Chapter 19 Sebastian
Sebastian
Nico stops us at the car, his face etched with worry. Gianna picks up on the tense mood instantly, climbing in and shutting the door behind her without a word.
“We’ve been summoned.”
My eyes flicker to the man standing off to the side, watching the exchange with crossed arms. I can see the crest’s edge peeking out from underneath his shirt. I clench my teeth and nod once, hiding my surprise at how quickly this came.
“Understood,” I say tensely. The man throws us a disgusted look before disappearing around the corner.
Nico watches him and then signals one of our security to follow him to ensure he leaves before turning back to me. “We going?”
Blowing out a breath, my attention strays overs to the woman behind the tinted window. “They’ve seen her. We have to.”
He sighs. “I was hoping you wouldn’t agree.”
My jaw tightens and I give him a half shrug before opening the door, climbing in the back with Gianna. She looks at me curiously as Nico moves to the driver side and starts driving home.
“Everything okay?”
I grab the back of her neck, moving her closer to me and kissing her forehead. “It will be.”
Her lips thin, but she doesn’t say anything else as we drive home and take the elevator up to the penthouse. I stay near the kitchen as she heads to the bedroom, only pausing when she sees I’m not following.
“Sebastian?” The worry in her voice makes my heart ache.
“I’ll be out late tonight. There’s going to be a security guard stationed outside the door. Don’t let anyone in.”
Tears well in her eyes. “You’re scaring me.”
I swallow down the echoing emotion. “It will be okay, Gianna. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
We watch each other for a few moments, and I can see her thoughts as they play out on her face. The confusion, the worry, the doubt, the grief and annoyance before she nods once and turns, heading to our bedroom silently.
Rolling up my sleeves, I lean on the counter and close my eyes, allowing myself a moment to feel everything.
Nico and I have always known that one day the Outfit wouldn’t allow us to skirt the edges.
I fear what it means for Gianna if they demand more than I’m willing to give.
My father has always negotiated on the basis that having me become a face outside of the Outfit with a clean business benefits them more than having me sworn in.
I accept the uncertainty of the future and then shut it away.
I blow out a breath and push off the counter. The sky is darker through the windowed wall, and I hadn’t realized how long I stood there lost in my thoughts. When I get to the bedroom, the lights are off so I leave the door cracked for the hallway light to flood in.
Gianna mumbles in her sleep, kicking at the sheets and turning onto her back as I grab the gun from the bottom drawer of the nightstand.
My heart skips a beat at her beauty. I chased her so long without a glimpse and I forgot how much she enthralls me.
When I was a boy, my grandmum warned that when James men fall in love, there will never be another.
And unfortunately, those women were always struck with tragedy.
I’m not superstitious, but it happened to my father.
I refuse to believe I love Gianna. She’s safer that way.
My phone chirps, and I have half a mind to ignore before I pick it up, and my heart beats wildly at the message.
Some of my nerves calm, and a smile graces my lips.
I should have expected it, but it’s always nice to be reminded.
Shoving it back in my pocket, I head to face the night with renewed confidence.
Nico meets me in the garage, slipping into the driver seat with a stony silence I’ve never seen from him.
“Where?”
“Wacker drive.”
Nico tenses. “Lower Lower Wacker drive I assume?”
“You know it.”
He snorts. “Not very inconspicuous.”
I shrug. “No, but we all know how much Arthur enjoys his theatrics. My father is on his way. Just texted me he landed.”
Nico’s knuckles tighten on the steering wheel. “Did your father issue the summonings?”
Shaking my head, I fiddle with the lighter in my pocket. I left my butterfly pendant at home, unwilling to risk it getting lost. “No. He believes me getting visited by Luca sparked questions about my loyalty.”
My father may be one of the most well-known enforcers for the entire Outfit, but Arthur, the Underboss of Chicago, is the craziest motherfucker I’ve had the displeasure of knowing.
He rules the city out of fear from his unpredictability, which may not be the best tactic, but he’s led without loyalty issues.
I guess that’s what happens when you wipe a whole family from existence because of a rumor they betrayed you.
“And he flew over immediately?”
I nod. “You know Christian doesn’t fully trust Arthur.
And my father would never allow me to die at the hands of that lunatic.
” Christian may be the boss of the entire syndicate, but he rarely leaves the UK.
My father is his right hand, and I know Christian owes him for saving his life on more than one occasion.
“So they knew we were gonna be called up?” Nico asks.
Shrugging, I double-check my gun to ensure it’s clean. “I don’t know. I didn’t call him, only read the message he sent.”
“Fuck. I feel like he found out just in time to hop on the jet. That doesn’t comfort me.” He swears, gripping the wheel tighter.
I swallow down my own nerves. “We’re not going to die tonight.”
Nico’s teeth grind audibly. “You might not, but—”
Snapping my head to him, I nearly growl. “You’re my brother. If you die, I die. You got that? We’re not dying tonight.”
He swallows. “I die, you fight like hell to get out. That’s always been the goal, Sebastian.”
I shake my head. “You’re a dumb fucking twat if you ever thought I’d leave you behind.”
Nico slams on the brakes, turning to me. “I’m not afraid of dying. I’m afraid of failing you. My whole life has been about building yours, and I wouldn’t change a thing if in the end, you accomplished everything we worked for.”
“We,” I snarl back. “We worked for. Everything we’ve been working for is for you here in Chicago because you’re the only one I trust with my empire.” I don’t expect to tear up, so I glance away and clear my throat. “Neither of us are dying.”
Nico sighs. “I have a bad feeling. We weren’t ready for him to call us up so soon.”
“No we weren't, but that doesn’t mean we’re unprepared. You signal the men to blend in with the crowd?”
He nods. “Yes, but they’re already reporting we’re outnumbered.”
My tongue pushes at my cheek, and I wave for him to keep driving. “He needs me more than I need him. We can’t forget that. My father would never forgive him for killing me, and we both know Christian keeps my father on a very loose leash.”
“If there’s a leash at all,” Nico says, humor lacing his tone. His smile drops as he focuses back on the road. “Arthur won’t care about your father if he found out we’ve been monitoring him.”
I shrug. “No point in continuing to argue what ifs at this point. It is what it is. We’ll make do, like we always do, with whatever comes from tonight.”
He falls silent, the rest of the drive tense and quiet as we make our way to the part of the city most know to avoid. When we arrive, we sit there, staring down at the entrance
“If we do… it’s been a good run,” he says, his voice rough with emotion.
My throat aches and I nod. “We did, didn’t we? I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Not even when we were sixteen and we accidentally mooned Mrs. Hannagan?” he asks.
A choked laugh catches on my lips, and I turn to face him. “Not even then. She never let us live that down.”
He shakes his head and then sighs. “Fuck, I didn’t think I’d feel like this.”
I reach over, squeezing his shoulder. “I’ll kill him myself before I let it get that far.” The confidence I push into my voice astounds me, but I need my right hand not to be anticipating our deaths.
He shakes off my touch. “You’re right, fuck. I just—I hate that bastard.”
Nico’s vendetta is more personal than mine.
Arthur has impulsive tendencies, and his cousin was on the other side of a murderous one years ago.
Nico and his cousin were close, and he didn’t deserve to die the way he did.
That was the first time our goals shifted to focus more on Chicago and what we have planned for it.
This city feels more my home than the country I left when I was twelve.
But this is Nico’s home, and it always has been.
“He’ll meet his maker. I promise that,” I say darkly and open the car door, stepping into the evening air.
Chicago is colder this time of the year, the sting in the air a teaser of the winter soon to come.
I move around the front of the car, meeting Nico at his side as he tucks his gun under his shirt.
I grab his arm when he’s about to walk, and swallow harshly. “If—”
Nico laughs. “Nope, you can’t take it back now. Tell me when we’re driving back home to your girl.”
My mouth tilts up in the corner. He’s right, there’s no good that could come from whatever I was about to say.
I don’t have the feeling I’m going to die tonight, but I’m not in the mood to get hurt either.
We don’t see the gore of this life as often as one might assume, given my father’s job.
And maybe I have my father to thank for that, for keeping it from me and sparing those images.
If push comes to shove, I’ll do the job I need to protect those I love, but I’m not a fan. It’s why I prefer a single bullet to the head, quick death and easy clean up.
Blowing out a breath, I lock my nerves away and steel myself for the worst of the evening. We march down the slanted road, walking around the side until we find the opening that most use to slip inside, but we stop short at the two cars blocking entry and the men standing there.
One by the driver door calls out, “Weapons.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I’m not going in there unarmed.”