Page 109 of Caught in the Crossfire

“I’ll be your second,” I conceded. “I’ll help you hold the Camorra off. I’ll distract them. I’ll help you hide your crimes. I’ll follow your commands and do everything you ask of me, but I will not marry Leona.”

He leaned forward. “I thought you’d want to marry her. She certainly wants to marry you. She’s never hidden that.”

“I have no interest in marrying her,” I said with a flick of my wrist. “She’s my sister, my friend, and nothing more.”

The words were ash coming out of my mouth, but it was the best I could do for now. Divert his attention from Leona. Keep her path to freedom available until I figured out how the fuck to get her out of here.

Luciano tilted his head to the side as he considered my offer. “If you ever try anything against me, Maximiliano, I will destroy you like the boy you are. I am the Don. I control this city, and everyone in it. There is no way you can bring me down, and it would be foolish to try.”

He would use Leona against me. He would threaten her safety in order to get me to comply. He would be on high alert, expecting me to attack him at every turn. There’s no way I’d catch him unaware now.

My plans were crumbling around me. I had to go back to the drawing board.

He’d won the battle, but I would win the war.

“I understand, sir.”

“Good. Now, go. I expect you back in my office tomorrow to plan our next steps. We’re going to need a way to keep the Camorra out of our hair.”

I walked out of his office in a daze. I didn’t even try to check on Cas or Leona upstairs. I just had to get away from the Vero estate before I imploded.

The drive back to my house was hazy. It wasn’t until I had collapsed on my bed that it sank in. I was so fucked.

36

LEONA

Inever thought I’d walk back into this fucking house without intending to destroy it. I’d pictured it before. After I’d killed Max and retaken control of our Family’s assets, I’d waltz in here and take all of his father’s best liquor. Ryuji wouldadorethe scotch collection.

Then, I’d save all the pictures of Max’s mom and my mom together. They’d been as close as sisters, and it had always comforted me—even delusionally—that they had died together.

After that, I’d take all the weapons. One could never have too many, and who the fuck cared which weapons belonged to whom. They’d be functional enough in our weapons closet at the penthouse.

Once I’d reclaimed every piece of value from this house, I would douse it in gasoline and toss a match inside. It could burn, along with every painful memory that existed here.

But when I walked inside the doors, Cas at my side and the rest of my men following close, all I felt was a sad sorrow.

It was such a big, empty house. Lonely and cold.

“I’ve asked the men to stay away for an hour,” Max said as he led us inside. He wore his regular suit trousers butsansjacket,instead favoring the crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled past his forearms. “We won’t be bothered.”

No, I’m sure he didn’t want his men bothering us. I wonder what they thought of this secret, clandestine meeting? I could just picture Daniele sneering at me, and defensiveness pitted in my stomach.

“I’m sure we’ll be watched, though, won’t we?”

He glanced over his shoulder at me. “No. There are no cameras in my house.”

Ciel pulled out a signal jammer from his pocket. “I’m scrambling any electronics within a hundred yards. Just to be safe.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything different.” Max led us into the dining room. He gestured for us to sit around the sixteen-seat table, where plenty of Family discussions had happened over the years. He took the head seat. Cas took the seat closest to Max, always keeping himself between the two of us. I sat down next to him, with Ryu on my other side. Then Obi, Wynn, and Ciel bracketed us all in by standing behind us.

“Why are we here, Max?”

“Cut to the chase or we’re leaving,” Ryu deadpanned. He pulled two knives from his sleeves and jammed both of their blades into the wood of Max’s dining room table so they stuck straight up. Then he pulled two more free and held him in each hand.

My eyes went wide. This table costthousandsof dollars. His mother used to shriek at us to keep our elbows off it. I snapped my attention to Max, and he stared at the blades, blinking, before clenching his jaw.

“Thank you for coming.”