Chapter 26 – Mari
Greyson planned the parts of the house we’d use most to be comfortable and soothing, but he also knew we’d likely have to entertain guests here at some point. So, he’d set up the first rooms in the house as my formal Queen of Seattle rooms.
Places that my people could come for official reports, spaces where allies could come to negotiate, all while being completely closed off from our actual home since the entire building was locked down with state-of-the-art security.
People couldn’t piss under our roof without us knowing.
It was fucking brilliant, especially because he made it very clear with every piece of furniture and décor that people weren’t encouraged to hang around. The walls were bright, sterile whites to match the most expensively bland fabrics imaginable.
The chairs were all hard corners, the lounges had stiff cushions, and not a single throw pillow was in sight beyond the couch Ash and I headed to. It was softer than the rest, which made me itch just looking at them, but not by much. Again, anything to remind people to leave as soon as possible.
Victor settled onto the most uncomfortable couch known to man, sprawling like a king on someone else’s throne. Knowing there were no weapons on his half of the room was the only thing that let me relax into the couch in front of him.
Aislynn sat, wiggling in place with a grumbled, “Christ, these are awful.”
Victor’s laugh was barely an exhale, but I saw the way Ash’s lips tipped before they immediately dropped again. More evidence of the scars Cameron had left.
Not wanting to drag things out, I turned back to Victor. “I’ll be honest, you seem far happier to see me than someone who just lost part of his business should.”
He laughed again, much louder this time. Not sure I liked making him laugh as much as Ash did. “Cash was already cut off before you took the coke. Although, I think that helped you in the long run.”
“You’d already cut him off?”
That didn’t make any sense. Why would he cut off a man he’d already admitted was a cash cow? No pun intended.
I sounded exactly as mistrustful as I felt, and Victor heard it. “Cash wasn’t as sneaky as he’d hoped. The rumors of him lacing the coke, losing it, snorting it—all of them found their way to me. It’s bad form to fuck with a product when someone else’s name is on it, and I’m particularly attached to my reputation. So, I cut him off. According to my intel, what you confiscated was the last of his personal supply.”
If that was true, Cash had been stealing far more than even I’d suspected. The pictures Nate took—I blew out a breath. “That doesn’t exactly tell me why you’re here.”
Victor leaned forward. “I’m here because I want to reiterate in person that my offer still stands.”
Help removing Cash for the ability to import coke into Seattle. Which wasn’t ideal, especially considering I had a federal contract buried in a safe somewhere on the premises, prohibiting that very thing.
I hummed under my breath, wondering if there was a way to leverage his help without ruining the immunity of sortsthat I’d already secured.
Importing was the biggest incentive for Victor to work with me, and even if it wasn’t something I was interested in, it was something I could work with. Greyson would know how to ferry the drugs to some other city if we had to, but with the watchful eyes of the government on us, I couldn’t guarantee smooth passage the way I normally could. We’d already shut down the docks to regular shipments because we didn’t trust Cash not to bomb it again.
Truthfully, we were hemorrhaging money at every turn. I had plenty, but there was only so long I could float the business from my personal accounts before things got dicey.
I had to keep Victor on board.
“What I’m about to tell you goes no further than this room.”
He immediately shook his head. “I can’t promise that. I need to be able to tell my second, at the very least.”
Thinking back on the information we had on Paez and his second, I considered it. Maximoff Vega came from generations of Bratva soldiers. No doubt he would’ve joined too if not for his father meeting his mother in Colombia. Nine months later, he was born, they were married, and his father had left the home country for warmer shores. According to the intel, Victor’s second was an asshole of extreme measures, but he took his word seriously.
“Promise me that your second will keep this to himself.”
His nod was immediate. “I swear. Maximoff will keep it quiet.” I wasn’t sure I believed him, but did I really have another choice? I had to tell him or risk the Paez cartel gunning for me when this was over. “My contacts say the Feds have a vested interest in the outcome of what happens with Cash. Even when this war is over, they’re going to be watching me closely. There’s not going to be any importing available until they find someone else to stalk. And even when I can import, I won’t be able to distribute without tipping them off, and neither of us wants that.”
It wasn’t quite the truth, but it was as close to it as I was willing to get without promising to push drugs in my city. Truthfully, I thought he knew as much too.
Victor’s eyes narrowed, and he seemed to war with himself, but finally, he nodded decisively. “I understand not wanting to put your people at risk. Perhaps there’s something I can have in return.”
His eyes drifted to Aislynn, and anger surged through my body so fast, my fingers tingled.
He wanted me to offer up my best friend as part of the contract. Whether as collateral or a body to warm his sheets, my answer was the same. To some leaders, giving away one of their people would be nothing, but I’d already asked too much of Ash, and she was still paying the price. I wouldn’t do it to her again.
“I don’t sell my people,” I snarled. “You need to leave. Now.”
Victor paused for a moment, letting me reconsider, but when I stood with crossed arms, he nodded to himself. “I understand.”
He hadn’t even finished standing when Ash’s voice rang out. “Wait.”
The determination pouring off her struck like a stone sinking in my stomach, and I fisted my hands. “You don’t need to do this,” I whispered so only she could hear. “I’ll find another way.”
“We don’t have time for another way anymore. You obviously need his help, or you wouldn’t have let him in.” When I still didn’t respond, she gripped my forearm. “Will it end this?”
Truthfully, yes, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. “The answer is no, Aislynn.”
“It’s not your decision,” she said firmly. “With my father, I didn’t have a choice. My place was at the altar. Even with him, I knew it was my only way out, and I don’t regret it. This time, it’s my choice. I choose to do this for you and for our family and for the city we both love.”
“You’ve done enough. You’ve been through enough.”
Ash rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to fall in love with him.”
I saw the way Victor flinched behind her before he schooled his face into something neutral.
Fuck, I did not need my best friend getting tangled up with a cartel leader. “Mari, if we say yes, we have a chance to negotiate terms we both want. If we say no and have to crawl back for help later, we’re fucked.”
Meaning, he could ask for her anyway, and I wouldn’t have room to refuse. Fuck.
“I don’t want you to do this,” I admitted.
“I know, but it’s done. What’s one person in the grand scheme of things?” Ash asked.
The words hit me directly in my chest. Hadn’t I just said that as I watched Kosas grieve his son and daughter-in-law? Two people I’d put in danger to end this war. Being willing to sacrifice his family while refusing to risk my own felt too hypocritical to condone.
“I’ll be fine.”
“If you’re not, they all die.”
“I know.” She smiled before turning back to Victor, who watched her with what I could only call admiration. “I’m married.”
He didn’t even glance at her ring finger. “You’re a hostage, not a whore.”
There was no doubt he was borderline offended at the idea that he’d use her like that, and it increased my opinion of him. I knew some made men didn’t care about things like consent. That Victor did was an unexpected boon.
I sat back down on the couch next to Aislynn as she squared off in her seat. “What are the terms?”
Victor watched her with something verging on obsession, the way a king coveted what he wanted to own. It didn’t ease my nerves at all. “Room and board. Money to spend. Freedom within reason.”
“For how long?”
“A year.”
Ash’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly before they shuttered, and I wanted to end the negotiations now. My skin was itching with the need to do something, and I felt terrible knowing that I couldn’t. I’d never felt more helpless in my life, and I’d watched my men get shot.
This is her choice, I reminded myself. Didn’t mean I had to like it, though.
“Can you promise my safety?”
Victor’s glare was icy, making me realize just how warm it had been before. “Of course. I wouldn’t bring you to my home if you were in danger.”
“Your home?” For the first time since she’d decided, Aislynn looked uncertain. She probably assumed she’d be in some apartment somewhere, locked far out of sight as the timer counted down, but I had no doubt Victor would keep her underfoot as much as possible.
He pulled out his phone, scrolling through it quickly before walking around the coffee table. I was tensing to shove myself between them when he dropped to his knees at her feet. No doubt my mouth was wide open, but what else was I supposed to do?
Ash hadn’t released the gun in her grip. This powerful man was giving my friend all the power in the world to end him. Happily, it would seem. It was nearly unheard of.
“I have an island just outside of Colombia. It’s private and secure, with only my most trusted staff. You’ll live there.”
“Alone?”
“No. You’ll never be alone.” It should’ve felt threatening, but his gaze and voice were soft as he set his phone on her lap, his thumb swiping across her knee. More of a lover’s promise than anything else.
I wondered if this was what Antoni and Shara had looked like when they’d met. Not quite love at first sight, but an unexpected connection forged in a single night. Did Ash feel that same draw? If she did, it was obviously reciprocated, unless he was as good an actor as my cousin. The way Aislynn shuddered made me wonder if she had the same thought.
Victor flipped through so we could see pictures of beautiful white sand beaches and clear blue water. Big trees and incredibly colorful flowers everywhere. It was as close to paradise as I could imagine and not far off from where I’d planned to send her when this was all over. He let her look over everything twice, even showing her pictures of the staff, which he tilted just far enough that I could see too.
Eventually, Ash handed the phone back. “It’s beautiful.”
“The perfect place to heal.” There was a heavy weight of promise in his voice, and when Ash turned to me, it was with more hope than I’d seen since she’d found out about her husband’s deceit.
Fuck, if he can give her that peace back, I may end up doing something I shouldn’t. Like trusting the guy.
Victor moved to the windows on the opposite side of the room without a word, offering us as much privacy as he could, knowing he wasn’t allowed to leave my sight.
“You’re going.” I had no doubt in my mind. Unfortunately for me, I also had the feeling this was the best decision for her.
Ash must’ve seen my acceptance, reaching for my hand with a tentative smile on her face. “Seriously, Mari. I want to do this. I need to.” Her voice dropped, eyes darting to Victor, only to swallow when she found him already watching. “I need a redo.”
“You’re not marrying him,” I grumbled, knowing there was no way I would deny her after everything. She laughed, and the sound was so shockingly bright that I smiled.
“Of course not, but he is pretty to look at.”
She wasn’t wrong. Hell, maybe she’d have some fun on that island when all this was over. Maybe she’d come back stronger than ever.
It’s one year, and you have enough money to buy a plane. Let her go.
“I’ll ensure your safety,” I promised. Though, truthfully, the hostage deal Victor was offering was pretty good. I’d know for sure once he sent over the paperwork. Still, Ash had to know I’d always have her back.
She smiled. “I know. You always take care of me.”
I didn’t feel that way, especially not when I walked over with a hand out to Victor Paez and gave him my best friend. “Deal.”
“You won’t regret this.”
Joke’s on him; I already do.
“Let’s hope not.” As he started to pull away, I tightened my grip and pulled him close. “If you hurt her in any way, I will wipe you, your bloodline, and any man loyal to either from existence.”
“I don’t doubt it, but you have nothing to worry about.” He looked over my shoulder at Aislynn with a softness he hadn’t earned. “I’m going to take very good care of her.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I’d be watching either way.
All I could do was hope Aislynn made it through in one piece.