about his partner could be described as casual.

"I'm sure you have important things to do. I'll take care of this" Jonathan said even though he knew Wes was not going to leave. He liked showing off how powerful he was. Sometimes it ended badly when no one cooperated. He had a feeling this was one of those days.

"No. This is a simple matter that shouldn't take more than a few minutes to solve. Right?" he asked the four men who by the looks of it were still fascinated by their shoes.

"Yes sir" they all mumbled.

"Great. Now step forward" Wes said to no one in particular expecting whoever was responsible to come forward. No one did and it seemed to piss him off considering he took out his gun then pointed at the guys.

"Wes" Jonathan started but the other man cut him off.

"No Wolf. You're going soft if your men think they can steall from me"

Gritting his teeth he replied with a curt "Us Wes. This is not just your business. It's mine too"

"Then act like it. My men back in Italy would never even think of stealing let alone go through with it"

"You said it right. Back in Italy. That's your territory and this is mine. Let me deal with my people accordingly" he knew where this was going and as much as he was trying to prevent it, it was inevitable. Someone was about to drop dead.

Wes shook his head looking at Jonathan like he was a small boy and not a grown man. "This partnership goes both ways. What's yours is mine" Jonathan noted that the older man didn't say vice versa. "Anyone?" Wes asked a second before pulling the trigger. The room seemed to freeze. No one dared to breathe or even move a muscle. Wes put a bullet in each one of the guys then turned to Jonathan, disappointment visible in his eyes. "Find yourself loyal men"

"Who's to say the ones you just killed weren't loyal?"

"Because they stole from you...."

Jonathan cut him off "You're not sure about that. You didn't even ask questions or let me investigate this matter"

"That is where you're wrong my friend. I prefer killing first and asking questions later"

"That's the difference between me and you Wes."

He snickered "A difference that undermines your authority. These men need to know who's in charge here. If you don't act like a boss don't expect them to treat you as one"

"I don't appreciate what you just did." Jonathan told him in a cold hard voice

"I don't care. Get your clean up crew in here"

"I don't have one."

"Then get whoever takes care of trash to take this one out."

"Wes, unlike you I don't let my men do the dirty work for me. I take care of my own trash"

"Suit yourself. I'm leaving"

Good riddance. He said on the inside but out loud said "Have a nice flight" Wes nodded then left. Kicking the bodies aside in order to open the door wider.

"Fuck!" Jonathan cursed after the door clicked shut. Dealing with one body was a pain alone and now he had four dead guys in his office with no sign of where the crate went. That was one of the reasons he liked to deal with Wes on the phone. The man was known for his irrationality and bad temper. Yanking the door open he bellowed to whoever was nearby. "Clean the mess in my office". No one was around but there were cameras all over the house which meant his message was heard loud and clear. Marching to his bedroom he slammed the door close then started pacing back and forth in front of his bed.

He had his way of getting rid of people. In fact anyone who crossed him was never heard of ever again. Their bodies disappeared and to this day no police had ever uncovered even one. Wes on the other hand was messy and careless. Now his men had to find a place to bury the four guys or leave them somewhere the cops would find them. There was a chance more of his guys would be caught while trying to dump the bodies which was why he hated his partner's methods. Loyal guys didn't come out of nowhere and contrary to his reputation he didn't like killing people. He had ways to deal with traitors and anyone who knew him knew better than to cross him. Which left the newbies. He stopped. Of course it had to be one of the recent recruits. And if it really was one of them then he had more problems.

Because first of all who decided a recruit should oversee the shipment and second who was this guy that thought it was okay to actually steal from him? Then there was the matter of replacing four guys. Jonathan wanted to punch someone. Preferably someone who looked like Wes, for adding more problems to the ones he already had.

To top it all Jennifer hadn't called yet.

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