11. CONVERGE
ELEVEN
converge
Pippa
I still don’t think we should go.
Jules:
You’ve made your position clear.
Luna:
I don’t know, I’m starting to feel good about it.
Love you, but you’re too positive about most things.
Luna:
Fair. But doesn’t it just feel better to be positive?
Jules:
Chaos and conflict are her happy place.
As the oldest, I really don’t get the respect I deserve.
My sisters and I arrive at the Luciano mansion on a Sunday morning like this is a normal thing we do. We are united, but unsmiling. The air feels heavy as we walk into enemy territory, even if the enemies say they want to help.
Niko greets us while he and a few of his men check us for weapons. Without coordinating, we all dressed in black tactical attire—most fitting when you’re not sure if you’re forming an alliance or starting a war.
Tactical black may be an everyday look for Jules, but definitely not Luna or me. Luna’s colorful wardrobe is the perfect match for her personality, the same way my tailored suits create the armor I don to rub elbows with Washington’s elites.
But the three of us have an alias for every occasion, and today I’ve stepped into my fighter persona.
Sharp-eyed and ready—as if I’m entering a ring, not a meeting.
Jules is not the only one with ninja assassin skills in our crew.
We all have them. Luna and I are just as scary as her when it comes to a physical fight.
And make no mistake about it: This is a fight.
While we’ve decided to share a small part of our truth with these possible allies, we are still playing characters today. No one can ever know our true identities. We’d be as dead as Jared in that jail cell—no doubt about it.
The Luciano mansion is exactly what you’d expect from a mafia dynasty. Stone walls, high ceilings, a fireplace that could swallow a Fiat, and enough security cameras and men with guns walking the perimeter to make Langley nervous.
We didn’t want them back at the warehouse, so meeting here made the most sense and offered the most privacy.
Don’t love it, though. Which is why we made them agree to no weapons and no guards in the room. Security have been informed we are free to leave any time we want.
Niko reiterates this as he guides us into the sunroom, where Hudson, Enzo, and Eva are waiting, and then he steps outside, presumably to take guard at the door.
It looks like they got the black tactical gear memo, too. Good. We are all ready for battle, then.
While technically sunlight is coming into this room, nothing about it feels particularly bright. It’s grand and moody, with iron-framed windows, stone floors, and enough expensive furniture to host the Queen of England.
Enzo takes a moment to introduce everyone to Eva as we settle into a loose circle, sinking into couches and high-backed chairs arranged like a council no one asked for.
Jules and Enzo are positioned at either end, staged like a boardroom brawl.
Hudson and Eva are on the far couch.
Luna curls up next to me, cross-legged, scanning the room like she’s deciding who she might kill first. She may present sunny and bubbly, but she’s as lethal as anyone sitting in this rag-tag group of possible-allies in the making.
“Thank you for the invite to this cute little mob brunch,” I break the silence. “Should we jump right in?”
“Sounds good.” Enzo’s demeanor is calm. Very different from the other night at my condo.
Hudson sits back, relaxed, presenting his normal playboy energy.
Eva has a smile on her face that offers way too much excitement and eagerness.
Didn’t expect that. Reminds me of Luna.
“We’ve discussed the offer of Vale,” I continue. “We’ve come today with a counteroffer.”
Enzo sits straighter and opens his mouth to interject but I raise my hand.
“Hear us out. We are willing to test a partnership, but we don’t think Vale is the right first target. We need more in play before we take him out. With your access to him, though, we were thinking we could set up some bugs to get ears on his operation.”
The opposing trio all agree, thinking through logistics.
“In addition, we are willing to share our next target to see if working together makes sense. We aren’t convinced extra people will actually help, but we are intrigued about what you might bring to the table.”
There’s a heartbeat of silence. Then, they all speak at once.
“I’m in,” Eva says enthusiastically.
“I like it,” Hudson adds with a big smile.
“That makes sense,” Enzo states with a small incline of his head.
Luna and Eva both chuckle and they exchange a drawn-out look that seems dangerously close to flirtation.
As if my history with Hudson or the heat brewing with Enzo wasn’t already complicated enough. Sure, let’s add another flirtatious entanglement. Why not?
Jules and I share a look that says, that was too easy.
I don’t like it, but I continue. “Look, we’ve each got strengths.
Enzo, you and Eva have reach and muscle.
Hudson, you have a high-level network at the Bureau and a clean reputation.
” I gesture toward Luna. “Luna’s the best hacker in the country, maybe the world.
Although I hear Eva may be hot on her heels.
Jules is ex-CIA. I have White House clearance and access.
We’re not amateurs playing vigilante. All three of us are trained in combat, weapons, chemicals, poisons, you name it.
We didn’t stumble into this. We built it. ”
Hudson lets out a low whistle, eyes flicking from me to the others and back again. “Damn. Glad I never got on your bad side, Jane.”
I raise a brow, lips curving just slightly.
“That’s still up for debate.” I slide the folder across the coffee table.
It slows to a stop in front of Enzo. “Let’s start with one op, one mark—Victor Malin.
Head of President Troy’s security detail.
Publicly, he’s an American hero. Privately?
He’s a broker, a buyer, and a protector of the worst kinds of men. We’ve had eyes on him for years.”
Enzo flips it open. I see the question forming before he says it. “Is he on the list as your gateway to the President? Is Troy the final mark?”
I glance at Jules.
She doesn’t blink. “We’re not there yet.”
Hudson leans in, half-smirk. “Yet?”
I meet his eyes evenly. “Magnus Troy has enough skeletons in his closet to fill Arlington. The world knows who he is. We’ve played a very active role in spilling his dirty secrets.
Somehow, it hasn’t seemed to matter. Taking out Victor Malin does help us to get to Troy, yes, but that’s not the only reason he’s on the list.”
“I’ve always wondered if Malin is in with the Russians,” Eva chimes in, “but could never find any proof.”
Jules offers a small smile. “Good instincts. Victor with a C now, used to spell it with a K. He’s no American war hero.
He’s a KGB double agent, planted here in the nineties.
The Malin family has deep ties to the Bratva.
In Russia the KGB, organized crime, and politics have always worked hand-in-hand.
He was introduced to Troy in the late eighties and he’s been building influence ever since. ”
Hudson leans forward. “How do you know this? He’s not on the FBI’s radar of KGB operatives. I’ve looked into him before; I couldn’t find anything.”
No one replies. Everyone looks at each other. Our silence makes it clear we won’t share how we know—it would reveal too much.
Enzo lets out a low whistle and leans back.
“Malin and Troy go way back. It’s no secret Troy is in with the Russians.
You’ll get no argument from me. The Volkov family runs the DC syndicate, and I killed Konstantin Senior after he killed my parents.
His son, Junior, has been in hiding ever since.
He knows the minute I get access to him, he’s dead. ”
The room goes silent at the heaviness in that admission.
We understand the history between the two families and knew leading with a Russian target would be a good test of this fledgling alliance. Or whatever the fuck this is. My sisters and I give nothing away at the mention of the Volkovs or Junior.
We wouldn’t want the Junior we were raised with to die. It’s hard to know who our childhood friend turned out to be. For all we know, he could be at the center of it all, just like his dad was. We can’t let our complex pasts influence how we pursue these predators.
“So, this is where the crusade leads?” Eva asks. “From high-end predators to the world’s most notorious Predator-in-Chief?”
Hudson raises his brows and tries to cut the tension with a laugh. “Awesome. So, what? We take out the head of the secret service and then…you simply go after the President next? Sounds like a solid plan. Zero red flags.” His laugh dies in the quiet that follows.
I look at him, my tone flat. “If you’re here to talk us out of it, you’re at the wrong table.”
Across from me, Enzo closes the folder and taps it once against the table. “So, Victor Malin’s first. Fair enough.” He dips his chin slowly. “Let’s talk about how we make him disappear.”
And just like that, a precarious union is formed. It still feels too easy, but I’m under no false assumptions it will be.
We spend the next hour detailing plans, threading logistics, and outlining blind spots.
Enzo offers backchannel access to key members of Malin’s inner circle.
Hudson volunteers Bureau intel he can get through unofficial back doors.
Jules, ever the quiet operator, points out a surveillance vulnerability on Victor’s estate, sharing some of the challenges we’ve had so far.