Page 116 of Blood in the Water

Ryuji sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We got Caspian back tonight. He’s in the guest room with Leona and Willow.”

Quickly, he filled me in on what they’d found about Luciano Vero and how they’d escaped Volpe at the Vero mansion. My hands fisted at my sides. I tucked them into my pockets so he could not see. This was a surprise, indeed. I’d always believed Vero to be one of the more upstanding Italian heads.

But he could not have maintained all these nefarious ventures alone.

“Where are Wynn and Ciel?”

“They went to shower.”

“And you?”

“I… can’t.”

With a sigh, I folded my arms over my chest. “Ryuji, I have known you for ten years. I know you well enough to see that you are deeply upset.”

He swallowed. I’d never seen him look so affected before. “She saved me.”

My lips thinned. Ryuji had always been on his own. She’d unsettled him, throwing him for an unexpected loop.

Had she had that effect on Wynn and Ciel?

I needed to gauge the rest of my brothers and see what was going through their heads. Pulling out my phone, I sent a text to our group chat.

Obi: We need to talk. Come to the kitchen.

Within a minute, all four of us stood around the kitchen island. Ciel looked frustrated, but most of that was probably projected inward as he typically did. Wynn shifted on his feet and tapped his fingers rapidly on the counter, outwardly showing the anxiety I buried. Ryuji oscillated between scowling and passively staring off into the distance.

When I hoped that Leona would find a place amongst us, and I had carefully planned to link us together, I didn’t realize that so profoundly, so quickly, she would have worked her way into their hearts. But it was clear that was what had happened.

For a split second, my cold heart beat just a little quicker. Would she do the same to me?

“Ryuji filled me in on the events of this evening.” I leaned my palms on the countertop. “Tell me what you are thinking and feeling about this.”

Wynn crossed his arms. “Leona’s been put in a terrible position. How could her father do that?”

Terrible, indeed. Even though I didn’t know what events would lead to this moment, I felt we’d reach a pivotal turning point. From this point forward, Leona’s choices may affect all of us. “Has she expressed what she wants to do next?”

He shook his head. “She barely said a word. Willow stitched up her arms, but she hasn’t wanted to come out of her room since then.”

Herroom. A place among us, indeed.

Beside Wynn, Ryuji’s hands clenched into fists.

“Do we know if she still wants to take out a contract?” I doubted she’d want to give up and roll over, but her world had been pulled out from under her again. Would she respond as I expected?

“I don’t know, but...” A slight pink colored Wynn’s cheeks.

“But, what, Wynn?”

He met my gaze across the island. “But I hope she doesn’t want to leave.”

Wynn had changed because of her. In him, I saw glimmers of our future. Since I first saw her, I hoped she might resonate with us. It looked like she already had. Did the rest of them see that? “What do we know about her financials?”

“I’ve looked into her funds like she asked me to, but Volpe has them pretty locked down,” Ciel replied. “I could access them if I had the time and focus.”

“And what about the footprint from this evening?”

“I wiped everything.” Ciel rubbed his eyes. “Volpe can’t trace us back here. She’s safe.”