Chapter 16
Leaving Nate at home was harder than expected. Despite my instinct to trust him, the thought of him in my space—guards or not—unsettled me. The house was a maze of secrets and spoils, and we didn’t know who held his loyalty. Even with Tennessee’s assurances that he’d glossed over the important sections of the house and knowing they were protected, I kept the video feed up on my phone.
“There’s nothing he can get into, reina. I made sure of it.” Grey laid his hand on my thigh, stilling the unconscious jiggling. Warmth spread from his skin to mine, and even as I craved it, I moved away and stared out at the rain-soaked streets. Grey’s hand tightened for a second, then slid off my leg and back onto his lap. He didn’t speak for the rest of the drive, but I could see in his face how badly I’d hurt him.
That was the problem, though. I couldn’t get what I wanted without hurting someone, and the last person I wanted to bear that cost was Grey. He was my person, but the robbery was a wake-up call. I’d let Rey’s death lull me into a complacency that couldn’t stand. My leadership of Seattle was only maintained by a small margin on a good day. The other territories were nearly equal, their forces the same as well. Just because my family had a long-standing history as heads of Seattle didn’t mean shit. We still had to defend our claim. I still had to defend it. Yet, here we were, heading into a situation where I couldn’t demand help from the other heads. The Aces weren’t affecting them directly, so I had to bargain for assistance. And I knew what Sean O’Bannon would ask for.
Greyson.
The Irish were our biggest allies, our greatest supporters. It’d taken years to form that bond, and I had no clue what would happen if I declined Sean’s proposal. Would he remove his support of me and throw in his lot with Cash and the Aces? Would he come after me for the insult? Would he turn the other heads against me and stage a coup, taking my power for himself?
I didn’t know, and that meant Grey and I had no future together. Because it was looking more and more likely that I’d have to give him up to defend our home.
My only saving grace was we’d only had one night. Outside the lifetime of loving each other from afar, Grey and I had only crossed the line once, and the club already felt like a fever dream. A moment outside of reality. With morning came clarity that we’d done something that couldn’t be taken back. Something that had consequences for more than just us.
Geneva pulled in front of Elysian Enterprises, our property management corporation. The Elysian team dealt with all the apartment renovations, maintenance requests, and other landlord duties for all of our buildings, including the houses out of the city. Only four stories, the building was much quainter than our usual ones, with the lower two stories rented to local shops, including a massive indie bookstore.
Moore checked with the other security teams before he opened the door at the all clear. The guys got out first, with Grey reaching back to help me out as usual. I let myself take his hand just long enough to get my feet underneath me, then I let go again, shifting away.
How did a foot of distance feel like a mile between us?
Grey stared at the side of my face and huffed when I wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“I’ll go check on things,” he murmured, stepping past me with stiff steps.
Dominic glanced between us, immediately registering the tension, and I knew he understood.
Disappointment drenched his voice as surely as the rain soaked the ground. “What’re you doing, mariposa?”
Wasn’t that the question. “Surviving.”
I wished I could see the sky instead of the black fabric of the umbrella above me, but I couldn’t show up to the meeting looking like a drowned rat. So, I walked until we were nestled in the doorway of the building. Dominic grabbed my arm before I could go any farther, though.
“You may be, but Greyson isn’t. Whatever reason you have for pushing him away, stop. He doesn’t deserve it. That man loves the bones of you, even if you’re too fucking dense to see it.”
He’d said it quiet enough for no one to overhear, but I still shot him a look. Just because we were friendly didn’t mean he could disrespect me in public. Couldn’t he see how precarious our position already was?
“I see it. I just—” My fingers twitched to rake through my styled hair, but I couldn’t. I had to maintain my mask that’d been slipping for weeks. Ever since Rey died. I couldn’t be Mari anymore. I had to be Marianna Marcosa, leader of the Marcosa Family. It was time to set down grief and put my mantle back on.
“You just, what?”
“Not every story has a happy ending, Dominic. Sometimes we don’t get what we want.”
“And you want Greyson.” I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Not when ears were everywhere, waiting for me to slip up and give them a weakness to exploit. Dominic stared at me for a long time, tugging me into a tight hug before saying quietly, “It’s not a question, Mari. It’s a statement. You want Greyson, so fight for him.”
“Even if it means Cash wins?” I whispered.
“Are those the stakes?”
Though they were warm, his eyes were sharp and calculating. He wasn’t just listening; he heard what I wasn’t saying. It was so unlike Dominic that I had to be honest. “They could be.”
“Then, yes.” I jerked back with shock, and he let me go with a chuckle. “Do I want anyone to die for this? No. But I sincerely doubt there isn’t a solution to your problem that would give you what you need to beat Cash and Greyson. You just haven’t found it yet.”
“What if there isn’t, though? What if one night is all we get?”
Dominic frowned, staring at the elevator bay where Grey waited for us to enter as a unit. “What if it’s not? Could you stand watching him with someone else in the future? Could you survive that? Because I gotta be honest, mariposa, I’m not sure he could. You’re Greyson’s whole world. If you walk away, he’s going to follow, even if it kills him.”
He kissed me on the cheek and walked across the lobby to Grey. Not like there was anything else to say. He’d made his point perfectly. If I wanted to keep Grey, I needed to find another way to get Sean’s help. I just wasn’t sure how.
A glance at the slim watch on my wrist showed me we were almost late, so I shook off every other thought and brought my mind back to the objectives in front of me.
The heads of the other four families, plus the leader of the biggest street gang, were waiting upstairs, and I had to convince them all to help without damaging my place at the top.
Unable to help myself, I brushed my fingers against Greyson’s wrist as a silent apology. “You ready?”
I could feel Dominic’s pride from the corner of the elevator, but I kept my eyes on Greyson. I didn’t know how I’d pull it off, but I was going to fight for him. For us.
The tiniest bit of tension bled from his shoulders, and he tangled our fingers together. It was just a moment, but knowing I hadn’t fucked us up for good made a world of difference. “For you, reina? I’m always ready.”
* * *
With the first step into the conference room, I slipped into my big, bad boss persona, and it felt like coming home. Looking around, I was impressed at how well Dominic had done. Despite having less than twelve hours to sort things out, the top-floor conference room was more than ready for a meeting. The long wooden table was perfectly shined, the room smelled clean, and there were more than enough chairs for everyone, including the seconds and underbosses in attendance. Pastries and coffee from a high-end boulangerie nearby littered the table, along with mini charcuterie boards.
Everything was packaged and sealed for the comfort of the men around the table. Not that any of them would eat. They were too paranoid that I’d try to poison them, but that was a win-win in my book. My staff got free breakfast, and it made my allies err on the side of caution.
“If everyone will find their seats, we can get started.” I sat first, forcing everyone to follow my lead. The glares sent my way told me the slight power play was noted, but not enough that they’d say anything. Petty move or not, it was necessary. These men were powerhouses in their own rights, and a single misstep would put us closer to even footing. If I wanted to stay alive, I had to maintain the lead I had on them. It was imperative that they remembered that while we looked like equals, we weren’t.
With no one but the heads allowed at the table, Dominic and Grey took their places behind me, set far enough back that they didn’t look like bodyguards. Everything was a show with these men, and I had to prove that I was more than capable of protecting myself, while also being very obviously unafraid. A balancing act, like every other part of my life.
Force of habit had me meeting everyone’s eyes as they sat.
In the seat closest to my left was Kosas Sideris, leader of the North American sect of the Greek mob. Inherited his position at forty-five when his father died of old age. Assassinations were their main game, and they did them well. Some of the best mercenaries I’d come across had personally trained with Kosas, who looked thirty at best and still in prime fighting condition. The Greek also did minor drug smuggling, like weed, but their priority was blood and bodies.
Next to him was Haru Kimura, leader of Seattle’s own branch of the Yakuza. At twenty-one, he was the youngest head in the room, though he’d already held his position for three years after a devastating massacre wiped out nearly everyone in his family. Born and raised in the States, he’d decided to create a foothold here rather than return to Japan alone. Despite how far he had to go to build the organization he wanted, he’d survived every assassin sent his way with ease. Unlike his forefathers, Haru focused on protection and extortion in his territories, along with traditional means of wealth, like real estate.
Ajilon Mousa, Northwest head of the Lebanese mafia, took the seat directly to my right. He’d married into his position via his late wife, the only daughter of the former leader. They’d been a surprising love match and one of the better ones, from what I’d seen. Though they’d originally been heavy in the skin trade, they’d pivoted to racketeering and small-time weapons trafficking since I’d outlawed it. Last we’d talked, he was training his son to take over, but with no real timeline for the transition. Ajilon was the closest thing to a friend I had in the other leaders. But the Lebanese didn’t have a heavy presence in the States, so he mainly acted as a mouthpiece for his brother-in-law back home. Still, I enjoyed his company and the dry wit he kept hidden.
Farther down was Two-Bit. He was a local gang leader relatively new to the position but making decent strides to get the Vipers profitable and under the radar again. They were the main drug distributors in the city, though they followed my rules and stuck to weed and the occasional party drug.
Finally, at the other end of the table was Sean O’Bannon. Head of the Irish, in power since he was thirty, with no sign of giving it up anytime soon. Three sons all vying to take over his throne and a daughter he was desperate to sell off. Biggest weapons trafficker in North America and a serious firebug who looked far too smug for what I preferred.
Everyone was accounted for, and with my father’s ties to the Cosa Nostra in Sicily, we had most of the world’s criminal networks covered. Which was exactly what we needed to get rid of Cash before he dug any further into Seattle.
Folding my hands together, I nodded to Tennessee, who left the room and locked the door behind him. The entire building had been cleared out and security upped for the meeting, but bodyguards weren’t permitted to stay. Part of proving I was fit enough to lead was proving I could protect us all when we got together. More fucking politics.
“I appreciate your taking time out of your schedules to come today. You’ll be reimbursed, of course.”
“A call from our little queen’s new lapdog was certainly not what I expected on a Sunday.” The pointed look Sean threw at Dominic was nearly enough to make me laugh. I wondered if he realized the irony, considering his first conversation with Greyson after returning home.
Though I knew it was killing him not to respond, Dominic said nothing, and I ignored the comment, just like I ignored how patronizing little queen was. Picking my battles was the name of the game, and if letting it slide would give me some grace later, so be it.
“We’re all busy, so I’ll get to the point. An ongoing nuisance has recently turned into more of an issue than I’d hoped. I’m requesting your assistance to get rid of them.”
“The Aces,” Kosas guessed.
“Correct.” I nodded to Greyson, and pictures of Cash from the security footage of opening night filled the projection screen nearby. “Their leader, Cash Beckstrom, and I had a run-in at Gilded. His men pulled their guns on me and other members of my family on club grounds. That in itself is grounds for destruction.”
“What else has he done?” Ajilon asked.
“Like I said, he’s mostly been a nuisance.” I didn’t elaborate. They didn’t need to know how much Cash had pulled off. “However, two nights ago, he tried to rob my club. One of his men was killed by an employee of mine, and Beckstrom retaliated by blowing up the man’s car.”
“That’s all well and good, but why ask us for help? Seems like it’s your problem, not ours, and you have more than enough family to take him out.” Two-Bit was the leader of the 48th Street Vipers and a valuable source of intel on the other families. Skinny, white, and generally unassuming, he flew under the radar.
So how the hell did he know anything about my mother’s side of the family?