My husband’s family never knew I had once been an MMA champion. At my mother-in-law’s BBQ, my brother-in-law poured beer over my head. My husband stood up and told him to apologize to me. He laughed, shoved my husband, then punched him in the mouth. He told me to sit down because it didn’t concern me. Then he grabbed my wrist... and that’s when my sister-in-law started screaming.

The drive back to Oakridge was dead silent. Ryan drove with both hands planted firmly at ten and two, his eyes locked on the road ahead. The rain had intensified, drumming violently against the Subaru’s glass, but inside the cabin, the tension was heavier than the storm outside.

"Did you know?" Ryan asked quietly as we crossed the city limits. "About Derek's gambling?"

"I knew he had debts," I said softly, adjusting the collar of my clean black jacket to hide the bandage Ryan had taped over my arm. "When he used to brag at Thanksgiving about his 'high-yield crypto portfolios,' his tells were identical to the degenerate high-rollers in Reno. The sweating palms, the oversized gold watches bought on credit, the frantic checking of live scores on his phone under the table. But I never imagined he was laundering through Victor."

"He put a target on you," Ryan whispered. "He put a target on my mother."

"He put a target on everyone who could be leveraged to keep his neck out of a noose," I replied. "That ends tonight."

Ten minutes later, the Subaru crested the hill of Diane’s gated neighborhood.

The sprawling two-story colonial estate was ablaze with lights. In the curved driveway sat Derek’s black BMW, alongside a sleek, unmarked black Cadillac Escalade with tinted windows and California plates.

Ryan slowed the car, his jaw tightening. "That Cadillac... that's not Derek's."

"Victor's advance scout," I deduced, narrowing my eyes. "Victor didn't wait. He sent an enforcer to Diane's house as collateral just in case Marco failed."

"What’s the play?" Ryan asked, reaching for his sidearm.

"We don't draw iron on Diane's front lawn," I said. "Victor’s man is inside, likely playing the role of an 'associate' collecting Derek's debt while terrorizing the family. We walk through the front door like nothing happened. We take control of the room. And we make Derek confess in front of his mother."

Ryan pulled the car to the curb, killed the engine, and took a deep, steadying breath. He reached over, took my hand, and squeezed it tightly.

"Three years ago, you asked me if I could handle being married to someone with your scars," Ryan said, looking into my eyes. "I told you I loved the woman who survived them. That hasn't changed, Elena."