Page 51

Choyce Mancinelli

" I want you to kill my son."

Until this very moment, I've been able to keep my composure.

I sauntered into the room, equally parts elegance and threat.

Earlier in the day, Lucian called my phone, demanding that I accompany him to a meeting with Honor.

Not that I had a choice. I agreed since seeing Honor was on my list of things to do, anyway.

An hour before it was time to leave, a man holding a garment bag appeared at my door. Inside was a suit along with a note.

Wear the suit tonight. From here on out, suits are mandatory. Wearing one allows for men to not only see you but listen. It commands respect, and as a woman wanting to play in a league full of men, you have no room to ask for power... you must take it.

The advice Lucian gave was sound. He wanted me to be heard and not seen.

I took heed, choosing to wear only the black Italian cut suit jacket.

How he managed to get my measurements, I didn't know, but the jacket kissed every curve of my thick frame.

Sharp at the shoulders, cinched at the waist, and ending mid-thigh.

The deep V revealed the glint of a sleek black bra that I wore as more of a statement than an undergarment.

My legs, were covered in sheer stockings and a thigh holster peeked from beneath the hem of my jacket.

Lucian didn't want me to be seen, but being seen is my greatest power.

The flutter of my lashes revealed hypnotic eyes with a soft gaze, with juicy lips parting as a sneaky grin peeked through.

Each step I took my voluptuous hips swayed, my ass jiggled.

I moved with a quiet authority that went unnoticed because a man couldn't see beyond my beauty.

I was a walking distraction. Power dressed in precision, danger draped in couture, and by the time my enemy realized it, they were dead.

I trained myself never to let an enemy see me sweat.

To keep my emotions from knocking me off balance.

And from the moment I walked in here, I've done just that.

The room pulsed with tension. Two men who hated each other yet still carried a grudging respect for the other.

During it all, I stayed grounded and unshaken.

Even when Lucian ordered me to raise my gun at Honor, I didn't hesitate.

I pressed the barrel to his temple, safety off, the room stalling in angst, waiting for the command to squeeze.

Had Lucian given the word, Honor's body would've been beneath my feet.

I held my own, wearing a hard glare, lips taut, and brows drawn low.

Cold. Controlled. I felt nothing. Until. ..

"I want you to kill my son."

It caved my chest, my shoulders folding forward as my eyes searched the floor beneath me.

"You want me to do what?" Honor asked his voice too steady, too fucking void of the emotions I needed to hear for the sake of Cherish.

"Talon is a liability. I thought allowing him to be the face of this family, while Choyce?—"

Lucian's gaze fell on me, commanding that I fix my posture. Rolling my shoulders, I slightly parted my legs and focused on the window.

"Now, where was I... oh yes. Talon was to be the face, while Choyce commanded plays for you and your brothers to carry out.

Since making this deal, I've kept an eye on my son.

Talon does not move as the future leader of the Mancinelli Mafia.

He's too careless, and the other men of the Sovereign circle do not respect him.

I guess what I'm trying to say is... my organization has too many cooks in the kitchen.

Choyce will step into my place, and you'll be her second in command.

Your brothers will continue being her picchistore and?—"

"The other families won't respect Talon, who is your blood, but you expect me to believe they'll respect and follow Choyce? A negrone?"

I frowned at the insult I've heard Lucian use when referring to black people.

"The details will be worked out once Talon is dead."

"What if I say no?"

"You won't."

"Threatening my family won't continue to work. You're starting to sound like the boy who cried wolf, Lucian."

"The boy cried wolf, sure, but eventually the wolf did come, and no one was left to hear the screaming."

"Your threats don't scare me, Lucian. If you want Talon dead, do it yourself or have her do it." Honor chucked his chin in my direction, his stare coated in disgust.

"It must be you. If not, I'll have Choyce kill Navy."

My eyes swelled for a second before they rested lower than their normal stance.

"Choyce isn't dumb. Blinded by power, maybe, but dumb, she isn't. Choyce killing Navy will end with me killing and her."

"Or not killing Talon will end with me killing both Choyce and Navy."

"She's your daughter," Honor groused.

"A daughter who wants nothing to do with me. I figured I'd return the favor. I'll give you some time to think things over. If you agree, then I'll do what's necessary to find out who tampered with River's car."

Lucian walked away, and I spun on my heels to follow him out. Opening the door to the room, he stalled and peered over his shoulder.

"Stay with Honor. I hear he needs your help with a meeting down at the docks."

I froze, wondering how he was privy to that information, but knew better than to question him.

Lucian left the room, the door closing behind him with a muffled thud.

A chill swept across my neck, alerting me to danger.

I slowly turned to face Honor, my hand clutching the C pendant hanging from the necklace around my neck.

I locked eyes with emptiness, settling behind his lashes.

"Honor," I croaked. His heavy steps quickly cleared the distance between us. I swallowed hard. "Honor, I didn't know he was going to?—"

"Shut the fuck up," he gritted, jaw clenched, and eyes narrowed. His hand swiped at his mouth, and that's when I saw the tick. The flex of his index finger squeezing against his jaw.

"Honor, listen to me. We can get out of this. We just have to?—"

Honor didn't speak to silence me. He didn't have to.

His gun jammed against my lips said enough.

Like at his jaw, his finger flexed against the trigger.

I opened my mouth, ready to play a game of chicken.

My tongue met the steel of Honor's gun. His expression gleamed with amusement for less than a second, but the flicker of change in his mood was all I needed to recognize myself in him.

I licked around the barrel before rearing back to speak.

"Don't pull out a gun if you don't plan to use it. That's what you told me, right?"

"Choyce." A low, gravelly laugh rumbled from his throat.

.. rough, wicked, and enticing. Keeping my composure, I squeezed my thighs together to nix the tingle running rampant on my clit.

"I don't have a problem killing you right fucking here.

I'll step over your body, walk out that door like nothing happened, then come back with my brothers and act shocked. "

Now it was my turn to let a smoky laugh slip from my lips.

"Honor, please don't threaten me with a good time.

Other than leaving my daughter, death sounds peaceful.

" My fingers found the hidden button on the pendant.

In one swift motion, I yanked the necklace from my neck and slashed it across Honor's wrist. His jaw clenched, and at the same moment, his free hand closed around my throat.

My eyes widened as the blade slipped from my fingers, falling uselessly to the floor.

"Ple... please... Cherish," I rasped my words barely more than air.

Honor let out a ragged breath, then shoved me back. Gasping, I took in all the air my lungs would allow.

"Why does shit always have to be hard with you?" I forced the words out in between breaths.

"How the fuck I'm making shit hard when you cut me?"

"You pulled a gun on me!" I quipped, regaining my composure. Standing up straight, I stopped my triple D's from spilling out of my bra, then adjusted my jacket.

"At my own will and not because a muthafucka commanded me to," he scoffed.

I smirked at the possibility of Honor being hurt by my actions.

"I had to, or Lucian would've killed me. As he proved in his threat, I'm disposable. You, on the other hand, seem to be the only one Lucian cares about."

"Stop letting that nigga get in your head. Lucian doesn't give a fuck about anyone."

"Lucian isn't in my head, but he obviously rents space in yours. He's threatened everyone to get you to do what he wants, but he's never threatened you. That means something, and we can use it to our advantage and knock Lucian off the board."

"Kill Lucian?" His brows knitted with the possibility of it happening. "Killing your pops really has you thinking you're invincible."

"Chosyn killed Chance, not me. If we don't kill Lucian, then Navy and Talon will die. I can't have that."

"Since when do you give a fuck?"

"About Navy... I don't. However, Talon is Cherish's father. I might hate him, but she adores him. My daughter is too young to deal with such a tragedy. So, to protect her, I'll protect Talon, and protecting him means protecting Navy and?—"

"To protect them, the head has to be severed from the body.

" He nodded. Honor was looking dead at me, but it was clear his focus went beyond this fucking room.

"If we do this shit we gotta keep it between us.

No outside help. Troppi bocche a sapere, e il piano cade a pezzi come un castello di sabbia .

" (Too many mouths to know, and the plan falls to pieces like a sandcastle.)

"Nigga, what?" I frowned.

"How do you wanna rule over the Mancinelli Mafia and sit as one-third of the Sovereign Circle when you don't speak their language?"

"With you as my second, I'll be fine."

"We knock Lucian off you won't?—"

The room door opening put us both on high alert. Honor aimed his gun before the shadow could become visible. My Glock came out to play just as I put a name to the face.

"Wolfe." I smirked.

A flicker of suspicion crossed his face. His eyes swept from Honor to me, then back to Honor.

"We're ready to head out."

Walking past me, Honor tucked his gun into the small of his back and left the room with Wolfe. I shook my head, slid my Glock into its holster, then bent down to grab my necklace from the floor. After fastening it around my neck, I sauntered out of the room and onto the elevator and called Kage.

"You straight?" he asked, his tone raspier than normal.

"Yeah. I'm coming down now."

"Cool 'cause these niggas hopping into a suburban as we speak."

"I'm on my way."

Ending the call, I closed my eyes, giving myself a moment to allow the weaker parts of myself to move to the forefront. A few tears slipped from my lashes, catching me off guard but reminding me of those feelings I tried my best to hide.

"I want you to kill my son."

The words echoing in my head were loud and taunting.

Why would Lucian want his son dead? The game was continuing to be played, but the moves didn't make sense.

An Italian mafia, no matter how progressive, wouldn't allow a black woman to run a family.

We were good enough to reproduce with but sit in a seat of power.

.. they would never allow it. The goal was always to kill Lucian, but Talon was supposed to be alive to wear the mask of power that I controlled.

Lucian randomly wanting him dead wasn't sitting right.

As the elevator doors opened, I texted Talon.

Me:

Get out of the house and bring Cherish to the condo I purchased in Briar Ridge.

Cherish's Father:

Why?

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I let out a ragged breath. This man played the bitch role a little too well.

Me:

Talon, please just do what I ask. I'll explain once I finish up with Honor.

Locking my phone, I tossed it into my purse and walked over to where Kage was parked and waiting. At the sight of me, he hopped out to open my door.

"You straight?"

"I'm cool. Let's go because we're behind schedule."

Kage nodded, but his gaze did a quick sweep of my body language. As the door shut, I closed my eyes one last time, locking away the parts of me that were still vulnerable.

"Something is off about you. I'm not gon' force you to speak on it, tho'."

"Appreciate it." I smiled. Kage didn't say anything, and I welcomed the silence, as I prepared to bring the bitch out.