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Aresius' POV

"Come back home safe to me, my love, I'm waiting for you."

Her parting words rang through my ears as I got out of my car to walk into STAMP.

The main floor was dark; we were closed today because we had to focus on apprehending Kan.

I walked up the stairs, nodding in greeting at the few people that were prepping on the main floor as I passed them

I heard noises coming from all of the different rooms upstairs, and I walked to the surveillance room.

Coincidentally, the place where I had met her for the first time.

I walked inside, noticing Jakob standing at the helm of the room, speaking to two others, while others got the room ready for when we went out.

Jakob nodded at me as I walked in, and I walked towards Karter to talk to him, giving Jakob a chance to finish his conversation.

"Any updates?"

Karter shook his head, his face grim, "We're still prepared for everything to go today. He doesn't know that we've tracked him down but," Karter scratched the back of his head, "There's some odd movement outside of the facility that he's operating out of. I've been handling the arms we need for today. Zion is meeting up with one of Adrik's men right now."

I nodded, "That's fine, you can go handle that, I'll speak to Jakob."

Karter nodded and walked out of the room; I motioned to Jakob with my eyes before leaving as well.

I walked to my office, unlocking the door and discarding my jacket on a chair.

I sat down behind my desk, grabbing the corded phone and dialled a number. I set the phone down, pressing the speaker button, and leaned back in my chair.

"Adler," his voice rang out on the other end.

"Sylvester. You'll be here soon?" I asked him, skipping the pleasantries.

"I'll be there soon. I'm just speaking with the DA, I want to try and get as many prosecutions as we can from whomever we round up today. I also need to finalize another uh...medical professional just in case anything goes south."

"Oscar is ready to go."

"Yes but he might be overworked in the event that anything goes south."

I hummed in agreement and he cleared his throat whilst I heard what sounded like of shuffling papers on his end.

"How's Faye?"

"She's...good," I cleared my throat, "At home. Studying with Josephine for her finals."

"What are your...intentions Adler?" he asked solemnly, "After today? After Kan ceases to exist. Where will you two go from here? Have you thought about your future?"

"Whatever Alette wants. She's my future."

I didn't hesitate in giving him my answer. While Alette was an adult and legally her own guardian, I knew that Sylvester had raised her, and was practically a father figure.

"Good answer," he said slyly, "I'll see you soon."

We hung up the call and I leaned my head back, thinking about Sylvester's question. I didn't lie when I said that it was all up to her.

I was working on myself, doing my part to untangle the web of trauma that was woven in me.

She was about to graduate and I knew that she was a shoo-in for all of the graduate programs that she had applied to. She had dreams she wanted to chase, and I knew exactly how I wanted to expand my business.

I wanted to do less fieldwork, and stick to more supervisory work and private tracking; going into places when I was needed.

I had other investments worked out, and I was working with Jakob to separate the security work into a completely different enterprise, that I knew he was going to be the head of.

Based on where my life was, I could have proposed tomorrow, in a month, in a year or maybe never.

I knew that she wouldn't mind that.

I didn't ever think I would reach this stage in my life: thinking about marriage and having a family.

But the bottom line was, it wasn't something either of us felt that we had to do.

Our love was our own, and if we wanted to take that step, we would.

I wanted to give her the world.

I think I had known that from the first few times we had met.

Along the way, I had realized, that it wasn't the world she wanted.

It was me.

She wanted me and the love that I gave her.

My perfect angel.

So in hindsight, a proposal didn't matter.

I was already devoted completely.

But there was a primal need in me that I couldn't shake off.

The instinct that told me that while marriage wasn't truly necessary for us, it was a tradition that would signify that we were one.

I relaxed my shoulders, breathing out through my nose.

I'd have to take a leaf out of Alette's book and just let happen whatever felt right in the moment.

I checked my phone and read a message from Samar, one of the two men that I had stationed close to our house to keep watch.

It was just an extra precaution I felt the need to take, for my own sanity.

Although Kan had no idea what was going to hit him this evening, and his location was far away from our house, I had to make sure to cover all my bases.

I couldn't even fathom the thought of any harm coming to Alette.

It made me physically ill when she got the smallest of cuts.

I locked my phone and turned my attention to the marked map in front of me. I pulled up a 3D map of the area on my computer and cross-referenced everything to make sure that where we were planning on stationing everyone would be safe.

A knock sounded at my door, drawing me away from what I was looking at.

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing Althea, one of my employees.

She wore a black t-shirt and black pants, her black hair tied high atop her head.

"Adler," she nodded, and I gestured for her to take a seat.

She sat back in the chair, her tattooed arms resting on the arm rests.

"How are you?" I asked her, sitting back in my seat.

"Alive," she answered, raising an eyebrow, "You?"

"Great."

And I meant it, despite my face being void of any emotion.

"Interesting..." she trailed off, playing with her nails.

"Something you want to say?"

She looked at me, her eyes the slightest bit mischievous, which was off character for her.

"So," she leaned forwards, "Word's on the street that the big Boss man is in love."

I rolled my eyes, "You came in here to gossip?"

She glared at me, her sharp eyes narrowed slightly, "I don't gossip Adler, I find the facts," she shrugged, "Besides I've been away for so long on that assignment, I want to know what's been happening here. Is it true?"

I looked back down at the papers on my desk, signing the ones I needed to sign.

"Yes."

I didn't look up at her when I gave her my answer.

She let out a low whistle and I shook my head, still looking down.

"This is quite the turn of events. Next thing you know," I looked up at her finally as she finished her sentence, "Big Bad Jakob is going to fall in love."

I gave her a dry look, and a slightly fond smile played at her lips.

"Happy for you," she said genuinely, "You deserve good things Adler."

I sighed, looking at her face; the eyes of a previously broken and closed-off woman stared back at me.

I saved her from an abusive orphanage when we were seventeen; She was cold, calculating, and the damn best sniper that I had ever seen.

I nodded at her, "You do too."

She chuckled humourlessly, "Probably not," she shook her head, "Have a picture of them?"

I grabbed my wallet, pulling out the picture of Alette that Tai had given me.

I handed it to her and her eyes widened.

She looked down at the picture, then back up at me.

"She's so out of your league bro," Althea said, her mouth slightly open.

I clenched my jaw, and leaned forwards, taking the picture out of hand.

"Leave, Althea."

"No I'm serious....can I meet her? She might even like me better than you," she smirked slyly.

"Get the hell out."

She chuckled, "I'm kidding Adler. She's stunning, but I don't go after married women."

I flipped her off, but didn't correct her.

"Hope I'm invited to the wedding though. Don't worry, I won't make her fall in love with me," she said cockily, standing up and straightening her shoulders, looking even taller than her 5'11 frame.

"I'm going to polish my gun, let me know if you need me to do anything else before leaving," she said, her back to me as she walked out of the room.

"You don't have to come today. You just got back, you can take a break. Kamil is already prepped to come in your place."

She paused at the door and turned around, "No rest for the wicked."

She walked out of the room with one more nod, closing the door behind her.

I sat back in my seat, resting my eyes for a second.

Adrik would show up with his men soon, and so would Sylvester.

It was an odd coincidence that we had pinpointed Kan's location in the first place. We had been getting closer and closer to tracking him doing on account of how sloppy he had been getting. He knew we were on his tail, and he was afraid.

It was only when I had busted a drug ring three weeks ago, and mentioned it to Adrik that he found the connection between the men that I had captured and Kan.

Ricardo Russo had been in partnership with Kan for the past little while, being his supplier and meeting with him every month or so.

It just so happened that my team had apprehended Russo, and Sylvester had worked out a deal with law enforcement to reduce Russo's sentence if he helped us get to Kan.

I stood up and walked to the cupboard in the office, grabbing a pair of black cargo pants, a black shirt and my bulletproof vest.

My phone rang, and I threw the things on top of my chair, grabbing my phone.

I picked up the call immediately, seeing Ada's name flashing across the screen.

"Good afternoon," I said lowly, after clearing my throat.

"Oh hello precious boy! Is this a bad time?" she asked warmly, and I could hear the happiness in her voice.

"Not at all. Is everything alright?"

I leaned against my desk, crossing my arms across my chest, and holding my phone between my ear and shoulder.

"Everything is fine! I just wanted to wish you good luck for today. Sylas told me you boys would be busy with something and I always call him beforehand, so I thought I'd call you as well if you weren't busy."

I felt my throat tighten up; I couldn't speak, but she just continued.

"I apologize if this is awkward," she chuckled gently, "It's just hard as a mother to know that your sons are going to be in a dangerous situations. It'll make me feel better after talking to the two of you before you go."

Son.

My jaw went slack and I had to hold my phone tightly so that it wouldn't drop.

How many nights had I cried myself to sleep as child wanting a family?

"Thank..." my voice caught and I cleared my throat, "Thank you. I appreciate you calling."

"You're just the sweetest!" she sighed, "Be careful tonight, take care of yourself. I know you have a goal in mind...but there are things that are bigger than this; things more important."

I cleared my throat again, "Of course," the corners of my mouth tilted up slightly as I thought about the most important of all the things, "I promised Alette I would help her plant more flowers tomorrow, I need to be back in tact for that."

Ada chuckled, "Well you definitely can't miss that. My granddaughter looks kind at first glance, but she can be a fire breathing dragon when she wants to."

"She's..." I felt my heart pound just at the thought of her, "She's perfect. I'm so madly in love with her Ada. She's everything, and then everything more than that."

I couldn't believe I was confessing everything so candidly to Ada.

Ada sighed contently, "It's your world, and we're all just living in it."

She said the words knowingly, and I swallowed.

I thanked her again, and we said our goodbyes.

I hung up the call and changed into the clothes, securing my vest on tightly. I picked up my phone, clicking on her name in my messages.

I sent the message, knowing I wouldn't be able to speak to her for the next few hours.

I did it more for my sanity than hers I think; I knew she would be overjoyed to receive the message, but I felt so much saner after sending it.

I had to get home to my Alette.

I holstered my weapons and walked out of the office, locking the door behind me.

I walked down the stairs, seeing groups of people scattered here and there; everyone stood with their respective tactical team, discussing their plans.

The air was solemn; everyone was focused on making sure everything went well.

Eyes turned to me as I came into view, and I nodded at my team as I walked by them.

I walked up to Jakob who was standing next to Sylvester, Tai and Karter.

Greetings were passed around, and Jakob turned to me, "The guards will be here with Russo soon. Adrik is also on his way."

I nodded, asking Karter if all of the other materials we needed were set up. He confirmed that they were, and my eyes flitted over to Jerryl, who was sat with his team, as they all typed furiously on their laptops.

Jakob's phone buzzed and he gave me a look, "Adrik's here."

"Let them in," I said to Zion and he nodded, walking towards the back of the building.

Sylvester showed me the screen of his phone, a grim look on his face, "Russo is here with the guards."

"We'll go get them," Tai said, and the two walked out of the side entrance.

Adrik walked in, following behind Zion; he was surrounded by five of his men, and I assumed the rest of them waited outside.

Adrik looked more menacing than ever, his eyes sharp as they met mine.

He nodded his head once in greeting, just as the side door opened. Tai and Sylvester walked in, the sergeant and DA walking in behind them. Two officers and holding guard followed, Ricardo Russo cuffed between them.

Ricardo Russo was a short man with a potbelly and beady eyes. He was balding around the top of his head, his sparing white hair greased back. Even in handcuffs, he carried himself in a manner of self-claimed superiority.

Being the main drug supplier for crime rings had really done wonders for his self-esteem.

Russo wore a suit and looked cleaner than he had last time when I saw him in his scruffy orange jumpsuit. He needed to look the part for our plan to go well today.

Everyone gathered around; I stood at the helm of the room, Adrik on my one side, and Sylvester on the other. Russo stood with his guards beside Sylvester and Tai. Jakob stood beside Adrik.

Eyes were on me as a silence fell over the room. I cleared my throat and addressed everyone.

"We'll be leaving in the next hour or so," I looked around, seeing all the faces in the room, "Before we leave, I want to thank everyone in this room for working so diligently," my voice carried out across the room holding everyone's attention.

I looked towards Jakob, and he nodded, taking over.

"Our target today is expecting a drug shipment," he gestured over to the large wooden crate at the back of the shop, "Zion's team, and some of Adrik's men will be in the box itself. Russo will deliver the box, alongside myself, Ivan and Maxim," he gestured to Adrik's second in command and another one of his men.

"Once we get the first signal from Jakob, Round One will move in," I said as Jakob finished speaking. I looked towards Casey and she nodded.

"Leila, Karter, and myself will lead Round One. Our goal is to safely evacuate all of the individuals that he has imprisoned," Case spoke to the room. She usually led the teams when we went to retrieve people because it was easier for younger kids, women and others to trust a woman like Casey; especially when they had usually been imprisoned and abused by men.

"Based on our surveillance and Intel, there are currently around a dozen women and girls that our target has in the basement of the building. We're unsure if there are more people down there, but once they're safely out of the building, we can signal," Leila added, and I nodded at her.

I looked towards Tai who cleared his throat, "I'll be on the outside, with some of Sylvester's team, as well as the officers that the Sergeant has assigned. We'll ensure that the ones who were imprisoned get to safety. Then we'll double-back and ensure that the people working for our target can also come back in our custody."

He looked towards the Sergeant of the PD, who nodded at me, and I raised my head in acknowledgement.

I looked towards Sylvester, and he nodded in agreement with Tai, before adding, "Tai and I have worked closely with the DA. There's no reason that there needs to be that much bloodshed tonight; we can use the people that are working for our target, arrest them, and use them to apprehend others."

"Kamil and I will set up on the roof at this time, while Adrik's men secure the outside," Althea spoke up, her voice strict, "The members of the PD that are assignment, as well as any other officers on the case will secure the surrounding forested area."

"Once they have been evacuated safely, Karter will signal for us to move in, and it's at that point that Adler and I will face Kan," Adrik bit out the words, venom in his tone as he said Kan's name.

Adrik turned his dark stare towards Russo, "You better not do anything to jeopardize this, Russo, or I'll rip you apart with my bare hands."

Russo gulped slightly, trying to compose himself, and he held his handcuffed hands up as high as he could, "I know when I've been caught, Orlov. I'm old now, I don't have it in me to dodge the law anymore. A bed and three meals a day sounds like a great trade, I'm looking forwards to prison, I wont do a thing. Beside," he shrugged slightly, "I may be a criminal, but I've got some kind of a moral code. I'll gladly take down anyone that uses human beings in the way that Kan does. He's on his last life anyways, he's messed with the wrong groups of people, he's lied and been dishonest with them, stolen money from them. He doesn't have much left."

Adrik bristled slightly, but clenched his jaw, fixing his stare on Russo.

"Our first point of contact will be through Russo, Jakob and Maxim," I brought the attention back onto me, "If anything seems off, listen for the retreat signal. We should be able to hear Jakob and Russo; they'll both be wired up," I surveyed the room again, the determination thick in the air, "Make sure you stay vigilant. Make sure your earpieces are on, Channel One puts you directly through to Jerryl's team who'll be our eyes and ears in the tech van. Oscar is outside in the medic van with the medical team, in the event of anything. Be careful, I want you all back alive and well."

I gave them all one final look, bowing my head down once to show my respect and appreciation.

"Steady on," Jakob said, and motioned with his hands, and everyone started moving to where they needed to be as we headed out.

We got into our respective vehicles and drove to the location, which was an hour or so away.