Please. Not her. Please not her, God. I can’t. I can’t.
Enzo moved to stand beside me.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said. “We can see if it’s her—”
“No,” I said softly. I shined my light on the body in the bed.
Bile burned my throat as I saw the blonde strands. Most of the hair had been burned away, but a single lock still hung to the metal bed frame. There was no way in hell I’d be able to tell if it was her just by looking at the body. But the blonde hair. My queen had blonde hair.
With shaking hands, I reached out and touched the charred body’s hand, taking in the wedding ring.
“No,” I whispered. “No. No. NO!”
My body shook as I moved to grasp my girl’s burned face. The necklace Vin had given her was around her neck, right along with that fucking metal collar.
“NO! NO!” I couldn’t stop screaming it over and over.
I tried to break her free from the bed. The rope had long since burned away, but the metal razor remained embedded deep into her burned skin.
“No,” I sobbed, tugging at her.
“Fuck. Come on. Dominic—” Enzo tried to pull me away from her, but I shoved him, breaking my queen out of the bonds that held her. Bits of her charred skin clung to me as I cradled her in my arms, sobbing.
Vincent fell to his knees before me, his tears silent as he stared at me holding her.
Levin was next to fall to his knees. He reached out and took Bianca’s hand in his as a small cry left his lips.
“Bumblebee. No, baby. No,” he wept.
Vincent hung his head, his body shaking as he cried.
We stayed that way forever it seemed, lost in our grief.
Finally, Enzo’s soft voice broke through.
“Dominic. Let’s get her out of here. We can’t stay here,” he said gently.
I nodded, and with shaking hands, placed her back on the bed and took off my leather jacket. I wrapped it around her tightly as Levin took his jacket off and wrapped it around her legs. What were left of her legs. Vin removed his jacket and covered her face.
Wordlessly, I lifted what was left of my wife into my arms and walked slowly out of the room. The horsemen stepped aside for us as we left.
I didn’t stop moving until we’d reach the car.
Levin opened the trunk, and I placed her body gently inside before closing the lid.
We stared silently at the space she was enclosed in.
“I’m sorry,” Fox said, breaking the silence. “She didn’t deserve this. She was a good girl.”
“She was the best girl,” Vincent choked out, wiping at his eyes.
“She really was,” E said gently.
“We’ll get them. We’ll kill them all,” Enzo said fiercely. “We won’t stop until every Russian mob motherfucker is dead. I vow it to you, brother.”
I finally turned to look at him.
“They wanted a war,” I whispered, the rage and revenge welling inside me, overtaking everything I was. It was all I could see. Taste. Smell. Feel.I was fucking revenge.