Page 42 of Wicked Throne

She shrugged and hit end on the phone call. "I won't."

Turning she sashayed into the kitchen and I went into the dining room. Neatly, I began to collect the white dishes. I took one plate and made it a the scrap pile plate and neatly stacked the others. Honestly, I was trying not to think about Detective West calling Diamond or the fact that she was just going to answer another time when I wasn't around.

Instead, thoughts of my mother's smile entered my head. My father hadn't joined us for dinner tonight, he was tucked away in New York enjoying a lavish dinner and counting the money rolling in now that we'd locked out four of the five families. My mother would have loved the lively conversation that had surrounded us tonight.

Looking up from my task, I found Diamond standing in the doorway watching me. Her phone was back in her hand and her face had turned to stone.

"I took his call," she said her voice sounding grave. "He wouldn't stop calling..."

Anger was brewing in my stomach.

"Yeah and?"

"Someone burned The Diamond down, Thierry. They're saying it was arson."

Stopping what I was doing I went to her. I took her face in my hands, she seemed to be staring off into space. Finally, she focused her eyes on me. She seemed to be lost in thought and trying to recover.

"Tesoro...are you with me?"

"I need to go...I need to go there...."

"Hey," my thumb eased along her face, rubbing gently. "You're not in the mindset to drive. Let me take you."

She paused for just a moment, weighing her options it seemed before agreeing. We each pulled on a coat and headed off to the location of The Diamond. Even before we neared the scene, the smell of smoke entered into the vents of the car and the sky was ablaze. I could hear Diamond whispering prayers the closer we got.

She didn't even give me time to put the car in park before she was already out and storming to the scene. Staying behind in the car, I watched as Nathan West met up with her. Disgust clouded my thoughts as he touched her shoulder and she looked up at him.

It should have been me that she looked up at tenderly, I thought.

I was going to fucking kill this man if he didn't stop touching her, my thoughts turned dark. I could hide him where no one would find him. I could hack his body up into tiny pieces and spread it over millions of miles. There would be nothing left of him on this planet except for the children he'd created.

The dashboard console of my car lit up. It was an unknown New York number. Figuring it could be one of my men or even my father, I answered.

"Hello?"

For a moment no one said anything, so I spoke again. "Who is this?"

"You thought you could fuck over the families?" A voice hissed.

....Talia Giancana.

"Oh, it's you."

"So dismissive," she spoke. "I'm just letting you know, Thierry that any and all affection that I had for you has been burned away. My father has suffered a stroke thanks to your antics."

"Your father was in poor health, to begin with, Talia. My antics, as you put it, have nothing to do with that."

"Just know, Thierry....that I am coming for you. On behalf of the families...I have declared war on you and that bitch wife of yours. You can't hide behind John Knowles for long. I hear he has one foot in the grave."

The warehouses...

The fire...

Two random incidents concerning the Knowles family. It had been Talia. It all made sense now. She was pissed...all the families were pissed.

"And I'll be here, Talia. This could have all been avoided. Remember that."

"I'll be seeing you, soon."