Page 13

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LEONA

I woke in a tangle of limbs. A broad smile split my face as I took in the two men sleeping next to me.

Ciel breathed softly, his brown hair fluffier and curlier than usual, mussed from sleep. His arm still circled around my waist, warming the skin where we’d all kicked off the comforter.

My shy hacker. He understood me better than I knew myself. I ran my hand through his hair and his eyes fluttered open.

“Hi,” I whispered.

“Hey,” he said, mouth turning up at the corners, and tightening his arm around me.

Wynn laid on his stomach on my other side, with one arm nestled under his head. His light eyelashes brushed against his cheeks, and he’d never looked more perfect.

My heart swelled. Both of them were everything I needed exactly when I needed it.

What I wouldn’t give to lie here in Wynn’s bed forever.

And for the record, it was comfier than the bed in mine and Cas’s room, but nothing beat the hacker’s plush mattress.

“We have to be quiet,” I murmured to Ciel, running my finger over the stubble on his chin. I needed to touch him. To keep some point of contact between us. “Don’t want to wake Wynn.”

“He’s awake,” Ciel said with a little chuckle, eyes crinkling. “He’s just closing his eyes.”

I whirled to find Wynn watching me through the fringe of his platinum hair. He sighed and turned onto his side. “I was enjoying the quiet, and Ciel ruined it.”

He leaned forward and took my lips in a heated kiss. Ciel’s hands roamed over my hips. I broke the kiss in a fit of giggles.

“Round two, love?” Wynn asked, quickly glancing over my shoulder at Ciel. I definitely did not miss the heat that sparked between the two of them when we were in the library. We’d be exploring more of that in the future, for fucking sure.

Ciel’s hand palmed my bare ass, and I squeaked. “What time is it?”

“Late afternoon,” Ciel murmured, running his nose on the back of my neck, sending shivers all the way to my toes. “There’s no rush to get up. Let’s nap more.”

I sucked in a breath. Heat already pooled between my legs, but my body was also sparking with another kind of mission.

Something had shifted inside my chest. My head felt much clearer. We could do this.

“We have to get up.” I laughed even as my entire body tightened at the way the two of them closed me in.

“Why?” Ciel asked, pressing a kiss to the inside of my hand. Wynn ducked his head and kissed my cheek. My brain felt fuzzy, barely able to resist their touches.

“I agree with Ciel,” Wynn whispered. “This is better than getting up.”

My stomach fluttered. “I would stay with you two forever if there weren’t three other people waiting on us. But we need to plan. I told them I just needed time to process.”

Ciel sighed dramatically but he sat up, grabbing my hand to pull me with him. His thumb rubbed over the back. “If you say so. Feeling better?”

I nodded, heat flushing down my neck. “Thanks to you two.”

“Anytime, love,” Wynn responded, climbing out of bed. Ciel and I both locked onto the bare strip of skin of his abs that showed when he pulled on a shirt and stretched. “I’m thirsty.”

I nudged Ciel when Wynn turned around. He ducked his head bashfully. Quickly I pressed a kiss to his cheek and whispered in his ear, “I see you and I like you.”

He smiled softly. I accepted all of him, no matter what. I needed him to know that.

Things were different than they were this morning, when the world felt like it stuttered to a stop.

I wasn’t going to let Max ruin my determination. I wasn’t going to let my worries choke me and shake me to the core.

Yes, I still feared letting my men down. And yes , I knew my choices could put them in harm’s way and that terrified me. I felt paralyzed even thinking about it.

But that was not going to be my excuse to do nothing. To crumble. To fail.

I had to stay strong. I had to think ahead.

I had to prove I could become the queen they wanted me to be.

It started with the conversation I ran away from. It started with facing the facts and coming up with a plan that got us everything we wanted without any of us getting hurt.

And I had ideas.

“Come on,” I said. My hair was a mess, my shirt was hanging off my shoulder, and my panties were wrecked. I needed a shower, some coffee, and then we had work to do. “Time to make a plan.”

An hour later, we sat around the living room again, but this time, the energy was much different.

After I showered, I’d found Cas, and wrapped him up in an enormous hug. He’d kissed my forehead and said he was here if I needed anything. After so many years together, he knew exactly how I felt. It must have killed him to not rush after me like Ciel and Wynn, but he let them. I’d asked him to try to figure out how to make this work between all of us, and he was trying. It meant so much.

I needed to let him know how much I loved him. How I wanted him as much as I wanted any of them. His body was still healing, and I was terrified he’d push himself too far and get hurt, but I wanted him so damn much.

Soon. Once we figured out what to do next.

I sucked in a deep breath and looked around the living room at all five of my guys. At Wynn and Ciel, both of whom sat across from Ryuji with knowing smirks on their faces. At Cas, who was spread out on the couch next to me, one arm over the back of the cushions. At Ryuji, with a new bandage around his forehead, on the other side of Cas.

And finally, Obi, who watched me carefully. What was going on behind those dark eyes? How were we supposed to interact with one another?

He looked so calm, sitting on that couch like he owned the world. His arms stretched behind him, exuding the power and strength I knew he kept locked away, and I wanted to fold myself into his lap. I wanted him to shower me with praise like Wynn and Ciel had.

I blinked, inhaling a deep breath. I had to get my emotions in check. I had to focus and start thinking strategically, like Obi would. His brain never stopped moving, and neither did mine.

“I’m sorry for running earlier.” I straightened my back. “The last few days have been a lot to take in. For all of us. And I’m really thankful we’re in this together.”

“Together,” Wynn echoed. I shot him a grateful smile.

“There’s no need to be sorry.” Obi leaned forward, like he wanted to reach out one of those strong hands out to me, but he held himself back.

“Feeling better now, sweetheart?” Ryuji asked, a smile turning up the corner of his mouth. He raised his eyebrow at Ciel as a little pink blush dusted my hacker’s cheeks.

Wynn’s earlier words echoed in my ears. Come on our cocks while they listen.

Yeah, I definitely did that.

The warmth spreading through my body had nothing to do with embarrassment. Because I wanted to come on all their cocks. And nobody would stop me from doing exactly that.

I grinned at Ryuji and nodded.

“Now that I’ve had a few orgasms—” Cas choked on his glass of water. Ryuji snorted and patted him on the back. I paused, glancing to my side at him. “You good?”

Cas nodded. I bit back my grin.

“Great,” I continued, voice light. “Well, yes. Now, I’m in a much clearer mind. It’s time to make a plan.”

“You and your fucking plans,” Ryuji said with a sigh that lacked his usual sass. It sounded more affectionate than usual.

“I know they haven’t always worked out,” I conceded, trying not to let embarrassment turn my shoulders inward. “But I’m not giving up.”

“We’re the Shadows,” Ciel said, his thumb drumming on the pants of his jeans. “We don’t give up.”

“You sound more confident,” Obi said. “As if you have a strategy.”

“Here’s what I’ve been thinking,” I said. “We’re wasting too much time and resources trying to kill Max.”

Cas looked at me like my head popped off, but I needed them to hear me out. Obi’s opinion was what I was most worried about right now. I needed him to agree with this.

“You’d prefer we do something else instead?” Obi asked.

“The direct attack isn’t working.” I leaned back into Cas’s side on the couch. His presence steadied me. I knew this idea would probably make them balk or question what we were doing—they were the best assassins in the world, but we needed to switch tactics. “Max is building allies and acquiring power. He knows we’re coming for him, and he’s going to turtle behind his defenses and his shell. I say we take his shell.”

“What do you mean?” Wynn asked.

“Let’s bleed him. Let’s crumble everything around him and bring him down that way. Taking him head-on only weakens our resources and makes building our empire take longer.”

“You want to undermine him,” Ciel said. He stared ahead, unfocused, like he was already thinking through the variances in this plan. “After we take his support system, we can finish him.”

“Exactly,” I said. “If he’s going after the Tommasos, let’s go after the Sandrinis. Or better yet, let’s sniff out the men who could still be loyal to me if given the right incentive. We can turn his armies against him. He can’t keep dodging and outsmarting us if he has no power at his disposal.”

Obi tilted his head back and rubbed a hand over his trimmed beard.

I knew they’d want to go back and face Max, guns blazing, but with Chiara now in the mix, and knowing he’s gotten the better of us at every turn, we had to stop playing into his hands. We had to try something else, and that meant taking away whatever advantages he had.

“Obi,” I began, a surge of anxiety forcing me to sit up straight again. “What do you think?”

He considered my question, but I could see the gears turning inside his head. “Building allies is the same path I was considering to acquire the power we need.”

My entire body flushed at his agreement. I knew we thought alike. Maybe I did have a chance to regain his respect. Show him that we could do this, and I wasn’t just a spoiled princess playing a foolish game.

“We turn his men against him,” Wynn said, crossing his arms over his chest. “How?”

I turned to Cas. “Do you think you could get in touch with Giulio?”

We all saw on the cameras how Giulio let Cas go. Granted, Giulio could have known Max was trying to lay a trap, but I didn’t think so, and I was pretty sure Cas thought the same. It looked more like Giulio was helping us, and if that were the case, his loyalty to Max was in question.

“Yeah, princess. I think I could.”

I squeeezed his leg. “Think he’d want to meet with us? Talk about his future?”

“It looked to me like he was open to new leadership. And I’d bet that he’s not the only one.”

I knew there would still be men loyal to me. I knew they’d see the relationships I was forming and want to take a chance. We just had to get in touch with them, offer them something better than Max ever could. If I could prove I could lead the Family, our new Family, they’d accept me in my father’s place.

Under the leadership of our new syndicate, we could fix everything my father did and build a stronger Family than ever.

I’d promised Wynn a New York free from trafficking. I’d promised Ryuji freedom and business. I’d promised Ciel we’d find his parents’ murderers. And I’d promised Obi power.

We could bring strength back to New York, not only making our Family rich—but also safe .

I could only deliver on those promises when our syndicate was strong and Max was out of the way.

“Turn his armies against him.” I smiled at the rest of the men. “That’s part one of Operation Undermine Max.”

“I love it,” Ryuji said, eyes dancing. “Let’s be loud about it.”

“What do you mean?” I doubted Ryuji had ever been subtle in his entire life.

“Strike boldly, while the loyalty of two of the Five Families is in flux,” he said with a shrug. “Claim ownership. Say the Vero Family is yours by right, and you’re taking it back and restructuring its leadership. Offer safety and a pay increase to any soldiers willing to join us.”

I pursed my lips. “How?”

“I can put a message out on the dark web,” Ciel offered. “We can all feed it through our street contacts as well. Within twenty-four hours, all of New York can know that you’re looking for men and you’re challenging Max’s leadership.”

Maybe Ryuji was right. Maybe coming right out and claiming it would be better. A queen would be loud and unafraid. I grinned. “Let’s do it.”

“Speaking of gaining more men…” Ryuji started as he flipped his phone in his lap. That was his anxious habit.

“What?” I asked. Obi sighed. “What are you not telling me?”

After exchanging a glance, Obi spoke. “Ryuji and I formed an alliance with the Russians.”

I frowned. “When?”

“A few hours ago,” he said. “While you were…asleep.”

I blushed. Asleep . While I was fucking the guys, Obi was making decisions for our future.

I bristled. “This wasn’t something we should have discussed?”

“Time was of the essence.” Obi’s voice brokered no disagreement, and I grew even more defensive. Why wouldn’t he tell me about this?

I looked between them. “What happened?”

Ryuji sighed. “I left to go check on the clubs when I learned there were more tainted drugs being circulated. At the same time, Kostya informed me his warehouse had just been hit, but he caught a South American. We tortured the man and learned that Volpe formed an alliance with the South Americans, particularly the Alacrán Cartel, early this morning. He’s got his sights on eliminating the Russians to clear a path for them to take over the drug trade in New York.”

Ciel stiffened, hand pausing its normal drumming on his leg. “The Alacrán Cartel?”

Ryuji stretched his arm out behind him. “Yeah. So Kostya needed help, and so did we. An alliance was the right call, at least for now.”

I stared at Obi, trying to understand what was going on inside his head. We did need allies. We’d already agreed to that. Konstantin and the Bratva had already shown us support at the nightclub. Logically, it all made sense, and I understood why they did it.

So why did I feel so annoyed that neither of them asked me?

“We have another enemy to consider,” I said carefully, crossing my arms over my chest. South Americans. Shit. Max was still going after allies, and we needed to have more on our side, too. “Konstantin agreed? What are the terms?”

Ryuji nodded, back to flipping his phone in his lap. “We didn’t talk specifics, but I imagine he’ll want to expand his drug business when we win. We can make the Russians our only suppliers and give him full access to the city if this war plays out in our favor.”

The New York drug trade was huge, from dealers across all organizations. But if we could control the drug trade alongside the Russians, we both stood to make a significant amount of money.

Max knew he needed more help. He couldn’t have gone to the Russians after insulting Konstantin, or after what my father had done, and he knew their biggest competitor was the South Americans. It made sense why he’d turn to them.

But fuck . We did not need another target on our backs.

We needed this alliance.

“Ciel, can you get us information on the Alacrán Cartel?” Obi asked. The two of them exchanged a look. Ciel’s mouth thinned, and Obi’s eyes softened. What did the two of them know? “Updated leadership structure. Supply and revenue estimates. We need to know what they are transporting, where, and how we can fight against them.”

My hacker nodded, but there was still something wrong with his movements. His throat bobbed like he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

“Ciel?” I asked.

His ice-blue eyes slid to mine.

“Is everything okay?”

His head jerked in another nod, but he didn’t say anything else. He was from Colombia, and he’d told me a bit about how dangerous and brutal his life there was. Maybe he was worried about fighting against the Alacrán Cartel? Did he know them?

“We need as many men on the ground as possible,” Cas said, filling the pause in conversation. My eyes were on Ciel. “If we’re fighting against the cartel and two of the Families, we need manpower and protection. We can see if the Irish want in on this, too.”

My attention snapped back to our conversation, but I’d follow up with Ciel later.

“I talked to Willow earlier. She says Fallon has scores to settle,” Wynn said. “They’re still recovering from the loss of their bars. She’s out for blood, too.”

“Volpe might be forging alliances, but he has also made enemies,” Obi said. “We need to capitalize on that.”

Obi was right. But I still got the impression he was making a lot more plans than he was telling us about.

I knew he was smart. I knew he was doing what would help us win this war.

But it felt like I kept shrinking.

I could stand toe-to-toe with him. I could lead us if he’d let me. I just had to show him I was capable.

“If Fallon and her men can keep watch over Philadelphia and the ports there, we can start getting eyes on shipments coming into New York. Wynn, can you play messenger between us?” I asked Wynn, who nodded. I untucked my legs from beneath me and stretched forward. My body was already itching to move. To release some of the stress and pent-up energy. “We’re going to need to stop the South Americans from importing new product. Can Konstantin focus on that?”

Ryuji’s thumbs flew across the screen of his phone. “He’ll do what we need him to do.”

Thank God they were friends. The Bratva were always a major thorn in my father’s side. It was refreshing to see the tables turned.

I turned to my beloved bodyguard. “Cas, can you take the lead on talking to Giulio and help spread word about claiming ownership of the Family? After Ciel sends out his message, we need someone to handle discreet communication and organizing our forces.”

“Of course I can,” he said with a gentle squeeze of my thigh. “I know almost every single man that was in your father’s army, and I knew most in Tommaso’s with how often you were at Chiara’s house. We’ll turn them to our side, I guarantee it.”

Cas might have been my bodyguard, but he was also a general in his own right. One of my father’s most trusted capos . He was used to leadership, and he’d finally get to use his skills for a task that deserved them.

I flipped his hand over so I could interlock our fingers. “That covers personnel. We’ll have an army before we know it.”

My eyes slid over to Obi. Every single word out of my mouth, every single idea that came from my head, felt like a test. I just couldn’t tell if I was passing.

“What is the next part of Operation Undermine Max?” Obi asked.

“I’m glad you asked.” This is the part I’d been mulling over since the moment the Shadows agreed to our partnership. “Money. The bulk of the Vero Family income comes from gun smuggling and covering it through our legitimate business portfolio, starting with Vero Construction, Inc. Max currently has control of both. I want both.”

“The Vero Family businesses operate all over the country,” Obi said, a glint in his eye. “Volpe is currently in charge of operations. It will not be easy taking control.”

I bit my lip in thought. “I know. I barely know anything about running a company, and Max has been steeped in the organization for years now. But without a will, doesn’t the majority share of the company pass to me, anyway?”

Obi nodded. “It is most likely.”

“Your father would have left it to you, princess,” Cas said. “He was proud that you took business classes.”

My lips pressed together. “He was?”

I thought my father hated my choice to study at college. He just wanted me to stay at home and follow orders until he was ready to marry me off.

“He used to brag to the capos when he’d had too much wine. He’d want you there, and I would bet the board is aware of that.”

I swallowed down the lump that lodged itself in my throat. My father was a complicated man. Would I ever understand him? The things that he did?

“I had a daydream about storming into a board meeting in a sexy red dress,” I said with a laugh, wetness stinging my eyes. “Make all those old men hand over the business to me.”

Cas took my hand and pressed it against his chest. “They’d melt in their chairs.”

I sucked in a breath. Maybe my father did try to leave the company to me. Maybe there would be people on my side if I waltzed into a board meeting and claimed it was all mine.

“How are you going to take control without putting a target on your head?” Wynn asked, bringing us back to the conversation. “If he knows what you’re doing, Volpe will come after you again. You’d be a sitting target in board meetings.”

With a sigh, I sat up again.

“He’s already coming after us, but we need control of the Family’s infrastructure. Guns, gambling, drugs,” I said, ticking each item off on my finger. “We’re covering drugs with the Russians. Next is guns or gambling. Guns make the most financial sense if we can cut Max off from our buyers across the nation. I can’t control moving the guns without controlling the legitimate business.”

“I can handle that problem,” Obi vouched. “There are more than a few businessmen in New York who owe me favors. If you make a play for controlling operations, I can call in my contacts to support your bid and push out Volpe. If he is not on the board, he cannot know what we are doing.”

“You have contacts on my father’s board?” I asked, eyes raised.

He nodded.

I wrapped my arms around my middle. How many power plays had Obi planned? And how many favors did he have, just waiting in his back pocket?

“With guns,” Ryuji said, “you need the arms dealers to agree to switch their business and buy weapons from you instead. If Volpe has been in charge for years, they’re unlikely to change their loyalties.”

He was right; that would be a tricky part. “My father used to fly to Los Angeles all the time to meet with an arms dealer out there. I want his business to start. If we can take that income away from Max and put it into our own pockets instead, we’ll deal a major blow to his bottom line. And if he can’t make money, he can’t pay his people. If he can’t pay his people, they’ll turn on him, and hopefully come to us.”

“Do you know where your father purchased his guns?” Obi asked. “How he imported them?”

I chewed my lip. “Italy.”

“Max would visit the manufacturing sites during his visits,” Cas added. “I don’t know if they’d betray him.”

“I don’t either.” This plan had a lot of what-ifs. “But I’m open to sourcing guns from other locations. We just need to sell them at a better price to turn the arms dealers to our side.”

Obi pulled his computer into his lap. “I have a shipping contact in China who wants to complete a contract with us right now. They have a connection to a gun manufacturer, and they have the means to move the product.”

Again, Obi with his connections. There were so many moving pieces in his head.

“Do you think they could do the job?” I asked. “Is it smart to turn away from Italian suppliers when they’ve been working with my family for years?”

He let out a hmm . “I will reach out to my contacts in the Camorra again. They might be able to influence some manufacturers to our side, then we can use the Chinese to ship and deliver. They have access to both the East Coast and West Coast ports. Their distribution is unmatched.”

If we got the Chinese on our side for distribution and we stole Max’s dealers out from under him, we could control the gun trade. That would be a massive chunk of power in our pocket instead of his.

“Let’s do it.”

“We still need to talk to the dealers,” Ciel added, finally joining the conversation again. Whatever strange tension passed over him earlier was gone, replaced by his bouncing leg and thrumming fingers.

“Right. I’m still thinking Los Angeles is the best place to start. If we can turn that dealer, a lot of the smaller operations will follow suit, especially if we can provide better pricing.”

“Should I reach out for contact?” Ciel asked, typing on his phone. “I can get a secure and direct line of communication.”

I bit my lip, hesitating. “I was thinking I should meet with the dealer in person.”

“Absolutely not,” Cas grumbled immediately. “You’re not going to LA in the middle of all this fucking mess.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Ryuji cut in instead. “I’m headed to Los Angeles to check out a new club. We could go together.”

Cas’s arm tightened around my waist. “Absolutely. Fucking. Not. We have too many enemies to let her travel across the country into unknown territory. Fuck, I don’t even want her leaving the penthouse.”

“I’m right here,” I said.

“It’s fine, bodyguard,” Ryuji snapped. “I can keep her safe.” I didn’t miss the wicked gleam in his eye, nor did I forget I owed him a favor.

“I will come with you.” Obi’s voice cut through the staring match between the dragon and the bodyguard.

I huffed a breath. Did he want to come to help? Or because he thought I couldn’t handle it?

“No,” Cas replied, voice hard.

“Caspian.” Obi’s deep voice was calm. “I assure you the three of us can travel safely and conduct our business without drawing attention to ourselves. It will be a two-day trip, maximum.”

“You’re acting like I wouldn’t be coming,” Cas said with a scoff. “If she goes, I go, too.”

Obi met my gaze, eyebrow raised. He was thinking the same thing I was thinking.

“I need you here,” I said, grabbing Cas’s hand, and interlocking our fingers. “We can’t wait to talk to Giulio, and the Italians will trust you.”

He froze for two seconds before his breathing went rapid and his fingers clamped around mine like a vise. “No. Unquestionably, no.”

I placed my palm on his cheek. The last time we separated, I almost died. And the time before that, he almost died. All that fear played across his face, causing the vein in his neck to pop.

“One breath at a time, caro mio ,” I murmured. He closed his eyes and leaned his cheek into my hand. “This makes the most sense for right now. I need you here.”

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. His whole body radiated anxiety as his arms banded around my back.

“It’ll be okay,” I whispered.

He said nothing else, but a few seconds later, his grip relaxed.

“It will take a few days to plan the trip,” Obi said. “We will charter a plane and set up the meetings.”

His words felt like a decree. Not even Cas could argue.

He leaned his forehead against mine. “Princess.”

“I know.” I would talk to him more later, but he had to understand. If anyone was going to convince our future men that Max was a son of a bitch, and our syndicate was going to win this war, it would be Cas. He had already earned their respect tenfold.

I cleared my throat, turning back to the rest of my men. “Okay. That’s personnel and gun manufacturing. We’ll focus on gambling once we’ve got those two things locked down. Meanwhile, let’s keep an eye on the Alacrán Cartel and support the Russians however we can.”

The Shadows nodded in agreement, except Cas, who still sat like a statue, staring at our joined hands resting on his thigh.

“What should I do?” Wynn asked.

“Provide backup to Caspian,” Obi added. “You are his eyes and ears. Ciel will support with information and tracking. We still need to keep an eye on Volpe’s movements, so keep our facial recognition running and keep trying to hack into his systems. We need more information to put us at a greater advantage.”

Ciel nodded. “Volpe still has his hacker for support, but I won’t let him get the upper hand on us again.”

Everyone had their jobs. We all knew our next steps. Now we just needed to start moving.

Build the empire, take down our enemies.

Sure. Easy.

“We feel good about this?” I asked.

If this plan failed, it would be my fault. But I couldn’t worry about that. I could only worry about proving I could pull this off. I had to step up, become the queen that could lead us.

“Yes, Leona,” Obi replied as he stood. God, he was so damn imposing, but it electrified me from my head to my toes.

“Let’s make the world bow at our feet,” Ryuji said, that playful gleam shining in his eyes.

As the sun set, I looked around the room at each of my men. To my family, my future. A wave of emotion had my eyes watering but I swallowed it down. “New York will be ours. I promise.”

“Whatever it takes,” Cas said from beside me. “One breath, one step, at a time.”