Anything familiar belongs to Janet. Mistakes are mine alone.

Not having Tank as my immediate backup felt like a new pair of jeans ... not bad, just something that takes a minute to get used to. I trust my Miami guys or they wouldn't be working for me, but only a select few will I trust with my family. I didn't have to ask Tank to fly to Miami to watch over my wife and daughters, he instinctively knew I needed him to.

My phone buzzed and I knew it was Stephanie without having to check.

"Espada's still there," she told me.

I fought a smile, hearing Olivia's baby-babble in the background. As much as Steph wanted to be here with me, I wanted to be back there with them.

"I know," I told her. "We've been staking out the place. He is there and currently not alone. My instincts are telling me to give it another minute to move in."

"Be careful. Nothing bad can happen to you."

"Nothing will. Espada is the one who should be worried right now."

I could feel her grin through the phone. "He can't be worried ... he doesn't have a friggin' clue what's about to hit him. We are that good."

"Yes, we are. Take care of the girls and go easy on Tank. I'll call when I have this wrapped up."

"Or tied up," she corrected.

A dead man doesn't require restraints, but she doesn't need to know that Espada's fate was sealed the second he sent a boy to do a man's job.

As Steph was leading the charge to track down Cedric Borrego, or as he'd like to be known 'Espada', I was finding out who I'd taken out in the apartment across from Shiv's. He was a low-level lowlife by the name of Ajay Maddock who was reportedly angling for a higher rung on the crime-ladder. Had I known the target, it wouldn't have changed how I acted, but thankfully he was an asshole without kids or wife to mourn him.

"Or tied up," I repeated. "How are the girls?"

"As you can hear ... Olive is using Tank as an interactive play mat. And Julie is helping Javelin with his homework. You know he's trying to get his degree in psychology."

I do know. His interest in the field is another reason I hired him. It never hurts to have another set of ears and eyes watching for any warning signs or red flags among the men.

"I'll be ruining Olive and Julie's fun when I'm home before they're finished playing and tutoring," I replied.

"No, you'll be making their day and mine. Make sure you make it back," she ordered me.

"I will. Love you."

"I know, but your daughters and I love you more."

Her words acted like Kevlar to me. I trust my abilities and my team, but knowing I have her and our girls to go home to, automatically made me more determined to. As soon as Smith and I saw the redhead leave - who did match the description of the woman Steph pissed off to get us here - we left the vehicle I'd parked out of sight of the innocent-looking, two-story home.

We didn't even need the actual address Stephanie got us for the place Espada was using like a hotel room while in town, we could've just followed Lydia Copeland. Once her temper got the better of her, she would have led us straight to another very-recent ex of hers judging by the way she stormed out on Espada and slammed the security door with finality behind her.

Smith and I exchanged looks that said the same thing, ol' Cedric is lucky she didn't shoot him.

"Remind me never to piss off that wife of yours," Smith told me. "As far as I know, Stephanie was only on the phone with Copeland for three minutes. It's impressive that one-hundred-and-eighty seconds produced that result."

"I don't need to remind you to tread lightly around Steph, she'll do it herself. Let's roll."

Seeing as we know Espada's home and probably now in a bad mood, suffering from a serious case of blue balls thanks to my wife's unique way of obtaining information, 'surprising' him was the preferred way of introducing ourselves.

Launcher and Álvaro appeared like smoke behind us and went to cover the door and windows at the back of the house so there will be absolutely no chance of escape. No one puts my family's or my life in danger without learning that it's something you'll regret and never live to forget ... if I am feeling generous and allow the fuckers to live. As a Ranger, I'm expected to move further, faster and fight harder than any other Soldier, and that doesn't end when I leave a battlefield.

The barrel of my weapon, and three more as Launcher and Álvaro - along with Smith - backed me up, was what Espada encountered as he rounded a corner, coming out of what I learned was the kitchen from the scan I did of the layout of the home belonging to a deceased uncle that's been off the market for less than a week before it became infested with street vermin.

"Fuck! Manoso ...?" His voice shook out, subtly attempting to back away while trying to locate something to defend himself with.

And people wonder why I remain armed at all times, sleeping or awake?

"Did you think I wouldn't retaliate for an attempt on my life?" I asked, my tone telling him exactly why that was a mistake.

"This ain't got nothing to do with you ..."

He stopped talking when my finger started tightening. "I disagree. Whoever you send to 'speak' for you, you're responsible for. As the leader of any organization, you answer for what you order."

"I ..."

"You what? Haven't been trying to kill an associate of mine? You didn't threaten an innocent woman and her children to make a point? You didn't send an undisciplined disciple to do your dirty work? Anyone who has gone up against me knows that if you want to kill me, you'd better accomplish it the first time out because there won't be a second."

He looked nervous, clearly not in any position to take over Shiv's grocery list, never mind his territory.

"Go ahead, asshole," Launcher goaded, his accent almost disappearing, "piss him off more ... and only the devil will find what's left of you."

Big talk, but talk I can back up with my eyes closed and two hands out of commission. Launcher knew exactly what he was doing, and his mouthed 'De rien' - a 'you're welcome' equivalent - was unnecessary. If Espada wanted to prove he's at least half a man, he'd have to do something to defend his pride and dick-size.

His lunge was predictable and so was my reaction to it. My view of right and wrong made a shot in the back, beyond a joking fashion, a coward's action ... so having Espada try to duck below my Glock's aim while going for a midsection tackle that wouldn't get him shot by any of my men for fear of me being hit, had me grinning as I made his head separate in two. If you mess with me and mine, you'd better be ready to pay the ultimate price.