Chapter 35
GABE
Nothing changes when you become a Dragon.
There’s no surge of power, no lightning strike, no explosion, no outwardly visible marker of the enormous inward shift.
Nobody shows up with a golden crown and a massive fucking scepter.
Which was disappointing.
I wanted a god damn parade.
Instead, there were phone calls.
Dozens of phone calls from men and women I’d never met before and many I’d never even heard of. Heads of state, industry leaders, rich billionaires, artists and authors, anyone with even a tiny modicum of power and enough knowledge to know I’m important now.
They all bent the knee, as they should have.
It’s early in the morning three weeks after the bloodbath in Paris.
My office is at the top of a skyscraper overlooking New York City.
The floor is mostly empty right now, though there are movers in the process of installing desks, building chairs, basically trying to make the place look like it’s a legitimate investment firm. Which it will be, from the outside.
But really, this is the heart of my new empire.
I gaze down at the city, at the buildings, at the streets and the cars moving like slugs down below, and I wonder if any of this was worth it.
“Hail, Dragon.”
I turn, surprised at the voice. I thought I was alone this morning. I’m about to snap out a hard punishment, but the words catch in my throat.
Daniel’s standing in the doorway, grinning at me.
“Well, look at this,” I murmur, turning to face him. “You finally decided to get out of bed.”
His face twists into a scowl. “Damn nurses were like jailors. I swear to god, I think this one twisted old lady enjoyed keeping me bedridden.” But his glare cracks into his classic grin. “I’m pretty sure she wanted to fuck me.”
I laugh, even though it’s not really that funny, and he beams in response. Some tiny bit of tension I’ve been carrying since Paris starts to ease as I walk across the room to tightly embrace my friend.
“It’s good to see you,” I say, pounding his back and gripping his arm. “But you’re too god damn skinny.”
“Almost dying does that to a man.” He smirks weakly and pushes me away. “So this is what it’s like to be a Dragon? I thought you’d have, like, some tech millionaire constantly sucking you off?”
“That’s metaphorical.”
“Damn. What was all the killing for then?”
“You honestly want to know?” I walk back to my desk and tap the lid of my laptop. “Access.”
He slumps into the only other chair in the room. It’s pushed against an otherwise empty wall. I haven’t thought about what I’ll hang there, but I’ll figure it out soon enough.
“Go ahead and explain. I can tell you want to.”
“I’m glad I have your permission.” I pace across the room, easing into my favorite topic at the moment.
“Becoming a Dragon is about access. It’s about taking control of a very particular and obscenely powerful network of information.
There are territories and drugs and guns to sell, but at the heart of it all, this system is built on a flow of money, lies, and blackmail.
That’s what it means to become a Dragon.
Now that Zohran’s dead, I’m in control of his access. ”
“Which means, what? You know how many mistresses the Prime Minister of Australia’s rim jobbing at any given moment?”
“Pretty much, but you’re being too generic. Think granular. I know the exact size of the Australian Prime Minister’s dick and whether or not those mistresses actually enjoy having it shoved into their holes.”
“Gross. But I can see how that might be useful.”
“It’s addicting if I’m honest. The shit I know, the shit I can use against people… there’s money too. That helps.”
“Payments from all those horny and small-dicked prime ministers?”
“And their perpetually unsatisfied conquests.”
“I’m happy it’s you then.” He sighs, stretching his back, and gets to his feet. “And I’m glad I’m back at work.”
“I’m glad you are too, but about that.” I approach him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Consider your debts paid. Your family’s safe. You’re off the hook. Congratulations, you earned it.”
Daniel usually has some quick joke to make, but instead, he only shakes his head in bewilderment. “Are you being serious?”
“You owe me nothing. I’m not asking for anything in return. This is fair payment for a job well done, and honestly, because you deserve it. And because I should’ve taken care of this a long time ago.”
“Shit.” He looks down. Emotions overwhelm him. I grip his shoulder tighter as he takes a deep, shuddering breath. Then bursts out laughing.
It’s not the reaction I expected, but it’s not a bad one at least. He cackles, delighted, smile so big it stretches his face in half, and I almost start laughing too.
Because for the first time in a very long time, I’m doing something good for no gain.
Maybe it’s because I can afford it now. I’m a Dragon. I don’t need to blackmail and coerce the people who work for me anymore. Most of my soldiers stick around now because I’m a source of money, power, and prestige.
I don’t want it to be like that with Daniel.
With him, with the people in my life who I care about, I want to choose them for who they are, not for anything else.
No games, no ulterior motives, no more transactions.
“You know, I almost forgot. I came in here to let you know that everyone’s ready for you.” Daniel calms down and moves toward the door. He’s moving slowly, but seems in good spirits.
“Yeah? They sent you? The cripple?”
“Ah, I’m not that bad.” He peers back at me, a moment of uncertainty in his face. “Don’t tell me that I’m fired?”
My eyebrows raise. “Hell no. You have a job as long as you want one.”
“Thank God. I don’t want to put together a new resume. I’m fucking awful in an interview.”
He limps out of the room. I laugh, shaking my head. The crazy bastard probably means it too. He’d rather work as a Dragon’s right hand simply because it’s too much of a hassle finding another job.
I follow out into the hall. The office is half-built at best, boxes all over, wires hanging from the ceiling and holes in the wall.
One day soon, it’ll be finished, and this space will be crawling with employees doing legitimate employee shit, all of them thinking I’m some big shot CEO, and only a few knowing who and what I really am.
I like it like this for now though.
Daniel leads me into the conference room and I pause on the threshold.
Inside, my brother Dominic leaps up from the head of the table. “There’s the bastard!” He comes charging over and wraps me in a massive hug, crushing hard. I gasp as he pounds me on the back roughly, laughing the whole time.
“You’re supposed to say, Hail Dragon,” I say, wheezing as he tries to crush me to death.
“You’re still funny! That’s amazing!” He puts me down and pats my cheek. “We missed you, big brother.”
Massimo comes next, shaking my hand and congratulating me, followed by Allie, who gives me a much more restrained but still enthusiastic embrace.
Dad’s there too, looking old and frail, but he seems proud.
Dom cracks open champagne and starts pouring, Allie laughing as he spills, Mass standing off to the side with his lieutenant Lucy, Daniel shamelessly trying to flirt with her while she coldly fends him off, and I watch for a moment, drinking it all in.
This is what I did it for. My friends, my family, plus all the people who relied on me, and all the people I lost. I did it for my grandfather Elias, the former Dragon, and I did it for Yelena and the Kiselyov Bratva.
Though most of them went over with Artyom, now that he’s got his own Dragon position, and I didn’t blame them for it one bit.
It’s strange, being in here with these people, knowing they owe me nothing, and I owe them nothing too, except for friendship, love, and all that fucking bullshit.
A hand presses to my arm. I turn, already knowing who it is. Nika smiles up at me, eyes bright and shining, teeth white and gleaming, wearing a tight black top and simple jeans. Even rich as hell, she still dresses simply, and it suits her to perfection.
“You’re late,” she says, leaning into me when I wrap an arm around her shoulders.
“Didn’t realize the party was already started.”
“I figured you were working. But when Daniel showed up, I knew you’d want to see him.”
“You sent him along, did you?”
“Hope you didn’t mind.”
“Not one bit.” I bend down to kiss her. “You holding up okay?”
“I’m perfect. Well, mostly. Just getting used to—“ She waves a hand at the room where Dom’s chugging champagne and Lucy’s ruthlessly cheering him on.
“Being a Dragon’s wife,” I finish for her.
“Sure, let’s go with that.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking—“ I lean down and kiss her. She melts against me. “Have you decided where you want to live?”
She seems to consider for a second. I try not to show how much anxiety the question dredges up in me. I keep waiting for her to go back to L.A. or even out to Moscow with Yelena. We have an unspoken agreement, but unspoken isn’t the same as saying what we really mean out loud.
“I have some ideas about that, but I was hoping you’re open to a compromise.”
My brows lift. “How’s that?”
“Well, okay, check this out—“ She digs her phone from her back pocket, flicks at the screen, and turns to show me a picture of what looks like a private jet. “I bought this.”
“You bought a plane?”
“And hired a full-time pilot.”
“Nika, baby, what in the world—“
“Because if I’m going to live here with you in New York, I need to be able to fly back to California whenever I want, okay?! I’m not letting myself be trapped here!”
I gape at her before I bury her mouth with mine. I kiss her, stomach fluttering. Fuck, since when does a Dragon feel like this because of a woman? But now I understand why people always say love can make you do stupid shit.
Like buy a private plane.
“Baby, I have like three of those already,” I say quietly.
Her face turns red. “Seriously?”
“But there’s nothing wrong with having four.”
She groans. “I should’ve talked to you.”
“I love you, Nika. I love what you’re doing.”
“I love you too.”
“You’re sure about this? I mean, you really want—this?” I gesture at me and at the room.
“Want it? God, Gabe, try to pry it away from my cold dead fingers if you really have to.”
I kiss her again, but this time Allie notices, and she yells for us to join everyone. A glass gets shoved in my hands, and another gets shoved at Nika, and we’re dragged into a group of laughing, powerful psychopaths, as Dom cracks open more champagne and raises a glass to the Dragons.