Page 39

39

OBI

“ R yu,” I said with a slight raise of my chin. He followed me out of the Makarov’s living room so we could have some privacy. We were essentially finished with our discussion, and Makarov was simply giving orders to his men about finishing things with the rest of the Alacrán Cartel.

“What do you need?”

“We have a contract,” I said, voice low. “Chinese shipping magnate. Zhang.”

It was the same contract that had been sitting in my inbox since we went to LA. I’d emailed back my contact earlier today, confirming that we would do the job and expected payment immediately after completion. Once we finished the job, we’d also secure the shipping routes for the newly acquired arms dealing side of our syndicate.

I had set this plan in motion, booking Ryuji and I seats on a dawn flight to China, just before Ciel notified us that the cartel was going after the Russians.

“Now?” he asked, glancing back over his shoulder to where Leona spoke quietly with Zoya Makarova. After they returned downstairs, the two appeared to be thick as thieves.

“It should take us no longer than two days,” I confirmed with a nod. “We will be back before the meeting with Giulio and the other Italians.”

Time crunches were part of being assassins, but that meeting was important for all of us to attend. Not only did we need to present a show of unity and force to the Italians, standing behind Leona as one, but it was also crucial to gauge what kind of support the Italian footsoldiers would lend to a woman.

The five of us believed in Leona’s ability to run our new syndicate.

But she was also standing against the tradition of generations. That was a reality we needed to be ready to adapt and respond to. As I told Caspian, she would have to accept his proposal to ensure the most favorable outcome.

If Ryu was present at Caspian’s proposal, he would react poorly. His behavior in Los Angeles—his obsession with her—had convinced me of that. I needed to get him out of the way, and then return in time to ensure Leona made the right decision.

“I don’t know…” Ryu responded. I crossed my arms over my chest. Since when did Ryu turn down contracts?

We had to secure this relationship in order to achieve the level of income we needed from the West Coast gun trade. While I might be able to complete this contract by myself with enough time, we were short of it. Ryu had to help me so we could get this done as soon as possible.

“You don’t want to go?”

He shrugged, jaw clenching.

I knew Ryu, just as he knew me. If he was going to push my buttons in relation to Leona to get what he wanted, then I’d do the exact same thing.

I gestured to his swollen face. “Do I want to know what that was about?”

If I pushed him on that injury, which he obviously got in a dispute with Caspian, he’d want to leave. It was typical of Ryu to run. He wore his avoidance like armor—protecting himself from addressing what made him scared.

His hand twitched. “Not your fucking business.”

“Do not make it my business, then,” I responded, voice harder than usual. “Do your job. Securing these shipping routes means completing the contract. Without this relationship, we will be unable to move the product and deliver on our promises.”

Felix was already looking for replenishment. He’d been in touch with me that the supply Kofler had was close to being exhausted. If we didn’t want a drop in sales, which would no doubt reflect poorly on our hostile takeover of Kofler’s trade, we had to get this running smoothly.

Ryu rubbed the back of his neck. “Just you and me?”

I nodded. “Like old times. Quick work, without distractions. It will be cut and dry.”

Leona laughed at something Zoya said, drawing our attention back to the living room. Leona was a beacon, always shining.

I looked away to add, “I will give you a 10 percent bonus. Direct from the funds we collect. Put it toward renovations for the LA club.”

I knew Ryu, and after ten years together, I knew how he always had an escape route planned. His clubs were the income he would rely on should he ever decide to leave the Shadows. In the past, I always allowed him that opportunity. Otherwise, he never would have agreed to stay.

Here, I could use that to encourage him to do this job with me. Ryu never turned down additional income.

“Fine.” His shoulders hunched. Shadows passed over his eyes while he shoved his hands into his pockets. “The house was getting a little crowded, anyway.”

I clapped my hand on his shoulder. Perfect. “We leave at dawn.”

“I’ll be ready.”

I watched as he stepped away, looking down at his phone, likely reaching out to his club manager to notify Alec that he’d be unavailable.

I didn’t love manipulating my brothers, but these things needed to happen. Moves needed to be made. When the game was over, everything would make sense.

I just needed to do one more thing before we were prepared to leave. Leona had agreed to my request to mentor her, and this was something she needed to learn.

“Leona,” I said, clearing my throat.

She looked over her shoulder at me, and her smile quickly faded. “Yes?”

“May I speak with you a moment?”

I waited with bated breath as she considered me for a moment before nodding. Ever since Kofler’s death, it had been difficult for me to face her. I could see my darkness reflected in her, and I still had not reconciled how I felt about that.

I may chastise Ryu for his avoidance, and use it to my advantage, but that did not mean I was unaware of my own emotional hesitancies.

However, ignoring her would not get either of us closer to achieving what we wanted.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “What is it?”

“I…” My mouth opened and closed as the words died on my lips. What was I doing? “Ryuji and I are going to China to take care of the contract there,” I said, stepping back. She already knew that the contract had been requested of us and what it meant to secure those shipping routes. “We will be gone two days.”

“Wait, what?” Her arms dropped as confusion caused a frown. “You’re leaving?”

“It won’t take long,” I said. “We will return before the meeting with Giulio.”

She went to say something, but at the last second, she shook her head. “Okay. Be safe.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been distant since Los Angeles,” I started. I rubbed my beard. I stepped forward and leaned closer. There was no other explanation I could give her, but I did need her to trust me. To listen to my instruction.

“It’s fine.” She softened, looking up at me through her eyelashes.

One of her curls was caught folded at a weird angle by her temple. I freed it and tucked it behind her ear. Her eyes widened.

I cleared my throat. “I promised to teach you what I know about the underworld, and this is the next lesson. If the opportunity arises where you can secure an army, you have to take it.”

She pulled back, tilting her head to the side. “What are you talking about?”

“If you are going to be a queen, you must make strategic decisions that further your goals. You must be willing to sacrifice in order to make strategic gain.”

I’d sacrificed my life with my family to afford them the safety they deserved. She had to learn the same.

“Okay…” Her frown deepened. She watched me carefully, eyes flicking across my face. “Tell me what you’re talking about.”

She was not ready. She would reject what needed to happen if she knew now. But she could learn. She could grow. I could plant the seed, and when the time came, I had faith she would embrace it. I was not going to jeopardize our future by letting her make decisions steeped in emotions rather than logic.

So instead of answering her, I gathered her in my arms. She froze, but I didn’t let go. Instead, I breathed her in. I squeezed her tighter against my chest.

After a few moments, her arms wrapped around my neck, and she squeezed back. That unwelcome knot that always seemed to settle in my chest whenever she was near gradually lessened. At the same time, the speed of my heart increased. It echoed in my ears.

“You’re distracting me. I know that’s what you’re doing,” she whispered against my neck.

I laughed softly. She had a way of slicing right through my defenses. The rift between us shortened ever so slightly. Stubbornly, she kept pushing across the no-man’s-land I’d erected between us. It was working.

“Trust me,” I murmured. “Think about what I said. I need you to know that if Ryu and I are gone, we still trust you to make the right decision for all of us.”

I would do everything in my power to bring our goals to fruition—even if that meant using her engagement to secure the forces we needed.

She pulled back to search my face. I loosened my grip on her. One of her hands pressed against the fabric of my shirt, right over my heart, before she let go, and broke the hug. But before she could completely disentangle herself from my arms, my body moved on its own.

I found myself pressing a brief kiss to her cheek.

I didn’t realize what I was doing until my lips had left her soft skin.

Her eyes went wide, sparking that beautiful golden-brown. “Obi…”

Would it be so bad? To give in to the desire to mark her as mine?

I brushed my thumb over her cheek. Her pupils dilated and she leaned toward me. The connection I felt between us was like a cord, drawing tighter with every breath.

But this path only led to failure and disappointment. Pain and heartbreak.

Blood. Pointed fingers. Screams.

I had to focus. Once we were safe, maybe I could afford to give in. But not now.

“Think about what I said.” I stepped back, letting my hand drop to my side. “We will send updates and return before the meeting.”

Her lips parted in an exhale. With the breath leaving her lungs, that small amount of no-man’s-land between us extended back to its original place. A chasm of my own making.

As Ryuji and I left to pack quick bags before heading to the airport, I could not help but wonder whether she would choose to walk across that barren space again.