Chapter 11
Chapter eleven
Everyone’s attention snapped to him, and the easy mood evaporated.
Rory leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the table. “Conan and Ana haven’t been briefed since before Christmas. They know Nik declared war the night he burned Delgado’s club, The Sacrifice. What they don’t know is what came after.”
Ana took a sip of water, then rested her hand on Conan’s thigh as she leaned into him.
“Delgado was pissed and thought he could take what was mine,” Nik said, his gaze flicking to Lacey. “He decided to hit back. He kidnapped her, tortured her, and then tried to kill Rory and me for good measure.”
Conan’s jaw tightened.
“At Teterboro,” Nik continued, the furrow deepening between his brows, “he wired my jet. If Lacey hadn’t gotten out—if she hadn’t warned us—we wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Rory’s fist came down hard on the table. “Our first officer and a flight attendant weren’t so lucky.”
Ana swallowed. “Jesus.”
Nik didn’t look at his sister. His attention was locked on me. “Delgado doesn’t miss twice. Which brings us to Hayes.”
I wasn’t about to rehash my fuck-up at the church. Whatever mistake I’d made there was mine to fix. So I stayed where the ground was solid—on what Nik and I had been digging up since.
“Delgado and Hayes are tied together deeper than we thought,” I said. “Not just money or favors. Political protection. Flesh trafficking. Quiet cover-ups that never make it past sealed records. We’re still uncovering it, but it’s enough to know Hayes isn’t just compromised—he’s complicit.”
“Well, shit,” Gabriel muttered.
“He’s not a politician with a cartel problem,” I went on. “He’s part of the machinery. Hayes knows exactly what Delgado moves and helps keep the doors open.”
I leaned forward, placing my palms on the table.
“One of the largest U.S. banks headquartered here in the city is involved. Every dirty transaction Delgado runs eventually clears through them. And if he’s auctioning women—” I looked around the table, making sure they were still with me “—then Hayes is the one greasing the palms that keep the money moving.”
“Which brings us to Scarlett Hayes,” Nik said.
Scarlett’s wild green eyes resurfaced in my mind. What, exactly, was her role in dear old Dad’s schemes—an innocent hidden away for protection, or a link to girls her age?
“We don’t know much about her after he locked her away in Spain,” I said. “But what we do know raises red flags. Her mother’s death seems overly managed by his press team, and Hayes treats the girl as if she hardly exists except for the rare occasion when he trots her out for press events.”
I scrubbed my hand over the scruff on my chin. “She fought me like a hellcat when I tried to grab her on Christmas night. That was unexpected.”
“You had her,” Nik said. “Losing her drew attention.”
It wasn’t a rebuke. It was accounting.
“I know.”
He let it go.
“Scarlett Hayes doesn’t exist in public the way a mayor’s daughter normally does,” Nik said. “No social footprint. No independence. For someone in her twenties, she’s a ghost.”
He leaned back, tapping his fingers on the edge of the table. “So,” he smirked. “How are you coming along with your meek little nun? Any progress on taking our leverage?”
I didn’t rise to the bait. There was no point in handing Nik an opening when I was already irritated with myself. He enjoyed pressing where it hurt, and I wasn’t in the mood to give him the satisfaction.
“She’s locked down,” I said. “Rapunzel in her tower. Hayes moved her into his new place at the Peregrine on Fifth at 61st. Expensive, secure, and locked down tight.”
“Delgado’s money goes a long way,” Gabriel chuckled.
“And she’s scheduled to fly back to Spain on January first,” I said.
Nik frowned. “That’s her birthday.”
“Exactly. Hayes doesn’t give a shite. To him, it’s not a celebration—it’s a note on his calendar.”
Ana’s mouth tightened. “That’s…cold.”
“To him, it’s practical,” I said. “He’s done with her once she’s served her purpose.”
Nik’s attention stayed on me. “And until then?”
“Until then, Hayes keeps her at home or serving as his moral ambassador. I overheard them talking about New Year’s Day,” I continued.
“A daytime event—press, donors, the whole polished routine. But I’m not sure she’s going to stay put for that long.
She asked him to let her go to a friend’s place for dinner out in Jersey for New Year’s Eve. ”
“And he agreed?” Rory asked.
“Yes,” I smiled.
I could still see it—when she turned away once he’d agreed, her face lit up. Not excitement—resolve. My little saint was up to something.
“He thinks he has her under his control enough not to run,” I grunted. “He’s wrong.”
“That dinner is the first opening he’s given her,” Lach said.
“My opening,” I corrected. “On New Year’s Eve, Hayes will be busy—elite parties, Times Square to flip the switch on the ball, and cameras all over him.”
“But you’re not going to grab her in a public space this time, right?” Nik asked.
“No, we’re going to follow her and wait for the perfect opportunity.”
Rory leaned back in his chair. “DarkMatter can help you by keeping a full team on her from morning until night.”
“I’ll need that,” I said, turning to Nik. “And your tech to open doors. Cameras to trace her every step—anything that lets us stay ahead of her movements and see inside wherever she goes.”
Nik didn’t hesitate. “Done.”
“That girl’s mine on New Year’s Eve.”
Everyone nodded.
Nik’s brows lifted slightly as he glanced around the table.
“Anything else before we head back out into the club? There’s a high-stakes poker game spinning up downstairs.
A few hedge fund bros are looking to settle an insider trading deal gone wrong, the only way they know how—with money on the table. ”
Ana raised a finger. “There is one thing.”
She glanced over at Conan and then back to Nik. “Our mother has been making a point of being seen lately. Public appearances, charity galas—she has attended all the major social functions in St. Petersburg. Always with Alexey Melnichenko at her side.”
She clucked her tongue and shook her head. “It’s a message. They’ve aligned, and they want us to know it.”
Nik’s jaw tightened. “Valentina always liked theatrics. She’s made it easy for my father’s loyal bastards to betray the Volkovi Notchi and jump ship to the Solntsevskaya Bratva.”
He tried to shrug it off, but there was anger underneath it. “Let them go. Anyone worth keeping has already stayed.”
Ana turned to Lacey, who was chewing on her bottom lip, looking a bit lost. “Valentina is our mother. Let’s just say she raised us with an iron fist, and there’s no love lost between us. Alexey is Daria’s father—the sick bastard who tortured her and sold her to a wretched old oligarch.”
Conan shifted to see Lacey better. “Daria married my brother Braxton after a helluva ordeal. They ran from the northern border of Ukraine through St. Petersburg, with the Russian FSB and Alexey’s soldiers up their asses.”
Ana leaned back, one hand rubbing her belly as if grounding herself. “Daria’s healing after everything she’s been through since she was a kid. It’s slow, but she’s…better. Braxton’s been good for her.”
I caught the way Conan’s mouth curved at the mention of his brother.
“And our alliance is solid here in the states,” Ana continued matter-of-factly, as if she were reporting the weather.
“Volkov, Genovese, Moretti, and Byrnes. The Syndicate has solidly come together. Luca’s kept me looped in—despite Nik’s belief that being pregnant makes me too fragile for Syndicate business. ”
Nik shot her a look. “You are carrying twins.”
Ana smiled, unfazed. “And still paying attention.”
That earned a few low chuckles around the table.
Lacey blew out a breath, rolling her shoulders.
“Jesus Christ,” she said. “I need a glass of wine after all that testosterone.”
Gabriel snorted. “You chose to marry the king.”
“And survived,” she shot back. “Barely.”
That cracked the tension, and Ana laughed.
Lacey patted Ana’s belly. “Okay. Enough war talk. Let’s talk about something that isn’t kidnapping or blowing shit up. Like the babies.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Ana said, resting her hand on her belly.
“I bet Tacoma is the perfect place to raise kids,” Lacey went on. “I’ve read about how gorgeous the Gig Harbor Peninsula on Horsehead Bay is—water, forests, privacy. Far away from all this Delgado nightmare.”
“And safe,” Conan said, as if that was the only thing that mattered.
Ana’s eyes lit up. “You’re going to have to come visit us and meet the rest of the family.”
Nik cut in without hesitation. “Lacey doesn’t go anywhere without me or a massive DarkMatter force.”
Ana shot him a look. “You’re welcome to come too, you know. It would do you good to get away from all this mess in the city.”
“No,” he said flatly. “You’re pregnant. I don’t want to bring this mess with me. You and the Thorin brothers have been lying low. Out of sight, out of mind—so no one can use you to get to The Syndicate or me. And I’m keeping it that way.”
Lacey laughed. “See? He’s the most controlling man on the planet. I can’t even pee without him knowing about it.”
Nik didn’t deny it as he stood. “I like having eyes on you.”
Lacey groaned, tipping her head back. “Ugh, you’re so over the top.”
Nik smirked, his attention fixed on her.
“I like watching you sing while you cook. Watching you do your yoga shit. And I especially enjoy watching you touch yourself when you think I’m too busy to notice.”
Someone actually choked.
“And you should be grateful,” Nik added calmly, “that I allow you to touch what’s mine.”
Lacey smiled sweetly.
“You don’t own my pussy.”
Gabriel winced. “Oh no—”
“My pussy owns you,” she finished.
The room lost it.
“Christ,” Gabriel said, rubbing his face. “Pussies run the world. We just pretend we’re in charge.”
Nik grabbed Lacey by the nape of her neck and hauled her up to him, kissing her hard and filthy because he didn’t give a fuck who was watching.
I stood. “All right. Enough.”
Nik released her, but his arm locked around her waist.
I looked at Nik, Lach, and then Gabriel. “You all good to hold down Xyst tonight?”
Gabriel smirked. “Always.”
“Good. Then we’re done here.”
I picked up the folder and walked around the table toward Ana as most everyone stood. We’d been through too much together to let our visit end with a nod and a wave.
“It’s good to see you, Ana. I’m glad you were able to come to the city over the holidays,” I said, gently squeezing her shoulder. “And I’m glad you’ve got this guy taking care of ya.” I turned and clapped Conan on the back. “You’re going to be one hell of a father.”
Conan smiled. “Thanks, man. I plan on it.”
Ana turned, and I opened my arms without thinking. She stepped into them, hugging me tight, the way she always had. I wondered if I’d ever be able to trust a woman as I’d trusted her.
“I’m really happy for you,” I whispered. “I hope your kids are just like you.”
She pulled back, a smile on her face and tears brimming in her eyes. “That means a lot, Lucian.”
Nik, guiding Lacey forward, tilted his head at Ana. “I’m sending you, Lacey, and Conan back to my place. You need to rest. Henri, one of my top men from DarkMatter, is waiting for you downstairs. So, I’ll walk you out before heading downstairs to the casino.”
Ana rolled her eyes, but she didn’t argue as they made their way out of the office.
Lach handed me his keys.
“Be at my place by five tomorrow so we can go over any last-minute details,” I said.
“You got it.”
Gabriel gave me a two-finger salute. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“That doesn’t narrow it down,” I said, and that earned a chuckle from him.
The elevator doors were sliding open by the time I joined the others in the reception area.
We stepped in together, the girls chatting about the nursery colors.
My mind was already on the fiery little vixen who’d left her mark on me in more ways than one.
Tomorrow evening couldn’t get here fast enough.