64. Leona
LEONA
Igave Fallon, Willow, and Zoya enormous hugs as soon as my ride arrived.
“See you soon,” I said to Fallon. “I’ll let you know where we’re meeting.”
She held my shoulders. “Give me the day and we’ll have as many men as you need.”
Anton Felix waited in an idling box truck, just outside Willow’s house.
The truck had a huge vegetable and meat display painted on the side—a perfect way to sneak me back into the city without knowing.
Even if Greco was aware of Giulio and our Italian soldiers, Obi, Max, and I guessed he knew little of our LA reinforcements, especially since Ciel had taken control of Lucia’s computers.
Felix was no less intense than normal. He stared out the window at my girls while I gave final waves. I hopped into the box truck, and he put it into gear.
“Thanks for coming to get me, Felix.”
“Who are those women?” He still stared out the window, watching them.
“Oh,” I said, looking back at my queens. “I should have introduced you. That’s Fallon Byrne, Willow Pembroke—she’s Wynn’s sister—and Zoya Makarova. She’s Konstantin Makarov’s little sister. They’re my friends.”
His hand tightened on the gearshift. I couldn’t tell who he was staring at, but one of them seemed to have captured his attention.
“Everything okay?” I could probably wave my hand in front of his face, and it wouldn’t even faze him.
He blinked, and the action seemed to spur him back to life. The truck jolted with a start as he drove away. “Yes. Apologies, Miss Vero.”
Yeah, Felix was intense. I knew it wasn’t just because of me.
“I appreciate the ride,” I said after a few minutes of tense quiet.
He nodded. “How are you? You’re not hurt?”
“I’m good.”
“We saw the news,” he said. “Fucking bastard cops. Fucking asshole Greco.”
I snorted. “You’re telling me. But it’s okay. We knew what we were doing when we went to save the mayor’s life.”
“I hope she knows she owes you a life debt,” Felix said while maneuvering the massive truck back toward New York City.
“I doubt she’ll see it that way,” I said with a sigh. “It’s fine. We would have saved her, regardless.”
Felix glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “I owe you a life debt.”
My eyebrows raised. “You think so?”
I remembered the night we met—when Kofler, the old arms dealer in LA, rejected our deal in favor of Max and the connections they had.
We had killed Kofler because he betrayed our location to Max, and then we installed Felix as the new leader of the organization.
I wouldn’t have said he owed me a life debt.
He basically volunteered to swear his loyalty to me.
His jaw clenched as he focused on the road. “Your men would have killed me if you weren’t there.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t save your life,” I said. “You saved it yourself. And you’ve been an excellent partner to us ever since.”
He’d been loyal and attentive. Respectful. He’d made all of us a lot of money.
“I don’t see it that way, Miss Vero,” he said. “I hated Kofler, and I never tried to hide it, but I thought my life was over that night. When you gave me a chance to show you what I could do, I knew I owed you everything.”
I looked out the window, saying nothing. Maybe Obi and the guys were right about Felix and his affection for me.
“No, not like that,” he said, clearly picking up on my hesitation.
“I mean no disrespect to you or the Shadows. You were incredible that night. So were Obi and Ryuji. It had been a long time since anyone had made me feel as on fire as the three of you did—which had been a long fucking time coming. I admire and respect you, but that’s all.
I’m happy to serve you, but I also recognize that I owe you my life.
Until that debt is repaid, I’m your man. ”
“Help us get through this shit with Greco, and I’ll consider the debt paid.”
He nodded. “Whatever you need.”
“How are our men?” I asked. “Have you been in contact with Giulio?”
“Yes,” he said. “They’ve been in hiding ever since last night. The city is on edge. People are hesitant and scared. The mayor herself hasn’t been seen or heard from since the car bomb, though the news is reporting she’s safe and unharmed. I think everyone is just waiting to see what happens next.”
Well, that wasn’t surprising. This shit was unprecedented, and what we were about to do was even more so. But I didn’t see any other way.
“I need to get in contact with her,” I said. “But without Ciel or his equipment, I’m not sure how.”
The corner of his mouth pulled up. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a small burner phone. “I took the liberty of acquiring her phone number for you. We might have been in hiding last night, but we weren’t without action.”
I took the phone from his outstretched hand. “Seriously? How did you know I’d want to talk to her?”
“A life debt,” he said simply. “It’s yours to request. We know it. She knows it.”
I let out a breath. “Thank you, Felix.”
“Whatever you need.”
I flipped the phone open. There was only one number programmed into it. With a deep breath, I pressed it and held the speaker to my ear. The line rang twice before she picked up.
“Hello?”
“Mayor Zambani,” I greeted. “How are you?”
The line was quiet for a moment. “Leona Vero.”
“Yes,” I said.
“How did you get this number?”
“I have my sources,” I answered. “Are you doing all right?”
“Why the fuck would you care?” she spat. “You almost killed me.”
I scoffed. “You, of all people, know how fucking untrue that is. Without me and my men, you’d be blood and bone on the streets of New York City.”
She let out a heavy breath. A tremble crept into her voice. “I thought so.”
“You saw us there,” I said. “You heard me yell.”
“But there were dozens of men, dozens of bodies—”
“Not my men,” I hissed. “My men were the six your people arrested and threw in jail. We did everything we could to stop them and get to you first.”
She didn’t respond.
“I tried to warn you about him,” I said. “I told you at the gala that he was worse than any of the Five Families had ever been before. You provoked him with that speech. He won’t stop coming after you.”
“I’m realizing that,” she responded. “There were two more attempts on my life last night. Plus, there have been multiple incidents between mafia men and the police, and we’ve heard reports of intimidation and bribery from multiple public figures.
It appears as though Greco is on the move. It feels like a city-wide takeover.”
“Shit,” I murmured, pinching the bridge of my nose. “You’re okay, though?”
“I’m fine,” she said. Again, she hesitated, and then her voice came out resistant and hard. “It appears I owe you a thank you.”
I chuckled. “Don’t sound so excited about it.”
That drew me a little laugh and then another deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long fucking twenty-four hours. Thank you, Leona. Thank you for saving my life. I mean it.”
“You’re welcome,” I responded. “I know who we are, my men and I. But I need you to know, we are not like that.”
The words sat between us for a few moments. I respected her spark, even now. Greco might have thought she was an easy target to make his point, but she was anything but.
“I see that now,” she said. “I looked at the drive you gave me.”
“Oh? And you saw just how corrupt your administration is?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m surrounded by fucking idiots. Dangerous men who care for nothing except their own wealth and survival. I always knew this city had its problems, but I didn’t realize just how rotten it was. Straight to its core.”
“Not all rotten, though,” I said honestly. I watched out the window as cars whizzed by. “You’re doing your best.”
She laughed bitterly. “And I almost got fucking murdered.”
“Hey, that has to mean you’re doing something right,” I replied. “If someone isn’t trying to kill the mayor of New York City, is that person even doing their job?”
This time her laugh was a little more humorous. “Well, I’m glad you called. I have something I need to ask you. You offered me your help before. Does that offer still stand?”
“It does,” I said. “Except with one stipulation. My help for yours.”
Josephine answered immediately. “Tell me what you need.”