Page 59 of Only Fools Rush

Tapping the trackpad of my laptop to wake it up, I went straight to my secure inbox to check the status of my latest contacts. I had reached out to the Camorra again, and I was still waiting to hear back if they had any idea who might have teamed up with Volpe as his hacker. On top of that, I had asked if they would connect us to a gun manufacturer.

Asking so much of them, even simple information, might be dangerous.

The Camorra controlled Italy in its entirety. If I was not careful, and they blacklisted us from any contact with Italian suppliers, we would find ourselves at a great disadvantage. Even my connections only went so far.

Which is why I wanted to cultivate multiple options—options that could eventually rival the Camorra.

If that were ever to happen, I must not slip up now.

Though there was no solid plan from my Italian contact yet, the Chinese had responded. The shipping magnate, Zhang, had requested a contract to take out his main competitor. If we fulfilled it, then he agreed to discuss an exclusive contract to transport our goods.

Ryuji and I could take care of that hit as soon as we returned from Los Angeles.

I leaned back in my chair, pinching my cheeks, just like my mother used to, to keep my thoughts sharp.

Our change of plans went exactly as I hoped, and I was not at all surprised Leona had come to the same conclusion I had. Volpe was slippery and dangerous. We could only face him when our strengths rivaled one another. So we had to weaken him as we grew in strength.

We needed more allies.

Makarov and the Russians would not be enough. The Italian men of the Vero Family would not accept Leona so readily as their leader, despite the hope she might have. We needed to be ready to secure their allegiance through any means necessary.

I feared I was the only one who realized what that might take, what it might mean.

To be clear, I believed inher, despite what she may think. The glint in her eye mirrored the same determination in mine. She may falter, but there was no doubt in my mind we would eventually succeed—because I was willing to do anything to get us there.

Including shape her into the leader she needed to become.

She was brilliant, but naive. She needed guidance. She needed to learn how to do what must be done. I could teach her that.

I wanted New York, and I would get it. No matter what it took, we would hold the seat of ultimate power, rivaling any organization across the world. When that finally happened, myfamily would finally be safe. Everything I had done, all my successes and failures, would be worth it.

The door creaked open. Before her head even poked inside, I knew it was Leona.

“Obi,” she said hesitantly. Her red curls were a mess around her head and her cheeks held a pink flush.

“Come in,” I responded, moving to stand. “Sit.”

“It’s okay,” she said as the door clicked shut behind her. Tonight, she wore an adorable pajama set with shorts that showed off the full length of her legs. My throat bobbed, but I clenched my hand into a fist beside my chair. She hesitated, one hand still on the doorknob. “I just…”

Dark circles hung beneath her eyes. “Nightmares?”

She nodded. “You?”

I relaxed my fist. “The same.”

“Here we are again.” A small smile upturned the corner of her mouth.

“Indeed.”

She stepped into the room and my eyes almost flicked to the couch. Damn it. I needed to get myself together. Her presence mesmerized me, and I found myself reluctant to look away.

How could my brain hold space for all the moving chess pieces in my head when she already consumed every inch of it?

This was why I could not give into my desires as my brothers inevitably would. At least until we had won, I had to stay in control.

She collapsed on the couch. “Do you want to sit with me? So we can talk?”

The tension between us seemed to flood the room, so heavy it felt like I could barely breathe.