Damon stood outside the warehouse.The building loomed before him, dark and menacing. His body was broken. His ribs ached. His leg throbbed. His knuckles were wrapped in fresh tape. His right eye was swollen from the beating the night before. But his mind was clear. His heart was steady.He was ready.Rachel appeared beside him. Her face was pale. Her eyes were worried."Are you sure about this?" Rachel asked. "You can still walk away.""I can't walk away. Tommy is in there.""I know. But you could die. They're not going to make this easy. There are five of them. One of them is a killer. You won't know which one until it's too late."Damon looked at her. His eyes were hard. "Then I'll figure it out."Rachel nodded. Her voice was quiet. "I found Tommy. He's in the basement. They're keeping him there. He's alive. He's hurt. But he's alive."Damon's heart raced. "Thank you.""Don't thank me. Just win."She disappeared into the shadows. Damon walked toward the warehouse door.The warehou

~Hospital~Damon lay in the bed, his body wrapped in bandages. His ribs were cracked. His leg was fractured. His right eye was swollen shut. His knuckles were raw and bloody. But he was alive. He was awake. He was healing.Tommy sat in the chair beside him. His face was bruised. His lip was split. His eye was swollen. But he was smiling."You look like hell," Tommy said."You look worse."Tommy laughed. A broken, hoarse sound. "Yeah. Probably."Damon tried to sit up. Pain shot through his body. He fell back against the pillows."Easy," Tommy said. "The doctor said you need to rest.""I don't care what the doctor said.""Of course you don't."Damon looked at his friend. His best friend. His brother. The man who had been beaten and broken but never gave up."Tommy," Damon said. "I'm sorry. For everything. For pushing you away. For not trusting you. For being a terrible friend."Tommy shook his head. "You already said that. At the warehouse. I heard you.""I mean it.""I know." Tommy lea

The gym opened on a rainy morning.Damon stood at the door, watching the rain fall. The streets were empty. The city was quiet. The smell of wet floors and fresh paint filled the air.Lucy stood beside him. Her hand in his. Her eyes were bright."Daddy, are people going to come?"Damon looked at her. His heart swelled."I don't know, sweetheart. But even if they don't, we'll still have each other."Lucy nodded. "That's enough."Damon smiled. "Yes, sweetheart. That's enough."The first student arrived an hour later.A boy. Twelve years old. Thin. Bruised. His clothes were too big. His eyes were too old. He stood in the doorway, shifting his weight from foot to foot."Are you Mr. Corso?"Damon nodded. "I am. What's your name?""Marcus. Marcus Johnson."Damon knelt down. Looked the boy in the eyes."Marcus, do you want to learn how to fight?"Marcus nodded. His voice was quiet. "Yes, sir."Damon stood up. Led him to the ring."Then let's get started."Tommy arrived at noon.He walked thr

Damon Corso has won everything — his daughter, his freedom, his peace. But when Viktor, the man who nearly killed him in his first fight, comes begging for help to save his own kidnapped daughter, Damon must decide: walk away from the violence for good, or step back into the underground one last time. Two fathers must unite to save a child from the same darkness that nearly destroyed them both. ♥Chapter 0ne♥: The Training BeginsThe morning sun streamed through the windows of the gym.Damon stood in the center of the ring, watching Viktor warm up. The man was slower than he remembered. More cautious. His movements were careful, deliberate, like a man who had been broken and was still learning to trust his body.Two years ago, Viktor had been a monster in the ring. Two years ago, he nearly killed Damon. Now he was just a broken father, desperate to save his daughter.Damon's heart ached. He knew that feeling. He remembered it well."Your footwork is sloppy," Damon said.Viktor stoppe

Damon stared at the text on his phone."We know about the warehouse. We know about the plan. We know about everything. You have twenty-four hours to back out. If you don't, we'll kill her. And then we'll kill you. — The Morettis"His blood ran cold. His hands shook. His heart pounded in his chest. Someone had betrayed them. Someone close. Someone who knew everything.His mind raced through the possibilities. Viktor? No. Viktor would never betray his own daughter. Rachel? She had risked everything to help. Tommy? His best friend. His brother. The man who had stood by him through everything. Cruz? He had been loyal for years.Someone else. Someone who had access to their secrets. Someone who had been watching them. Listening to them.Damon's eyes fell on Lucy. She was sitting on the steps of the gym, playing with her stuffed rabbit. Around her neck was a small gold locket. The pendant Seraphine Draven had given her. The one Lucy never took off. The one she wore everywhere — to school, t