Chapter 30 – Mari
Emmanuel eyed Victor the moment he arrived. Everywhere he went, Emmanuel followed, and despite Maximoff glaring daggers at the other don, he never let up. It only got worse when the meetings started.
Every time Victor suggested something, the Wolf shot it down. If he offered help, Emmanuel always offered more. Seeing the interactions in person, I agreed more with Victor’s assumptions. Emmanuel was at war with him, and he was being a petty bitch about it.
“This is ridiculous.” Dominic leaned back against the wall next to me, wearily watching the two men butt heads. I had a headache from all the testosterone pumping through the air and was this close to losing it from hunger alone.
Male posturing was going to take me out long before the war could.
Being stuck in a room with two warring cartel leaders was the epitome of stupid, but not for the reasons I originally assumed. After hours of trying to plan and getting nowhere, I was ready to shoot them both, damn the consequences. The only thing holding me back was Greyson absently playing with my fingers where they hung between us. “This whole meeting is a dick-measuring contest,” Nate muttered.
Eagle snorted next to him. “No fucking joke.”
Somewhere in all the chaos of sorting orders and preparing for battle, the black ops agent had slipped into the house and hadn’t left. Not that I minded. He brought all sorts of friends with him—ones who owed Nate favors—and they’d gone to work immediately. Soon, we had a network of people hunting through my city, with tools even Two-Bit couldn’t comprehend.
It made me nervous. The mercs were for life. That Nate got out was a miracle, and I didn’t want to fight another war when this one was over. I’d cornered Eagle yesterday, and he’d been very clear when I asked if the company was going to come after my partner again.
From where I stand, we’re just removing some trash from your house like any good friend would. Nothing more, nothing less.
I was grateful for small mercies.
His team preferred to handle their own accommodations, and thank fuck for that. Both cartels had come through majorly, and we were swarming with bodies sworn to the cause. Every spare room in the Marcosa mansion was being used to house the Paez cartel, and the Celestine was overrun with Osorios.
Emmanuel hated that Victor was treated to the place of honor in my home, even one I didn’t use anymore, but he didn’t say it outright. We all knew things would’ve been different if he’d put his pride aside when I’d first come to him. Now, he could stew in it.
Whatever space wasn’t turned into overnight bunkhouses was weapons storage, and we’d converted the basement into our war room, which was currently filled to the rafters with people.
We’d long since run out of seats, but the leaders and their seconds were huddled closer to the center of the room while everyone crowded in to see the projected map of Seattle on the wall.
The other territory leaders didn’t offer to house any offshoot guests, but then, they were busy gathering their own men.
The night Emmanuel agreed, we’d sent out the call.
Meeting in two days. Be ready.
Now, everyone was here, weapons prepared and timeline set, yet we’d gotten exactly nothing done because of my grandfather.
I was sweating my metaphorical balls off with so many people around. The air was so thick with the scent of people that it nearly made me sick, but I didn’t mind. I was this close to finally getting rid of Cash. I had every territory leader in the city watching me, the government at my back, a group of fucking mercs ready to kill at my order. The only thing standing between me and the freedom my enemy’s death would grant me was Emmanuel Osorio’s fucking pride.
Pride that I was ready to destroy if he didn’t shut the fuck up and let us get on with it.
Patience, Mari. It’ll be over soon.
Couldn’t come fast enough.
Sighing, I tuned back in as Victor calmly explained his plan to bomb three of Cash’s safe houses as a distraction. We’d already decided on an extended version of the three-pronged approach from the stash house raid. We’d send the distractions in first to draw out the Aces before sending a second wave to decimate the rest.
“That’s a stupid idea. Why bomb the safe houses when there are plenty of buildings he could be hiding in?”
Victor sucked in a deep breath, obviously trying to calm himself. “As I’ve said twice now, if we want to get Cash, we need to remove his army from consideration. He won’t be distracted by the safe houses, but they will. They know they’re on borrowed time. If we destroy their chance at escape, they’re going to scurry.”
“We don’t want them. We want the ones who stay,” Emmanuel pushed.
It was obvious Victor’s patience was thinning. “Yes, but in order to get to them, the weak ones need to run. Why waste the bullets and risk our men if we don’t have to?”
“If your men can’t handle the trials of war, they shouldn’t be here.”
“Says the man who was picked last for this ragtag team.” Grey huffed.
Emmanuel twisted to bite his head off, and I was done.
“Enough.”
The room fell silent. Victor quietly sat, ceding me the floor while the Wolf stayed on his feet. Christian stood behind him, eyes tight with warning while Emmanuel’s flashed with ire. “You don’t command me, Marianna.”
“Yet here I am, doing it anyway.”
“I’m trying to help.”
“No, you’re nitpicking Victor because of some bullshit grudge. I’m not sure if you’re doing it to hide that you don’t have any ideas of your own or if you’re just that invested in irritating the shit out of all of us, but we don’t have time for this. I don’t have the patience to deal with your forever-and-a-day grudge when the people of my city are in danger. Either offer up a suggestion, or sit the fuck down.”
Emmanuel glared at me as if he could set me on fire with his mind and my men stiffened, but I didn’t care. He could hate me all he wanted if it meant we got somewhere.
Christian cleared his throat, stepping forward to take the heat off Emmanuel. The other man slumped into his seat like a petulant child. “Do we have enough supplies to widen the first wave? Maybe we could hit another of his buildings that’s not a safe house.”
I looked at Victor, who nodded.
Finally, a fucking compromise.
Hallelujah.
Greyson looked over the inventory list of everything our allies had brought, weapons I’d imported specifically for this war, and a whole host of things we hadn’t been expecting.
After he’d done his calculations, he nodded. “We could reasonably add a location to the first wave. I’d keep the initial teams light, though. We’re aiming to remove any runners and take out as many active men as possible so they can’t become reinforcements when the bigger launches start.”
“These are the buildings we’ve had under watch.” With a few clicks of the mouse, Eagle drew circles around ten buildings throughout Seattle, addresses we’d gotten from Two-Bit after the meeting yesterday.
Agreeing to play spy for the Feds was already paying off. We’d received more information than we’d expected with the addresses of Cash’s most-used hideouts. Not to mention the weapons. We didn’t want to tie Two-Bit to the information, so we’d given it to Eagle, who had no problem lying to the other leaders about where it came from. Not that anyone questioned it in the first place, but we had it covered in case they did.
The moment they arrived, we sent the mercs to play spies and gather more intel, and it was going well. Though no one had found Cash yet, I was still hoping we’d have a solid lead before we went in blind. I wanted him dead.
“We’ve got a running tally of everyone coming and going over the last day, so by the time we’re ready, we’ll have a good idea of how many people to expect at each place.” He typed again, and each circle got a staggering number next to it. Even with the additional help, we barely outnumbered the Aces. Where’s Cash been hiding them?
I bit my lip. “How can you be sure your tally’s correct?”
Eagle dug into the backpack at his feet and tossed something at me with a grin. I caught it, scowling at him when I realized it was a pair of very expensive infrared goggles.
Specifically, government-issued infrared goggles.
“I’ve got three men on each building who rotate the count every hour. The others confirm the number with those before we get the total.”
“Margin for error?”
He shrugged. “I padded each one by ten, fifteen if the building’s bigger. The probability of reinforced basements on some of these is pretty low, but it isn’t zero.”
“Where the hell did this guy come from?” Christian asked, his narrowed gaze tracking between the merc and the goggles I still held.
“Old friend,” Nate said easily.
Christian watched him carefully. “Is that so?”
The sarcasm was duly noted and unappreciated.
“Nate used to be a mercenary.”
Apparently, that was news to most everyone in the room. I watched as all the big players’ eyes sharpened on my man and frowned. Maybe Leo’s assessment wasn’t as off as I assumed.
A problem for another time. Once the war was over and I’d had about a month to relax, we’d get to work on revamping Nate’s reputation in the city. Make sure everyone knew he was a badass in his own right.
My phone buzzed as they talked about the toys, and I took it out, hoping it was one of the scouts with good news. Rafael’s name was an unexpected surprise, as was his text.
He’s taken your club.
Which one?
The name flashed on my screen, and I wasn’t even surprised. Now that I thought about it, it made all the sense in the world. Dominic’s eyes drifted to the death grip I had on my phone, and he straightened. Nate and Greyson followed suit, and it was Nate’s movement that caught Eagle’s eye. “Something to add?”
“I just got word that we need to add a building to the tally.”
Emmanuel scowled. “The others have been on watch for the last day. Adding another so late means we’re likely flying in blind.”
“We have the goggles, and I have enough men to add one last observation group.” Eagle shrugged while the Wolf scowled.
“I’m not risking my men.”
“I don’t expect you to.” I handed my phone to Dominic, who moved through the crowd and stole the laptop temporarily, typing Black Team over the address. No way anyone else was taking that building but us.
Because Cash had taken Gilded as his final stand.
It wouldn’t have even been hard to do. Our men were either readying for war or gone. I’d left the businesses locked and armed, but I didn’t need guards on buildings. I needed them in the streets. All Cash had to do was break down the door and take it.
Part of me hated the idea of him sullying the crown jewel of my empire, but it felt right that he’d done it. This was a full-circle moment. Our story would end where it truly began.
“What the hell is that?” For his part, Emmanuel just looked confused, and I realized that he’d kept his position because he was too big to go to war with. In the event that Paez retaliated, the Wolf didn’t have the strategic knowledge to outlast him. He’d die screaming, and everything he worked for would be gone.
Hopefully my cousin was smarter than his predecessor.
“My club.”
Kosas stood immediately, knowing it was too good of an opportunity for Cash to pass up. “I’m with you.”
Two-Bit nodded. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about the Vipers coming to war with us, knowing there were more Feds than criminals in their ranks, but we didn’t have a choice. Leaving them out was going to put a target on Two-Bit’s back when the dust settled, and I’d signed my soul away to make sure that didn’t happen.
We finalized the plans quickly after that, ensuring who would ride the first wave and who was on the second. We even kept behind our best pinch hitters, knowing there may be a need for a third wave to extract us. We worked together to make sure every group leader had sufficient ammo, knew their exit strategies, and had access to more help if required. Field medics would be stationed as close as we could get them to the blast sites without endangering them, and we’d managed to secure a fleet of ambulances for transport to the medical center at the university after it was over. Seattle Gen was still recovering from Cash’s massacre.
Victor offered himself to my group, even as Maximoff’s face twisted like he’d eaten something sour. The other territory leaders followed, though we decided that we weren’t going to have all the big bads in one group. Better to spread us out. Victor demanded we stay together, and I knew it was, in part, because of our deal with Ash. He felt obligated to keep me alive because he had her, and I respected that.
Emmanuel was the only one who hadn’t offered men, which wasn’t surprising. Christian stepping in to do it, however, was.
“I’ll go with you.”
“Absolutely not.” Emmanuel’s outrage traveled across the room, but I didn’t care. The only way for the two factions to play nice was to ensure that they both had stakes in the game. With the Paez don and the Osorio heir in my party, there wouldn’t be any issues with friendly fire.
“Actually, I’d feel better if Christian was with us,” I said. The Wolf geared up to argue with me, but I held up a hand. “He’ll be as safe as possible.”
“He’s my heir.” He said it like Christian’s death meant more than everyone else’s, and it pissed me off.
“Get over yourself,” I snapped. “Everyone is at risk with this mission. Your potential loss isn’t greater than ours just because you raised him higher than the rest of the army.”
Done with whatever bullshit he was going to spew, I turned back to the rest of the crew. “You’ve all got your orders. Go home. Fuck your partners, kiss your kids, and go to bed early. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”
The war was ending, one way or another.
My men and I went home after that. We showered quietly, dressed in comfy clothes, and found our way to the den. Someone put a movie on, but none of us were watching it. We were focused on one another. Hands roaming softly, not for sex but for comfort. Remembrance.
Nate kissed my forehead where I was sprawled across his chest, hand outstretched for Dominic, while Greyson rubbed my calves. “Love you, angel.”
“Love you too.”
This was the feeling I wanted to take into tomorrow. Being so fucking loved I couldn’t stand it.
There was something else I wanted to take with us, though.
Nudging Grey’s thigh, I looked pointedly under the coffee table where I’d stashed my surprise earlier. His eyes twinkled as he saw the box, and he pulled it off the floor before snatching me from Nate’s grasp and bringing me into his. It wasn’t just because he wanted to touch me, though he did that too. The move gave me the best view of the other two men.
The box slipped into my hands, and I was surprised to find Dominic eyeing it warily. “What’s inside?”
“A bomb.”
His brows flattened. “Not a good time for jokes, mariposa.”
Rolling my eyes, I pushed it into their waiting hands. “Open it and find out.”
They looked at each other, making Grey laugh behind me as one hand toyed with my wedding band, but eventually they opened it.
Two rings sat nestled in the silk, polished to a shine and untouched. I’d been waiting for the right time to give them to the rest of my men, but I’d realized earlier that was a mistake.
I should’ve done it the second Nate came back.
I should’ve given Dominic his ages ago.
Fear was a powerful motivator. It held you back from going after what you wanted.
Well, not anymore.
Nate’s eyes widened, and he turned to me, speechless. Dominic, on the other hand…
“No.”
I huffed. I knew he’d freak out the most. “Dominic.”
“No.” He shoved the box at Nate and crossed his arms like if he didn’t touch it, the ring didn’t exist.
“We aren’t saying goodbye. This isn’t over,” Dominic growled, and the others crossed their arms in agreement.
“It’s not goodbye. It’s the start of forever.”
“Then it can wait.”
“No, it can’t.”
“I don’t want this because of tomorrow, Mari. I want this because you want it. Because you want me in your life?—”
“Forever.”
Nate’s voice was so fucking soft when he said it. He’d slipped his ring out of the box while I was distracted by Dominic, twisting the metal until he saw the engraving.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “Forever.”
Dominic reached for the other ring with shaking fingers, twisting until he saw his engraving too. I saw the flare in his eyes when he read it for the first time. “Everything.”
Because he was my everything. Just like Nate. Just like Greyson.
My home. My peace. My love.
“I’m not doing this because we might die tomorrow. I’m doing it because we deserve to live. You deserve to know how much you mean to me. These are not a pity gift for the afterlife, Dominic. Not when you should’ve been wearing them all along.” He still didn’t believe me, and I crawled into his lap, taking the ring and slipping it onto his finger anyway. “I’ve had these for ages, and it’s time for you to have it. I need it on your finger tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“Every time you take out an Ace, I want them to know you’re mine. That you’re doing this for me. For us. For the city and the people we love. For our family. Cash thinks that love is bullshit and people are expendable. We’re going to show him that he’s wrong. But mainly, I want you to wear it for me. Because I love you, and I want everyone to know it.” I ghosted my lips over his. “Say yes, Dominic.”
“Do I have a choice? You already put it on me.” He sounded annoyed, but his lips were twitching.
“No, you don’t. You don’t really want one, though.”
That got me a smile, and he swooped in, kissing me until he’d stolen every breath from my lungs. “Nah, I think I’m perfectly fine where I’m at. Love you, mariposa.”
“Love you too.”
With another kiss and a pat on my ass, he gave me over to Nate. I straddled his legs, giving him a peck before starting. “Nate?—”
“Yes.”
I laughed, joy bubbling when the others laughed with me. “I didn’t even ask yet.”
“You don’t have to. My answer’s yes. It’s always been yes for you.”
It had. Even when the universe had us on opposing sides, Nate had always been mine. Mine to have. Mine to hold. Mine to keep.
Forever.
He held up the ring and kissed me as I slipped it on his finger, our lips writing vows so soft and sweet they buried themselves in my soul.
When we parted, he wrapped a hand in my hair to keep me close. “We’re going to make you so fucking happy.”
“You already do.”
“Now that we’re all wifed up, how do we want to spend our last evening?”
“Actually, I have one more gift.”
Dominic rubbed his hands together. “Who’s it for?”
“Nate.”
Dominic pouted, but Nate reared back, surprise obvious on his face. “Me?”
“You.”
His hands flexed on my hips. “I want everything with you.”
I smiled, knowing my last gift was going to rock him even more. “I want to give you my name.”
Nate froze. He didn’t move, didn’t breathe, didn’t even blink. It was like his whole body shut down for the two seconds it took him to understand what I said. Finally, he heaved in a huge breath that did nothing to ease the uncertainty on his face. “Why?”
“Because you’ve earned it.”
“I haven’t?—”
“You have,” Dominic said.
They stared at each other for a long moment until I turned Nate’s gaze back to me. “You were a Beckstrom when you had to be and a Black when it suited. Neither was really your choice, but this is. Be a Marcosa because we want you to be. Your mom won’t be here forever and I know that kills you, but we’re your family too. Take my name because you want it, because you choose us.”
After another long moment of silence in which I wasn’t sure if I’d overstepped, Nate launched himself at me, pressing kisses all over my face until I was howling with laughter. I pushed on his shoulders, both of us smiling so hard our eyes creased. “You haven’t responded yet.”
“I’d be honored, angel.”
“Fucking finally. Now we don’t have to hear any more I’m a terrible boyfriend speeches.” Dominic rolled his eyes, even as he smiled. “Congrats on being official, brother.”
They hugged, clapping each other on the back before Nate turned to Greyson and did the same. Then they all turned to me, hauling me back onto the couch and into their arms.
I burrowed between them as they bickered about what show we were going to start when this was over and who got to sleep next to me tomorrow, and I knew the fire in my chest wasn’t going to ebb.
Tomorrow, we’d take the war to Cash, and we’d win because, with them by my side, I couldn’t lose.
I wouldn’t.
Cash would die because I wasn’t giving up the happiness I found with these men. After everything the universe had put me through, I’d fucking earned it.