Chapter 23 – Nate
“We need to evacuate the city.”
Since Cash had broken into the Celestine, we’d agreed to leave the new house only if absolutely necessary, so all four of us were crammed inside the security room for a video call we’d been dreading. The room was a smaller version of Greyson’s office, with walls packed with monitors and enough desks for each of us to have one if we chose. This time, we crowded around Mari while her capos filled three of the screens, each showing various levels of disbelief and shock.
A heavy moment of stunned silence descended on the meeting.
Mathias cleared his throat when it was clear no one else was going to speak. “How are we supposed to do that?”
Mari shrugged, fingers tapping on her leg. “Tell the press there’s a gas leak or a landslide. Say a potential tsunami’s coming in. Hell, tell them the fault’s rumbling and we’re about to get a catastrophic earthquake. I don’t give a fuck how you spin it. Just get the civilians out of Seattle.”
“You say that like it’s easy,” Leo countered.
“I’m aware of the difficulties, but we don’t have the time to worry about them. Between the three of you, I’m sure you can come up with a way to make it happen.”
It was more than clear that the capos didn’t share Mari’s conviction, and I could understand why.
Seattle had a population of over 700,000. Even though we’d already moved a ton of people out of the city, there were still hundreds of thousands of citizens to remove and no place to put them. The compounds were secure, but most were already at capacity. The extra men we’d sent recently were a good protective measure that seemed to be working. Not a single hint of Cash catching wind of the safe space, which I knew gave us all some relief.
But that didn’t mean we could afford to send more people there. The larger the group, the higher the risk my brother would find our little hideaway, and the second he did, it was game over.
“What about the clubs?” Gabriele’s obvious change of topic was probably for the best. Mari’s teeth were starting to grind. “We’ve got them on a skeleton crew right now, but?—”
“Shut them down.”
“For how long?”
“Until Cash is neutralized.”
Gabriele’s eyes widened, but he didn’t voice his shock, unlike Leo, who huffed loud enough for us all to hear. “We can’t shut down the clubs. It will destroy our income and probably kill the economy.”
Mari’s glare was hot enough to melt metal. “Better the economy than the people who support it.”
An irritating click, click, click came from Mathias’s screen, and he winced when he realized we could all hear it. “Can we afford to close everything?”
“That’s a lot of money to lose,” Gabriele agreed.
Grey leaned forward. “We’ve got enough to keep us going for a little while, but it would be in our best interest to end this soon. Once we rebuild, we have plans to recoup any losses we incur.”
The idea of going bankrupt was terrifying, but I knew better than to doubt Mari. If whatever she had planned didn’t work, Grey’s plan would. We’d be back on top before anyone noticed we were floundering. That was only if we ended up financially fucked.
“Not everyone can afford to leave,” Gabriele said.
He wasn’t wrong. I had no doubt in my mind that anyone Cash could hurt would die screaming. He’d do it just to draw Mari out. In fact, I was surprised he hadn’t already. Then again, he’d tried to kidnap Aislynn three times, so maybe he just hadn’t been able to get hands on his preferred bait.
“I have calls in to get help for the people who actually need it.” When they still looked unconvinced, she sighed. “Look, I understand this is a lot to take on, but we don’t have a choice. We’ve gotten lucky with the body count so far, but it’s only going to rise. The best thing to do is get anyone nonessential out of the city. Any of our people who want to leave can go without punishment—we don’t need to worry about someone going AWOL on the battlefield—but there’s no guarantee of their position when they return. Anyone who stays better be ready to give their life for the cause.”
Leo leaned forward. “Some of our men are cowards. If you give them the chance to leave, they will.”
“Some will,” Mari agreed. “There will be more who stay, if only to say they were here on the ground when we stomped out Cash’s influence.”
“You have that much faith in your men?”
“I have that much faith in myself. If I’m a good leader, my men will rally. They’ll fight behind me, not because they’re being commanded to, but because they know it’s their duty. Anyone who runs now is a chickenshit who doesn’t deserve to live under my banner. Not all men can be counted on during times of war. It’d be best if we get them out before they fuck us over.”
It was obvious they both respected and resented Mari’s opinion.
“We’ll give the word,” Leo promised.
While he and Mathias got to work on their phones themselves, Gabriele leaned closer to the screen. “About the evacuation notice. I’ve got a friendwho has contacts in the news centers. He can probably help us out.”
Mari blinked at her uncle, her voice low and dubious. “A friend.”
“Yes.” Gabriele’s face stayed unmoving while his ears grew red.
Mari hummed under her breath, fingers tapping along her leg again. “This friendof yours got a name?”
He swallowed, looking away for a split second before turning back. Mari didn’t push, though I could tell she wanted to. “Do you trust him?”
“With my life.” Those three words held so much longing that it sent goose bumps over my skin. Whoever the guy was, Gabriele had more than friendly feelings toward him. Feelings I doubted he’d shared with anyone else.
Looking at Mari, I wondered what it would be like to have to love her in the shadows instead of out loud. What would it feel like to see my angel and not be able to touch her or kiss her or show anyone what she meant to me?
Torture. Pure and simple.
Nodding at Gabriele, Mari raised her voice, pulling the others back into the conversation. “Gabriele’s agreed to contact the news. He’ll feed them some bullshit story to get everyone moving.”
“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Leo asked, finally tuning back in. “Widespread hysteria is a beacon for the government to swoop in. We can’t afford for them to cause more chaos right now.”
“We’ve got the government handled,” Mari promised, a wicked gleam in her eye.
The capos didn’t seem convinced, but they were less uncomfortable than before. Hard to disagree with Mari when it was clear she wasn’t planning to let it go. Greyson and Dominic rolled their eyes at how easily they changed opinions, and I had to agree.
Not only was it annoying, it was a problem. Weak men at the helm of an organization would put the whole thing at risk. Mari was a force of nature, but if the men who led her armies weren’t, we were all doomed.
Should we talk about replacing them when Cash was taken care of? According to Grey, they’d been in power since Mario was alive. They’d been his right-hand men, his brothers-in-arms and blood, but that was a long time ago. Things had changed. The world had changed.
While Gabriele was committed to Mari, the others were a fight when she needed them to listen. That didn’t even touch the fact that they’d actively tried to remove her from her position.
Family or not, they were a risk to her authority and her life.
Yeah, we’d definitely be considering some new blood around the table soon.
Killer seemed like a good start to me. The kid had done well during the Cameron situation, and he’d gotten his territory under control and thriving quicker than expected, even with the Aces interference. He was young and loyal, smart and open to new ideas and ways of thinking. Even though he’d spent years in jail, he had street smarts that had already paid off in droves. He’d make a good capo whenever Mari was ready to take the leap.
After a short discussion, the capos were handed orders to create small diversions that would amplify the story Gabriele was going to spread. The city didn’t need more damage, but it was necessary to get people to evacuate.
With plans made, it was time for the worst part of the meeting.
“Before you go, there’s one more thing to discuss.”
After considering all sides, Mari had decided to tell the capos what she’d discovered. They needed to know Cameron wasn’t coming back, but she also needed to quash any ideas that she was a threat to their safety if they found out on their own. We didn’t need them taking justice into their own hands or removing her from the picture if they thought Mari was cleaning house. I just hoped they took it well.
Dominic and Grey didn’t budge from their positions against the wall, but I felt their tension. We all knew that if the capos handled this poorly, we’d have another fight on our hands. Mari didn’t want her remaining uncles to die, but we’d bury them ourselves if it kept her safe. No fucking way were we going to war, just to get shot in the back by those assholes.
Gabriele, Leo, and Mathias sat back in their chairs, watching Mari warily. Still, she didn’t speak. When she cleared her throat for the third time, I realized it wasn’t an intentional pause. She didn’t want to tell them.
I couldn’t imagine how hard this was for her. Her hesitation was all it took for me to slide my hand onto her shoulder. I wanted to be there for her, to give her whatever strength she needed to get through this, and thankfully, it worked.
She took a deep breath, her fingers brushing mine. “Cameron is no longer with the family.”
There was a moment’s pause before Gabriele crossed himself and Mathias cursed.
“He’s dead?” Leo swallowed hard.
Mari stared him down, her face disturbingly blank on screen. “He’s a traitor.”
Utter silence.
“Was there proof?” Mathias asked, only to shrink when she glared into the camera. “Not that we don’t believe you, but I think we would all feel more comfortable with evidence in hand.”
Though they’d argued earlier, it was clear Mathias was trying to keep the peace with his request.
Mari didn’t respond, just watched until he squirmed in his seat. After a minute, she waved Greyson forward. With a few clicks, he was sharing the screen of his tablet with everyone. All the screenshots of conversations we’d found on Cameron’s phone, plus the photos and videos I’d taken at the clubhouse, right there for all to see.
“He’s been meeting with Cash for a long time,” I said carefully, not knowing if I had a right to speak at all. When Mari sent me a grateful smile, I continued. “He gave up the intel Cash used to kill his brother, among other things.”
The news was something Mari herself had asked about after taking time to think about Cameron’s confessions. Cash had already taken credit for the attempted hit on her, but how else would he have known where she’d be? She’d only told the most important people in her life.
My confirmation had nearly devastated her all over again, but she stayed strong, knowing we were going to end Cash and spend the rest of our lives making Cameron wish he’d died too. It was the only retribution I could offer her.
Gabriele crossed himself again, and Leo turned away, swallowing hard against the sheen in his eyes. According to Mari, everyone had loved Rey. He’d been the bright, smiling joy of the family, and it was obvious his loss was still painful to everyone he’d loved.
“Will he die?” Mathias eventually asked. He seemed as weighed down as the others, his head shaking with disbelief. He didn’t attempt to argue Cameron’s innocence, and I was grateful. No doubt Mari wouldn’t handle that well.
“Not until Aislynn has had time to digest and say what she needs,” she said.
“He’ll be imprisoned indefinitely?”
“For now.” Maybe forever.
He nodded. “What about Cash?”
“We’ve got weapons shipments coming in bulk over the next few days. We’ll need any help you can spare to make sure it’s all checked and accounted for. With any luck, we should be moving on him as soon as the city’s clear.”
“How soon?” Gabriele asked. His eyes glittered with something that looked an awful lot like rage to me. I hoped he stoked it, held it close to his heart, and nurtured it, so that when we went to war, he was ready to explode and take out every Ace he met.
Mari glanced between Grey and me, knowing we’d been handling most of the shipment details for her. “Within two weeks.”
Probably sooner.
“Who will take Cameron’s place?”
It was the least of our worries, but I could understand why Mathias wanted to know.
Mari sighed. “As of right now, I have no plans to?—”
“It should be Nate.” All of us turned to Leo with varying levels of shock, me most of all.
“What the fuck?”
Whoops. Didn’t mean to say that out loud.
Leo glared at the screen—likely at me, which was exactly why I didn’t understand the nomination. The man barely tolerated my presence. “If you’re serious about having him in your life after this is over, he needs more power than your bodyguard can have. He needs to add to your reputation. He can’t be seen as the one you picked for love. He must be as ruthless as you are.”
How the fuck was I supposed to do that? How were any of us supposed to add to Mari? She’d been ruling Seattle for so many years alone. She didn’t need us to ramp up the reputation she’d built by herself. If people thought she wasn’t scary enough on her own, they were fucking stupid and deserved what they got.
The annoyed grunts of Greyson and Dominic agreed with my point, but Mari didn’t notice. She tapped her fingers on the table, though I could tell it wasn’t in annoyance. She was considering what he said.
“Nate has his own reputation.”
“His mercenary days help,” Leo admitted. “But being a Beckstrom is going to lose him credit.”
“I’m not a Beckstrom,” I interrupted. “Technically, I’m a Black.”
“Technically, you’re still not a Marcosa, and that’s a mark against you.”
Well, what the fuck was I supposed to do about that?
I was about to say as much when Gabriele cleared his throat. “It might be better to table this discussion until things quiet down.”
Yes. Solid suggestion. Let’s go with that.
“Agreed.” Mari shoved the chair back, and the others followed. “I’d like you all to make it known that Cameron is no longer with us, but leave out any details beyond that.”
“You’re not telling the rest of the family what he did?” Mathias asked, holding his hands up when she glared at him again. “Just asking.”
“I’m choosing to keep certain information that could destabilize my organization to myself, and I expect you to do the same. It does no good to tell anyone we had a fox in the henhouse for so fucking long, and I can promise if word gets out, I’m coming for you three first.”
With solemn nods and promises to keep their mouths shut, they exited the video chat.
The sudden silence was jarring. It left too much room to think.
Me. Capo.
What an awful idea.
Mari twisted in her chair, watching me warily. Seriously, though. What the hell was Leo thinking? I couldn’t run this family. I’d been actively working against them for years before meeting Mari.
I was not a good choice for capo.
“Why not?” Mari asked.
Shit. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I half hoped not answering would make her back off, but I should’ve known better. Mari didn’t back off for anyone.
“Seriously, you’re as loyal as they come.”
I swallowed. “I wasn’t always.”
“Here we go again.” Dominic rolled his eyes, but he, of all people, should have understood my hesitation. I hadn’t always done what was best for Mari.
“You were loyal when it counted,” he said, daring me to argue.
I couldn’t, so I didn’t. “It’s a bad idea.”
Mari stepped into me, and I wrapped my arms around her automatically as she scraped her fingers along my shirt. “Would you hurt me again?”
“Of course not.”
Dominic nodded behind her. “Lie?”
“No.”
“Betray us?” Greyson asked.
“Never,” I growled.
“Exactly.” Mari ran her hand along my cheek, smiling when I rubbed it against her. “Leo knows this. He sees you making up for your mistakes. They all do, and they know whose side you’re on.”
“Yours. Only yours.” It was a promise and a devotion in one.
Mari’s smile widened. “I know.”
“Great, we all know you’re part of the family. Can we move the fuck on?” Dominic griped, shaking his head as he walked out. “Fucking guilty consciences.”
Greyson smothered his laugh but nodded to me before dropping a kiss to Mari’s head. “We’ll see you later.”
We stood there, wrapped around each other for a moment before I had to say it. “It’s an honor to be chosen as capo, but I’m not sure it’s the right thing for me.”
“We’ll discuss it after your brother’s dead,” she promised, pulling me down for a filthy kiss that promised a world of pleasure in the near future.
Well, if she was going to distract me with her body, who was I to say no?
“What else do we need to do today?” I palmed her ass, lifting her onto the desk to prove just how devoted I was. She’d slipped on a sundress earlier, so I shoved it up to her hips, enjoying the scrap of pale blue lace covering her pussy. “Christ, you’re beautiful. And I’m hungry.”
I’d already knelt and started pressing kisses to her inner thighs when she finally answered. “All I’ve got planned is sending some emails and setting up a meeting.”
My brow rose when I caught her eyes glittering with mischief. “What kind of meeting?”
“Nothing much, really.” I gave her my best I don’t believe you look as I pulled the lace down her legs, and she laughed, wrapping her fingers in my hair and pulling me straight toward her glistening cunt. “We’re going to make a deal with the devil, baby.”