Chapter 6
The day of the Marcosa summit saw my formal dining room filled with men. Thankfully, it was more than enough space to house all my lieutenants and the highest members of their entourages comfortably, a necessity because once the summit started, no one left until it ended.
The lock-in was both protection and precaution. The men I brought into the meetings were closest to me, but even they weren’t infallible. Anyone could be turned, bribed, or threatened to give up information. Antoni had learned that the hard way, and it was a lesson I never forgot. So, we catered in and enjoyed hours of uninterrupted time to formulate plans and air grievances.
Joy.
In truth, the summit came at a terrible time. With things at Gilded finally going right and Dominic’s unexpected appearance, my plate was overflowing. There was no room for the petty squabbles and power plays those meetings usually incited. But Greyson hadn’t found more than basic information on the Aces, and I needed our network looking for any hint of their weakness. Unknown players were too dangerous to stay in my city.
My uncles, the capos, were the last to join us. They were searched quickly, leaving Joaquin to loudly make his way to my side. I hated being that close to him, but besides Greyson, he was the highest-ranked member of our family. Sitting close to the don was a sign of respect, one I couldn’t afford to snub him of. Still, I debated it.
After weeks of chaos, I was running on no sleep and even less patience. My uncle had a way of picking at my soft spots like a pro, and I didn’t have the energy to hold myself back.
Just before he sat, someone dropped a cherry-chocolate chip muffin in front of me.
Frowning, I peered up just in time for Dominic to drop into the chair at my side. Joaquin’s chair. “You should eat.”
“You got me a muffin.”
“You were never good at long meetings. Always got hangry. I figured I’d save us all the headache and feed you now,” Dominic said.
Sweet thought, poor execution. I leaned forward, happy when he followed suit. “I know you’re new to this, but watch the way you speak to me. Especially when we’re around others. I may have been informal in my office, but we’re in public now.”
With the family around, we weren’t two people with history—we were the boss and her subordinate.
“Be a good boy. Got it.” With one finger, Dominic pushed the muffin nearer. “Eat.”
Snatching it up for a bite, I nearly groaned. It was exactly what I needed, and damn him for knowing it.
Surprisingly, Joaquin didn’t make a fuss about losing his seat. Instead, he clapped Dominic on the back. “Good to have you home, boy. How was Chicago?”
“Windy.”
All the capos and their men laughed, and I knew right then that Dominic had done it. There was no way he didn’t have the nominations for underboss. Grey knew it too. I could practically feel him seething behind me. We still hadn’t spoken about Dominic’s little slip, but I knew time was running out. We’d have that talk eventually, and I wasn’t looking forward to it.
Tennessee and Moore, who were stationed on opposite sides of the room, nodded, telling me that everyone had been thoroughly searched for recording devices, weapons, and poison. Family or not, trust was one of the only luxuries the powerful couldn’t afford.
With confirmation that we were in the clear, I rapped my knuckles on the table once, and like Pavlov’s dogs, everyone turned to me. Joaquin dropped into his seat, an insolent smirk on his face. He always looked at me like I was nothing but a seat-warmer, ruling until the real king knocked me off the throne. If killing him wouldn’t turn the rest of the family against me, I’d have removed him a long time ago.
“Thank you all for coming. We’ve got a lot going on, so let’s move through things quickly. If you have something to say, wait until the end to bring it up.” I shot a pointed look at Dominic, and he nodded. “First, we found Zander.”
It was like watching a room full of hawks locate their prey. Everyone’s eyes were laser-focused on me, tension tight in the way they held themselves.
“Where was the little asshole?” Gabriele, one of my capos and uncle by marriage, cracked his knuckles. “I’d love to take my time with him.”
“That won’t be necessary. Zander’s been removed from the chessboard. He went underground with the enemy and paid the price.”
The men flashed gruesome smiles, and I had a moment to think Zander was lucky that I’d personally overseen his torture. If any of them had been in charge, he would’ve been in pieces.
I waved Greyson forward, and he moved to my side, tablet in hand as he explained what little information we’d gotten from our captive. While he talked, I watched my family’s faces.
Did any of them know about the Aces? Had they known there was a new player and kept it from me? Were they the ones who’d invited Cash in? The thoughts whirled through my brain as I scoured every inch of them for a sign. A betrayal.
A tap on my calf turned me toward Dominic. He lifted his chin just a touch, and I zoned back into the conversation. “There isn’t much that we know about these Aces and even less about Cash. None of our usual channels are cutting it.”
“You need us on the ground,” Gabriele guessed. “I can have my men combing the city in an hour.”
I shook my head. “We need to be more subtle than that. This isn’t a full-on attack yet. It’s whispers in the dark and poking the bear to see what riles it up. We need to move carefully. In an ideal world, I’d like to end this skirmish before it becomes war.”
Joaquin scoffed. “How kindhearted of you. While you wish on roses and rainbows, we look weak. We need to defend ourselves loudly and with force.”
I checked my watch and nearly laughed. Less than five minutes into the meeting and we were already at each other’s throats. A new record. “That’s your problem, Joaquin. You see everything as a show of power without realizing that subtlety can be the better option.”
“How so?” Sometimes, I wondered if he intentionally forgot that I grew up at his brother’s knee. I might have been raised to be a mafia wife, but I hadn’t been raised to be stupid. I’d been learning strategy since I was cutting teeth.
“Your way has us running down the streets proclaiming that someone’s trying to kill us, while Mari’s has us removing the threat before anyone else finds out.” Dominic leaned back in his chair, the lazy playboy persona in full effect. “If it were me, I’d rather keep my silence and maintain the family’s position in the city than get a gold star for taking out some wannabe usurper.”
Silence.
I caught Dominic’s eye and dipped my chin, a silent thank-you. He nodded once, a sharp return. I could practically hear him telling me I’m always in your corner.
I just wasn’t ready to believe it yet.
“What do you know about the Aces now?” Dominic asked. Grey gritted his teeth.
“A name and a symbol, which is almost nothing. We need more information on them. Who they are, what they do, where they live. We need their friends, their allies, and their enemies. We need to know where they came from and why they’re here. We can’t defend against a ghost.”
He flipped his tablet around to show us a playing card. A typical ace of spades, but with a skull making up the spade, which sat close to the hilt of a dagger. It was intended to be intimidating, deadly, but it came off as more than a little clichéd.
“These guys are definitely a new crew. Gang tats stopped being a good idea when the Feds started creating databases,” Mathias, my third capo, said.
I agreed. “The hope is that they’re new enough to fuck up quickly. I want them wiped out as soon as possible.”
“Do we have a kill order?” Moore asked.
“No. Detain alive and bring them back to the compound. We need information more than we need bodies right now.”
The men nodded, and I felt a trickle of relief. Despite our differences, they were some of the best at what they did. If I wanted information, they’d get it for me. I just had to let them work.
I smiled. “Good. Now, let’s talk about tomorrow.”
Grey took us through plans for Gilded’s opening night, including the vastly smaller to-do list. True to his word, he’d taken care of everything, and when I’d stopped in the day before, the club had looked completely new. The bars were done, the booths set up, and everything was perfect, including the woman rehearsing onstage. It was a goddamn miracle, and I pretended that the hours he’d been putting in at the club were the reason I hadn’t seen him since Dominic’s little announcement.
Deny, deny, deny.
Speaking of the asshole in question… As soon as Grey finished, it was time to open the floor for the others to speak. “Who has something to discuss?”
Dominic waved a lazy hand and stood. “As most of you know, I’ve come home to offer myself as the new underboss. No one can replace Rey, but I hope to do justice to Mari’s goals and honor his loss in the best way I can.”
Cameron nodded, eyes downcast as he picked at a vein in the wood grain beneath his fingers.
“We all know the rules at this table,” I said. “Dominic needs a majority vote to be considered for underboss. Do we have any nominations?”
Joaquin grinned. “I think we all know there’s plenty of room for another Marcosa man in this empire. I’ll be the first nomination.”
Shocker.
Despite the failure of the marriage between our parents, Dominic had kept the family name. When I’d asked my father, he’d explained it was a sign of respect toward us. It didn’t read as the full truth to me, but Mario didn’t give up information freely and I’d never been willing to pay his prices. He’d made no secret of how much he loved Dominic and how much his brothers still did. If I weren’t careful, my uncles would be marrying me off to him within a year.
It was no surprise when Dominic was unanimously voted in.
I could practically feel Greyson fuming from his place at my back, but I didn’t turn around. No way did I want to open that can of worms in front of everyone. We’d go someplace private after so he could vent his heart away. Maybe it would put us back together again. I didn’t like the distance between us.
With the voting done, it was time for me to keep my word. “With approval from all four of my capos, I accept Dominic Marcosa as my new underboss. Welcome to the family.”
I leaned over the table to press a customary kiss to his cheek. Dominic turned at the last second, giving me more lip than anything else. It was the first time we’d kissed since I was sixteen, and it still felt the same. Powerful and drugging.
Dangerous.
Before I could even react, he was gone, surrounded by the others in a shower of congratulations. He turned back, eyes locked on my lips when he said, “It’s good to be home.”
I wanted to leave. To have a moment in private where I could overthink what had just happened. As I peeked around at the others, it seemed only one person had seen the kiss.
Greyson.
Of course, it was another power play. Suddenly, I was just tired. The men hated each other, they always had, but I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with it. “Does anyone else have anything to discuss?”
Dominic turned back to me with a secret grin, and I just knew I wasn’t going to like what he said.
“What’s the security like at this new club? Gilded, is it?”
Ah Christ. He was going for gold in the Piss Off Grey Olympics.
“I’ve got it handled.” Grey shifted behind me, and his rage cloud got a little bigger. I wondered if I’d be choking on it soon enough.
“And Mari? What about her security for opening night?”
“Why don’t you worry about your own position and leave me to mine.” It was not a suggestion, and we all knew it. Connected as we’d always been, I could feel the fraying of Greyson’s temper. Trying to head off the argument I felt brewing, I stepped in. “I have the same personal security I always have.”
Greyson. He was my backup, and opening night would be no different.
Dominic grinned, razor-sharp and lethal. “Pretty sure Mari is my position. I’m supposed to be her heir. That means her safety is my highest priority, especially with these Aces assholes running around.” He turned to me. “One man won’t work anymore, not after the attack on Rey and these Aces barging into your territory. You need more coverage than just him.”
Greyson stepped up at my side, subtly pinning my seat between him and Dominic. Great. “Have all your years plowing through Chicago’s finest given you anything helpful to add, or are you just trying to annoy me?”
I ignored the urge to flinch. Dominic isn’t yours. What he did, does, and will do is none of your business.
Deny. Deny. Deny.
Dominic’s eyes flashed to mine, regret ripe for everyone to see, before they moved back to my second. “I’ll go as her date. Backup in disguise.”
“No,” Grey growled.
“Why not? To most people, I’ll just look like Mari’s newest beau, and it’ll give her an extra layer of protection. We can also post some more personal guards as guests.”
Grey’s grin was feral. “You’ve been gone too long, Dominic. We’ve been at peace for years.”
“And?”
“Most of our best guards are known players,” I interrupted. “The other families won’t like seeing them milling around the crowd in large numbers. It’ll look like an ambush.”
“I think we can compromise.” Joaquin leaned back in his chair, a pale imitation of the carefree energy Dominic exuded. “Dominic’s right. He’s nearly unrecognizable after so many years away. It would be best if he went as Mari’s date, but Greyson should have his own too. Maybe the O’Bannon girl’s available, despite the late notice.”
“Aislynn’s coming with her father,” I pointed out. Sean O’Bannon was hell-bent on selling his daughter off to whichever alliance suited him best, and he took every opportunity to show the world her wares.
Joaquin waved me away. “Even better. Sean can bring one of his girls to the party, and Greyson gets a beautiful woman on his arm.”
I narrowed my eyes at the backhanded comment—ignoring Dominic’s and Greyson’s low growls—because it was the least pressing matter. Anyone with half a brain could see that my uncle was trying to force Dominic and me together. I just wasn’t sure if it was to spite Greyson or if there was more to it.
I don’t have time for meddling family members.
“All in favor of this new plan?” Joaquin grinned as all the capos and Dominic raised their hands. Hell, even Cameron agreed, though at least he had the grace to look sheepish about it. My uncle clapped. “It’s decided, then. Mari and Dominic will go to opening night together. I’ll call Sean about the girl, too. We’re due for a round to catch-up anyway.”
The sound of cracking plastic told me exactly how far gone Greyson was. From the shit-eating grin on his face, Joaquin knew it too. “Was there anything else, boss?”
“No.” I turned to Dominic. “I’ll call Aislynn about getting you into a fitting last minute. She won’t have time to make your suit custom, but it’ll still be incredible.”
He smirked. “As long as we match, I’m not picky.”
Right.
“Everyone keep your eyes and ears open. If you find out anything about the Aces, bring it to us immediately. Other than that, we focus on tomorrow. Opening night needs to go off without a hitch.”
My lieutenants murmured responses and filed out until all that remained were my cousin, my enforcers, and my two seconds. The moment the door closed behind the other men, Greyson was at Dominic’s throat.
“You planned that.”
My new underboss shrugged. “I didn’t, but it’s a good idea.”
“It’s moronic to create a new plan for security the day before a massive event.”
“No, it’s genius.”
Grey scoffed, but Dominic pushed through.
“Our enemies know they have to go through you to get to Mari. They’ll plan for that, but they won’t be expecting me.”
It made sense, but I wasn’t stupid enough to say so.
“Come on, Grey. You know changing it last minute and switching out her guard is the smart thing to do.” Dominic wisely chose not to point out that it was his idea. It gave me hope that they could work together down the line. That I could finally have the three-part leadership team I’d always wanted. Checks and balances to keep us all level and make sure I wasn’t drowning in the pressure. Almost like a family unit.
I shoved that thought away. Greyson was my family by choice and Dominic by chance, but they’d never allow us to become a family of our own. That was a fool’s dream, and I was no fool.
Grey was still silent, so Dominic tried again. “I know you don’t trust me, but trust that I care about Mari. I want her to be safe, and I’ll do what it takes to make sure that happens. You have my word that I won’t let anything happen to her.”
The rest of us held our breath for Grey’s response. I didn’t see the men hugging it out, but was peace too much to ask for? Even just for a day?
Apparently so.
“Seems you learned how to sweet-talk your way into things in Chicago. All that bed-hopping really gave you the time to practice, huh?” Dominic’s jaw tightened, but Grey soldiered on. He was out for blood, not a reaction. “Too bad I trust actions, not words, and all you’ve shown me in the time I’ve known you is that you know how to pack up and run. Not exactly the type of man I want protecting the most important person in my life.”
Dominic snarled, snapping back, and I sighed as I tuned them out. It was like I could see all my visions of peace going down in a ball of flame. Hope of them coexisting wasn’t an option yet—maybe not ever—and I had to be okay with that. They were grown men, and their feelings weren’t mine to control or navigate. They needed to find a middle ground on their own, or we’d all end up miserable.
Cameron came to my side, wrapping an arm around my waist as we left Greyson and Dominic behind to bicker and snipe at each other. “You okay?”
“I’m tired, Cameron. I’m so fucking tired.”
“I hear you. Once everything calms down again, I’ll take you on a vacation. Just the two of us.”
Sandy beaches, bikinis, and no responsibilities flitted through my head. “Deal.”
With a squeeze of my side and a kind grin, Cameron was out the door, and so was I. I’d had enough for one day.