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*Joseph*

Once everyone was in the pit, we made it in the middle of the field we had just fought in, Jay doused it with gasoline and lit it on fire. I watched as the smoke roared into the sky. The Italians will know, as will any other guild that attempts to do what Tommasso did. I didnt like letting this darkness out, I didnt plan it this way. When Sandra walked out of that car, the gun was pointed at her. When that man looked at me like he knew the best way to hurt me. When he saw me protect her, he saw my weakness. They all did. That information couldn't leave this field. I wouldn't allow anyone to use her against me. I wouldn't put her in that kind of danger. It had been a long time since I had to do something on this scale. Something to remind these men who Smoke is, and where he came from. That is a darkness I hadn't called on in such a long time. Sure, we had burnt places to cover things up, like the house on the peak. That was mostly to cover our tracks. This was a clear statement. I hope it sticks, at least for a little while. I would like to get back to business as usual. I looked to Jay, emotionless as he watched the men burn in the fire. They weren't good men. They killed, stole, and destroyed. I wasn't weeping for them by any means, but I felt the weight of it. Jay almost looked like he was enjoying it. “Can we go now? We need to get Sunshine home.” I said, trying to break his concentration on the fire. He nodded without speaking and we both headed back towards the trees.

When I walked through the bushes I looked straight at Sandra. She was looking at her hands. She looked up at me but looked away quickly. I figured she was mad at me for not letting her come, and for forcefully putting her behind me. “Hello, Sunshine. Are you okay?” I asked walking over to her and reaching for her hand. She hesitated. That stung some, but eventually reached for my hand. “Are you okay?” I ran my hand down her cheek. “I am fine. Are we leaving now? I can go grab the car.” Her words were fast and nervous. “Sunshine, What's wrong?” I was confused by the way she was acting. She hadn't made me feel like this since the first week after I had brought her to the safe house. I pulled her with me off to the side. “Boss, we need to get out of here.” Henry yelled from the other side of our little camp. “Tell me what’s wrong?” I ignored Henry looking directly at my queen. “How did you get your nickname?” Her question burned in my chest. I didnt know what to say. I looked around to my men. Had someone said something to her about the fire? I looked up towards the sky to look for my smoke signal, to see if she could see it. “That’s what I thought.” she said, walking back towards the car. She turned away from me, walked fast away from me. My body stiffened. The vision of her walking away crippled me. “Sunshine!” I yelled, but she just kept walking. Suddenly Zeus was beside me. “Let’s go Smoke, we have to leave now. Contacts say the police are coming. We need to be gone. We will go straight to the safe house. You can talk to her there.” I looked up at him shaking my head. “I've lost her, she has figured out the darkest part of me, she will leave.” I stood up to walk towards the car and he started to laugh. It pissed me off. I glared at him. “Smoke, she has been around for a while. She has seen all the darkness. She loves you Brother. Just talk to her.” We jumped in the SUV with Henry and Sandra. Jay was driving and Ken was on the passenger side. I told Jackson to stay in the city. I wasn't ready to take him to the safehouse. Jay looked at me, shaking his head. "I think we need all eyes on Tommasso Boss." I nodded, allowing Jackson to come, but he would be sent back as soon as everything was settled. I only allowed Ken to come for Jay. He was a security officer anyway, and we can always use more of those. Especially with the technological intelligence that he has. I sat down beside Sandra and reached for her hand. He hesitated but eventually took mine in return.

“Can we talk in the flower garden when we get home?” I saw her eyes light up at the idea of going there. “We are going home?” She asked almost smiling. “Yes, baby, we are going home for a while. I promised.” She kissed me out of excitement, I think. “I’ll get to see the girls.” She laughed, “I am sick of all of this testosterone. We all laughed. “You never have to leave there again if you don't want to.” I thought my words would comfort her, but she gave me a dirty look. I didnt say anything else about it. “How is Evelyn, Z?” She asked, taking the attention off of her and I. Zeus told her that she was doing well. He hadn't had a lot of time to talk to her lately. That was my fault. I dragged them away when they tried to go visit. I can't wait to have some time away from the violence. We will put Tommasso in the storm cellar. After he is dealt with or traded for peace, I will not be entering into anything more. It's time for a rest. For me, for my men, and for Sandra. She has battled for too long. We will have a large wedding. Maybe a Christmas wedding. I looked down at her. She was now leaning into me. Already losing some of her anger. I hoped anyway.

The drive took a few hours. When we pulled up to the house, the roses had almost stopped blooming around the porch. We missed most of them. Fall is officially here. I was hopeful that our home was ready for Thanksgiving. I had talked to Mrs. Jones about it. I am sure she has made it beautiful. I saw some men standing outside. Security. When we loaded out of the SUV, the other one pulled up moments later that held Tommasso. I told the men to take him to the cellar and asked Sandra to follow me to the greenhouses. She nodded. As we walked, I remembered the time I showed her the greenhouse. When the sprinklers were on, she was naked beneath me. When my hands glided so easily over her wet skin. I instantly started to get excited. I needed to think straight. I had to talk to her. When we got inside, she instantly started walking to the flowers. I stood back and watched her. She floated around, deadheading flowers and smelling them. I could see how happy and comfortable she was to be here. The joy she found just being in here with the flowers. I took my comm out and shut it off. “Turn off your comm. I want to speak with you privately.” I said as softly as I could. She did as I asked. Pulling the comm from her ear, shutting it off, and pushing it into her pocket. “Why did you ask me about my nickname?” I asked abruptly, trying to keep pushing her up on top of the flowers out of my mind. She turned slowly and looked at me. “I know that they call you Smoke because you burn the bodies.” I walked towards her reaching for her hands. “I used to.” I said, pulling her to me. “I got the name because I was a much darker person when all this started. I used to leave Smoke behind, and no one knew who I was. I was like smoke. Still, no one sees me in battle and lives. Today, Sandra, you put yourself in clear view of all of those enemies. They saw you. They all saw you. I never want someone to use you against me again. I never want them to use you to hurt me. From this day forward, they can't see you either. You have to be a ghost, baby. I had to do that today. I did that to make a statement. I haven't done something that dark in a long time. I had to. I had to remind people that I can. That is not me. This...” I placed my hand on her face and pulled her into me, “this is who I am now.” I kissed her hard. She jumped up in my arms wrapping her legs around me tightly. “Take the pain away!”