24. Maddoc
“Shit, Madd,”Dante says under his breath, rolling his shoulders back as he adopts a lazy-looking smile and chin nods at the representatives of the 17th Street Gang as they head toward us. “Not often we have so many outsiders this deep.”
I grunt softly in reply, knowing the comment is just his way of relieving some nerves. Neither Logan nor Dante likes my decision to invite so many other gang leaders this deeply into our territory, but they do understand it.
Our perimeter is at risk. Just like we predicted, McKenna’s been picking away at it every fucking day. We’ve done what we can to protect our people and our resources as we continue to give up ground, but now we need allies. We need a goddamn alliance to stand against him, and the only way to convince other gangs that we need it, and more importantly, that we’ll honor it, is with a face-to-face meeting.
And as much as it pisses me off to admit, the only place I truly feel confident we can get that done without risking an attack from West Point that would disrupt these talks before they even get started is right here, in the heart of Reaper territory.
I nod at the familiar faces of the other gang leaders as they array themselves around us. Besides the 17th Street Gang, which we’ve always had a solid relationship with, we’ve invited the Cobalt Crew, who we definitely haven’t, and a few other low-level players; organizations whose borders either touch ours or touch West Point’s.
Gattrock, from the south side of the city. The Kraits, whose tiny-ass territory is crammed between the warehouse district and the neutral zone downtown that The Six enforce. The Stonebrew gang, led by an upstart who’s too fucking bloodthirsty, in my opinion, but knows how to get shit done.
It’s no surprise that he’s the one who speaks up first. “What’s this about, Maddoc?”
The cocky smirk he usually wears nowhere in sight as he shifts his weight uneasily, obviously no happier to be in the heart of our territory than we are to have him here.
Before I answer, I scan each group carefully, giving my gut one last chance to pick up on any potential treachery. On any reason not to share the information we have with them.
I don’t find it.
Everyone we’ve brought together is clearly wary of each other and wondering why I brought them together, but none of them are outright enemies. Other than the 17th Street Gang, I wouldn’t say any of them are actually allies, either—not with us, and not with each other—but I do know they’ve all made deals with each other before.
It’s a start.
“You’re all here because we have a common enemy,” I finally say. “West Point.”
That gets me a variety of reactions, from skeptical muttering to verging on disrespectful.
Victor Ruiz, the leader of the 17th Street Gang, is the only one who has the balls to respond directly.
“It”s no secret that we”re not on good terms with McKenna,” he says carefully. “But I’m not sure I’d call him an enemy of 17th Street.”
“And I’m sure you’ll feel differently once I explain the situation. McKenna has recently expanded his gang’s financial resources exponentially.”
“I heard some rumors on the street about that,” Gattrock’s leader says. “The numbers that are being thrown around, though? Sounds like bullshit.”
“It’s not,” I tell him grimly.
My brothers and I have already decided not to go into specifics, and we’re sure as shit not going to give anyone Riley’s name or let them know how she’s involved. I confirm how much fucking money McKenna got his hands on, though, and assure the other gangs that we’ve verified it.
“No fucking way,” says the Stonebrew gang’s cocky-ass leader, scowling at me like he wants to punch something. “Are you shitting me? With that kind of money—”
“West Point becomes a massive, looming threat,” I interrupt. “To all of us.”
The statement shuts him up, but I can tell he’s still skeptical. They all are.
This time, it’s the Cobalt Crew”s leader, Wolf Mathis, who speaks up. “All due respect, Maddoc, but you Reapers have history with West Point. We don’t.”
“The fuck you don’t,” Dante drawls, crossing his arms over his chest. “Who disrupted your business down by the tracks last year?”
One of Mathis’s seconds narrows his eyes. “That was a misunderstanding.”
Dante smirks. “Really? Because it looked a lot more like your people turning tail and running when McKenna decided he was going to take over some of your protection racket.”
The whole Cobalt delegation bristles, but I’ve got enough of my people stationed around us to make them think twice about taking too much offense.
Besides, it’s true.
“McKenna’s always been a threat,” I remind them all. “He just hasn’t had the power to rock the boat too much before now.”
“By rock the boat, do you mean push into Reaper territory? Because that’s what it looks like from where we’re standing,” Mathis says with a sneer. “In fact, it sounds like this little meeting of yours is less about a ‘common enemy’ than it is the Reapers asking for help in your long-standing feud. The one you’re now losing.”
“We’re not asking for anything,” I say tightly. “We’re offering an alliance that will benefit us all.”
Mathis scoffs. “I don’t see much benefit to joining up with the losing side in a war we’ve got no part in. How much territory have you lost so far, Maddoc? Heard one of your warehouses burned last week, and just the other day, West Point staked a claim to the entire 300-block over by the old transfer station. Didn’t that used to be Reaper territory?”
“It did.”
In other circumstances, I wouldn’t put up with this shit. As it is, I exercise every bit of my self-control to keep my temper from getting out of hand. There’s more at stake here than a little posturing, and it’s no surprise that, out of everyone we invited, Mathis is being the most combative. Our history with them is a rocky one, but unfortunately, we need them.
More importantly, they need us, even if they don’t realize it yet.
“We haven’t lost any territory due to neglect,” I tell them all. “McKenna hasn’t been sending his people after us—”
Mathis snorts again, but I ignore him.
“—he’s using some of that bottomless well of cash he’s got now to hire unaffiliated mercenaries. Trained operatives who are employing strategic military tactics to advance into Reaper territory and dismantle it, block by block.”
The other gang leaders exchange looks, even Mathis shutting up at that news. Every one of them is ruthless in his own way, but we’ve all come up through the streets. Not a single one of them has the knowledge or training to go up against the kind of people McKenna’s brought in, not any more than the Reapers do.
“You sure about that, Maddoc?” the leader of the Kraits finally asks, scratching the back of his head. “That ain’t usually how we do things in Halston.”
“If I wasn’t sure, you wouldn’t have been invited here.”
I don’t just mean to the meeting. I mean into the heart of our territory, where we can be as sure as it’s possible to be that we can still defend ourselves. Where we’ve only welcomed them because we’ve got no other choice.
“You’re right that the Reapers have a history with West Point,” I go on as I watch that sink in. “But if McKenna succeeds in tearing us apart, do you really think he’ll be satisfied?”
The Kraits leader snorts, shaking his head. “Damn. No, I don”t. He doesn’t pay much mind to us since our territory is so far from his borders, but that piece of shit has never made a secret about how greedy he is when it comes to expansion.”
“He’ll go after all of you,” Logan says quietly. “Once he gets a taste of winning, he’ll roll right over every other gang who has territory he’s interested in. Every operation whose business he wants to get his hands on.”
A vein starts throbbing in Mathis’s forehead, and I’ve got no doubt at all he’s thinking back on what West Point’s already taken from him. It’s the main reason we invited him here, despite our differences.
I lay it out for them as clearly as I can, looking each one in the eye. “We either work together to stop him now, or he becomes unstoppable. It’s as simple as that.”
Tension rises in the room as each group digests that statement. Then the cocky little shit from the Stonebrew gang sums up the general feeling for all of us.
“Motherfucker.”
Dante snorts, then shakes his head. “Yeah, he really fucking is. So what are you all gonna do about it?”
Their voices rise to a low hum, each gang talking quietly among their people as Dante’s question reminds them that they each got where they were by being men of action, and I exchange a look with my brothers, trying to gauge their take on the mood.
Eventually, the other leaders have a few questions about what McKenna is planning, and I answer them to the best of my ability.
It pisses me off that the “to the best of my ability” isn’t much more than a few predictions and best guesses, given that we haven’t been able to get any concrete information from our informants yet, but we still share everything we’ve got even though it grates on me to be so fucking open with people whose loyalties aren’t solidly with us yet.
But like Riley reminded me, the main thing is living to fight another day. And right now, we need strength in numbers to do that.
“Okay, Maddoc,” Ruiz finally says with a respectful nod. “We’ll take this back and chew on it, then be in touch.”
“I appreciate you coming,” I tell him, signaling some of my people to escort the 17th Street group to the edge of our territory, ensuring their safety as long as they’re within our borders.
Once they leave, the other gangs quickly follow. None of them outright committed to allying with us, but it’s clear that at least a few of them have reevaluated their perception of West Point and the threat that McKenna poses.
“It’s a win, Madd,” Dante says once we see the last of them off, obviously reading my frustration. “It’s not like we can expect more right out of the gate, yeah?”
“Sure,” I say, scrubbing a hand over my face. “But fuck. McKenna’s not gonna wait around for them to get their heads out of their asses and recognize what’s really happening here.”
“No, he’s not,” Dante agrees, his expression somber. “But he’s also not being that fucking subtle, so they”ll see it, sooner or later.”
Logan nods. “You’ve laid the groundwork. That’s all today was about.”
He’s right. I know it, even if I wish we could make this shit happen faster, before more of my people are hurt or displaced by McKenna’s vendetta and his insatiable greed.
“Let’s head home,” I say, more than ready to see our girl and not fucking shy about the fact that I want a little of the peace having her with us will bring after the stress of this meeting.
“Good call, Madd,” Dante says, clapping me on the shoulder as we head to the SUV, waving off the security detail that offers to escort us back to the house.
The day we need them right on our asses, here where we should be the most secure, is the day we’re well and truly fucked.
“Is Wolf Mathis going to be a problem?” I ask as we pile into the vehicle, needing to find out if my brothers’ take on things matches my own.
“No,” Logan says immediately. “It was the right call to include him.”
Dante smirks. “Even though he’s an ass.”
“Even though he’s an ass,” Logan concedes with a small smile. “He’s been burned by West Point before, though. He’s not going to risk it happening again after the way McKenna humiliated him last year.”
I nod. “I agree. And hopefully, the other gang leaders will see the writing on the wall soon enough to step up and help us take a stand before it’s too late.”
“Yeah, unless McKenna gets wind of today’s meeting and tries to form his own alliances with them,” Dante says, shaking his head. “Short-sighted fucks. I wouldn’t put it past that little shit from the Stonebrew gang to make the mistake of thinking he’ll have a better chance at survival if he throws in with West Point.”
Logan frowns. “We should put surveillance on him and make sure he doesn’t run to McKenna and initiate that.”
“If he does, it’s gonna piss me the fuck off,” I admit, which is news to precisely no one. Then I exhale roughly, and let it fucking go for now, because we’ve done what we can, and given what’s at stake, we already agreed reaching out like this was worth the risk.
Now, only time will tell if we were actually right.