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"Fine, three it is." I gritted out.

"Good boy," Rinaldo cooed before ending the call abruptly.

Craig caught my attention, raising one brow in question.

"Rinaldo agreed to the meet." I told him.

"That was fast. We just sent out word last night." He said. "You think he got word before what went down last night?"

"It would be a hell of a coincidence if not, but I don't think we can know for sure. You think Rich had a chance to fill the Princess in on our plan?" I asked, nodding toward where she was fluffing the pillows behind Rich on the couch.

Craig shrugged, following my gaze. "Only one way to find out."

I nodded, blowing out a breath before we moved in unison toward the others.

"We have the meet," I spoke, causing the four of them to snap their attention to me. "Three o'clock today."

Rich shifted forward on the couch like he intended to stand before Victoria pressed her hand gently to his chest.

"You're not going anywhere." She told him. "You need to rest and heal."

"She's right," I added. "Leighton will stay here with you and the Princess. Craig and Joey will come with me to the meeting. If everything goes the way we hope, we'll have bought the Princess's freedom by the time we get home."

"Good," Victoria nodded, shocking the hell out of me.

"I guess he did get a chance to talk to her," Craig chortled.

I pulled my Porsche into the gravel parking lot of the Cobra at ten til three. Craig, Joey, and I all climbed from the car before walking shoulder to shoulder into the bar. My eyes narrowed as I caught sight of Rinaldo in a booth near the back, his arm sprawled across the top of his seat while he chatted with one of his men.

"Ah, you made it." He grinned when we stopped beside the table. "Have a seat. I suspect we have a lot to discuss."

Joey slid into the seat opposite Rinaldo, followed by me, then Craig. Once we were settled, Craig waved his hand to catch Mag's attention. She nodded in acknowledgment before grabbing three glasses and pouring two fingers of whiskey into each.

"Gentlemen," she said in greeting as she placed the glasses in front of us. "You know the rules."

Craig mumbled an agreement that seemed to appease her, and she strolled back to the bar.

"So," Rinaldo started. "You have my property."

"We do." I gritted out. "Though I'm curious how much you paid for her. She's quite the prize. We'd be happy to take her off your hands more permanently."

Rinaldo's arm dropped from the back of his bench seat, and he leaned forward. "That is an interesting offer, but I fear you're mistaken. She was a gift. It would be rude of me to let her go to someone else."

Craig and Joey stiffened on either side of me. "A gift? That's not what we've heard." I replied, keeping my face blank.

"Yes, a gift, Casadei. Unlike you, our Don knows how to properly reward our loyalty."

"And if I offered your Don double what he paid for the girl? Would he still allow you to keep yourreward?" I pressed.

"You know as well as anyone, Casadei, there is no getting to the Don." Rinaldo snorted.

"Oh, that's right." I said with a malicious grin. "Not even the Jackals know who their boss is. You're his second in command and not even you know who's running the show."

Rinaldo's eyes narrowed, his palms pressing against the worn wooden table as he leaned closer. "And yet, we've managed to interfere with horsemen business, what? Four times in the last month? It seems knowing who the boss is hasn't stopped your men from betraying you."

"And it seems yours hasn't bothered to step in and ensure you reclaim your gift." I snarled. "You've been relegated to threatening texts and murdering cops in a weak attempt to intimidate her into your clutches."

"I'd hardly call showing her who she belongs to threatening." Rinaldo laughed, his posture relaxing slightly. "Though it seems it is a lesson she has yet to truly learn. I canonly imagine what she's done to garner such intense interest from you, Casadei, but whatever it is, is no matter. She belongs to me, and I expect to have her returned."