Chapter 10
Jude
Twenty-two years old
I dream in chess moves.
And it’s all her fault.
It’s been over a year since Mina asked me to kiss her.
A whole fucking year, and I still can’t shake the memory of that night.
Her taste.
Her scent.
The way her breath hitched.
The way her body molded itself to mine.
It haunts me.
I replay every detail of that night on a loop in my head as if the memory is etched into my mind, branded into my skull.
But that’s all I will allow it to ever be—a memory. A sweet intoxicating memory.
Mina and I could never work. Not just because she’s the daughter of the man who took me under his wing but because she’s fighting tooth and nail to earn her birthright.
Just like me.
Her future is here in London. Mine is in Chicago.
To pull her focus away from her mission would be selfish. To give in to my desires, knowing there’s no way I could ever keep her, would be cruel to both of us.
So, I did the only thing I could do under these circumstances. I set boundaries.
I started by avoiding Crane Manor on weekends, using school as an excuse to stay in the city. And even on the days my heart couldn’t stay away from Kent, I made sure never to be alone with her for more than a few minutes.
I did the right thing by setting up an invisible barrier between us.
It had to be done.
Mina took the hint and never brought up that night again.
Instead, she was all too happy to keep our kiss a secret.
For which I’m grateful.
If Crane ever found out that I had touched his precious daughter, then someone would have found my dead body floating in the Thames by now.
But Mina never said a word to anyone, choosing to keep our moment of weakness to herself.
She also never tried to kiss me again either.
I don’t know if I should be relieved or disappointed. Maybe a little of both.
Kiss me.
Fuck.
I still hear her voice, breathless, pleading.
Up until that night, the thought of kissing Mina had never even crossed my mind.
Or at least, that’s the lie I tell myself.
She was my friend.
The only real friend I had made since moving here.
Between school and learning how to be a made man , there wasn’t much time to meet new people, much less spark a physical relationship with someone.
That’s bullshit, and you know it.
Even when working, I had spent plenty of time in bars, clubs, and places where I could’ve found anyone to hook up with if I really wanted to. But I never did.
I told myself it was because I was too busy proving my worth, too focused on showing the world I had what it took to be my father’s heir to care about such things.
But deep down, in the hidden corners of my soul, I knew why I never let anyone else get close.
It was because of her… because of Mina.
She saw the loneliness breathing inside me and expelled it with her light.
First, by being my friend. Then, by becoming my fucking obsession.
Not that she knows it.
She has no idea that my eyes search for her in every room, every dark alley and street, every place I go to, as if the world feels incomplete without her. Or that my nights are filled with lucid dreams of her and that her sweet voice is the only one I want to hear before I fall asleep, yearning to be awakened by it in the morning.
Yes, I dream in chess moves.
And, like always, Mina is winning the game.
“Hey, are you with me or what?” Felix snaps his fingers in front of my face, yanking me from my turmoil and back to reality.
“Yeah, I’m here,” I grumble, cracking my neck from side to side.
“Doesn’t look like it.” He scowls, disappointed. “Get your shit together, Romano. We’ve got work to do,” he adds before getting out of the car.
I fall in line and follow him, slamming the door shut behind me a bit harder than I intended.
Felix is a good underboss and a phenomenal mentor—a solid man with integrity and honor. But fuck, does he rub me the wrong way.
Ever since Mina’s induction a year ago, I haven’t been able to look at him quite the same way. I watched as some of Crane’s older and more disgruntled capos whispered in his ear after Mina was initiated into the Firm. How he maintained an impassive expression stitched to his face while they pledged their support for him to lead the syndicate one day rather than its rightful heir. It infuriated me that he didn’t put those traitorous capos in their place from the start. The fact that he took the time to listen to their doubts and grievances about the prospect of having a woman in charge grated on my last nerve. I never heard him agree with them, but I didn’t see him put a stop to such talk either.
I know Felix is ambitious. He’s never hid that from anyone, Crane included. But just how far is his ambition willing to go?
Will he submit to decades of tradition and bend the knee when the time comes, or will he attempt to usurp Mina’s birthright from under her? Steal what is rightfully hers just because of her gender?
It’s the not knowing that sets my teeth on edge and why I’m unable to trust him implicitly.
“Look alive, Romano. It’s showtime,” he calls out to me as a jittery tweaker lingers by the side of the road, looking like he’ll drop to the ground at any second if he doesn’t get another hit soon.
As we approach, his eyes dart every which way, making sure no one sees him talking to us.
“Hello, Archie. A little birdie told us that you had some information that might be of interest to us,” Felix states once we reach him.
“I do.” He wipes his snot-covered sleeve across his nose. “But it’s gonna cost ya, innit?”
Without missing a beat, Felix reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small wad of cash secured with a rubber band, along with a tiny square of aluminum foil.
Heroin. I fucking hate this shit.
My father made sure the Outfit kept their hands clean of dealing drugs.
The Firm, though? They don’t give a damn how they make their money as long as it keeps flowing in.
A conscientious mafioso.
That’s what Mina called me once. I guess she was right. There are just some lines I won’t cross. Dealing drugs tops my list.
The snitch doesn’t hesitate to snatch the cash and heroin from Felix’s hand, quickly pocketing both.
“You lads must know that there’s a new dealer in town,” he starts, bouncing on his feet. “Selling prime stuff at half the price.”
“So we’ve heard,” Felix replies, unimpressed. “Though how prime could it be if it’s cheap?”
“Let’s just say it gets the job done.” The tweaker grins, showing off his decaying teeth.
“Let me guess—blue diamond?” Felix asks, to which the tweaker enthusiastically nods.
Fuck.
It’s everywhere nowadays. We can’t seem to outrun it.
The tweaker’s right—one hit of blue diamond, aka fentanyl, is not only cheaper than smack but delivers a much bigger punch. Crane tried to make an example a few years back that anyone dealing fentanyl on his turf would have him to answer to, but apparently, there’s someone who hasn’t taken the warning to heart. Probably the same person who sent that assassin to kill his underlings before they could tell Crane who they were working for.
Due to its potency and low cost, this new drug lord has been making a fortune by mixing fentanyl with other substances such as heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, uncaring that it increases the likelihood of a fatal interaction. Apparently, this new player doesn’t care how many lives he ruins since it doesn’t affect his bottom line. The sad thing is, when one addict drops dead with their product, ten more reappear, eager to play Russian roulette with it.
We’ve been trying to find out who this mysterious player is for years now, hitting brick wall after brick wall with no one willing to give him up.
Whoever it is, they’re smart. But someone within their ranks made a mistake. They trusted Archie. And Archie has no sense of self-preservation. He’s the kind of snitch who would turn in his own grandmother if there were money or smack in it for him. A trait that Felix is all too happy to exploit.
“And where can we find this entrepreneur? ” Felix interrogates.
“There’s a burlesque club in Shoreditch. Paradise something. You can find him there most nights.”
“And how will we know who he is?” I probe, to which Archie laughs.
“You can’t miss him if you tried. He’ll be the only albino in the room with two red gashes over his left eye and cheek. Mean-looking bastard.”
“That’s more than enough to go on,” I say over at Felix, happy to finally have a lead.
“Hmm.” He nods pensively before waving off the snitch. “You still here? Go.”
“I was just thinking that maybe if you catch your guy, there will be a reward in it for me.”
Felix flashes an intimidating grin and leans into him. “How about I allow you to continue breathing? Or do you think I’m stupid enough not to know you’ve been sitting on this information for when it suited you most? Go before I change my mind and make an example of you, you sly cunt.”
Archie doesn’t need to be told twice and bolts.
“An albino with two red gashes on his face? How hard can he be to find?” I ask once we’re alone.
“Hard enough if today is the first time we’re hearing of him,” Felix grumbles, returning to his car. “Remember, it’s not the dealer we want. It’s who’s supplying him the merchandise.”
Whoever is smuggling fentanyl into the U.K. made sure to cover his tracks better after the warehouse bust. He’s clever for not using any of Crane’s product to mix with his poison, which means every move we make from here on out has to be precise.
In other words, we can’t fuck this up.
“We stake out the club and get as much intel as possible before making a move,” I say before sliding into the passenger seat.
“Easier said than done,” Felix counters once he’s behind the steering wheel. “Everyone knows Crane’s men are hunting these bastards. They’ll know how to spot one of our own.” He goes quiet for a while, deep in thought, but after a brief moment, a smile spreads across his face, and he continues, “But there may be a way we can work around that.”
“How?” I ask, intrigued.
“Let me talk to the boss first.”
My brows pull together. “You’re not even going to give me a hint?”
His smile broadens, and he replies, “The best way in is to put two of our own inside that club. They’ll expect Firm soldiers sniffing around, but they’ll never expect an American.” He pauses. “Or a woman.”
I stiffen at the look in his eyes and declare, “Tell me you’re not suggesting Mina.”
“I am,” he deadpans.
“Fuck no!”
“Did I ask for your opinion?” Felix’s tone turns sharp. “No. The boss will decide if it’s a good move or not. You don’t have a say, soldier. ”
My jaw tightens at the reminder of my rank—a soldier taking orders from those with a higher station within the organization.
But still… for him to suggest Mina.
No. There is no way Crane will put his daughter in harm’s way. Or will he use this as an opportunity for Mina to prove she can handle the Firm’s business?
Fuck.
He’s going to go along with this crazy plan, isn’t he? Of course he is.
Fuck my life.