Page 78 of Blood in the Water

Ciel was right. I was in deep.

He had every right to be suspicious. Iwasacting out of character. Just being around her made me feel like an entirely different person. Light. Hopeful. My singular purpose for existence stretched wider and wider every time I watched herfurrow her eyebrows in worry. Or when I caught her muttering to herself with plans for how to take Volpe down.

I don’t think she realized it, but she talked to herself, which was adorable.

She was not only beautiful, she was brilliant. A rough-cut gem that her father purposefully hid away. Her brain was always working, her eyes always watching. I didn’t miss how she asked Ciel to point out how every one of his programs worked and how she watched him write code for an hour just trying to understand what he was doing.

I also didn’t miss how Ciel grew increasingly comfortable with her. His speech became more level, less restrained. He didn’t seem to mind when she bent over his chair and looked over his shoulder. I had watched as the two of them poured over Ciel’s digital maps and tried to draw boundaries around the Italian territories. She had a rough idea of the headquarters for each of the other five families—based on where she’d attended parties or events in the last two years—but Ciel was certain those territories had gone through significant shifts. Even the territory she thought fell under her father’s jurisdiction was outdated. In reality, it was much smaller than she remembered. Eventually, they had landed on a plan for where to plant his cameras.

Leona wastryingto think three steps ahead; she was just hamstrung by her limited access to resources. If we gave her those resources? Unlimited potential.

Surely, my brothers would see that.

I turned the water off and stepped out of the steam, wrapping a towel around my waist. The shower did me good. My body could finally relax. The clock on my nightstand read 5 pm. There were still a few hours until darkness. Pulling on a pair of sweatpants, I collapsed on the bed, this time ready for sleep.

Just as my mind drifted off, my phone buzzed on its charger. A message from Ryuji to our group chat.

Ryuji: Tadaima. Landed in NY. Have some business.

Obi: Okaeri. Welcome home. Check your email asap.

Ryuji: Clubs first. I’ll pick a new contract soon.

Ciel: Working all night.

I sighed, watching as Ryuji sent a selfie of him on the private jet with a scotch in hand.

He hadn’t told us he was on his way back. He usually never kept us up to date on what he did. Ryuji was the kind of person who asked for forgiveness, not permission, and it bothered me. Weren’t we supposed to be brothers? A group that relied on one another?

I hadn’t told him and Obi that Leona was staying with us. Temporarily.

Ryu would be angry, no doubt about it. He had already expressed displeasure at the idea of a contract with Leona. While bringing her here was a spur-of-the-moment decision, I didn’t have much choice in the matter. Not when Ciel was high out of his mind.

I dug my thumbs into my eyes, trying to think. Giving Ryu a heads-up might give him time to cool down.

Then again, he’d probably skip whatever business he had planned at the clubs and head here. He never backed down from a fight.

I deleted my half-drafted message. The surprise would serve him right if he wasn’t going to telluswhat he was up to.

Wynn: Working too. See you tomorrow.

I could keep Leona out of his way until tomorrow after he’d had a good night’s sleep. He was always cranky when he was tired anyway.

Another message chimed in, this one from Ciel, in a private chat between us.

Ciel: You’re dealing with that shit if it blows up in your face. I’m Switzerland.

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t blame him. It was my decision, and I owned it.

Wynn: Fine.

Then I remembered the look on Ciel’s face when he walked in on us. The darkening of his eyes, the hitch in his breath. Slowly, he’d warmed up to Leona throughout the afternoon. I decided to tease him a little.

Wynn: Guess you’d rather observe than take part. Too bad. You looked like you got along with Leona quite well.

The three little dots appeared, disappeared, appeared, disappeared for minutes before he gave up entirely.

I chuckled, reattaching my phone to the charger and laying back down.