Page 52 of Princes of Carnage

Atlas shakes his head. “No. Two were close by, but one was on the edge of our territory. At first, we thought the runner might have just gotten too close to another gang’s turf and got his ass beat in a warning shot, but now we’re not so sure.”

I nod. “When it happened to us, we were definitely within our boundaries. So it had to be sabotage. We also dismissed some little things here and there, but it seems like the attacker is escalating to get our attention.”

“Or to warn us that they’re not above taking our people out,” Atlas adds.

“Whoever is behind this, they’re well trained,” Nico murmurs. “They’re slipping in and out and not leaving much behind. No trail to follow, no evidence. And no one who got jumped saw anything.”

I glance at Killian, but he’s as closed-mouthed as ever, even though his green eyes are intent. He’s listening, even if he’s not saying anything. That’s how he always is, it seems. He pays attention more than anyone I’ve ever met, never missing much.

“Right,” I say. “So the first and most important thing is to make the attacker’s job harder for them. Don’t give them any openings. I think it would also be a good idea to make sure news of our alliance gets spread around Detroit. I want it widely known that both Carnage and Enigma are stronger than ever.”

“She’s right.” To my surprise, Atlas backs me up, nodding grudgingly. “There’s no point in having the extra power if we don’t use it.”

It takes me a second to recover from the shock of him having just agreed with me, and I stare at him for a beat too long before I shake myself and get back to the point. “Right. Exactly. Outwardly, we need to project strength. But privately, we also need to make sure we don’t have any fucking holes in our defenses. If our people can’t do their jobs, business will suffer and it won’t take long for everything to collapse.”

Nico, Atlas, and Killian all seem to weigh that. It’s interesting, watching the three of them brainstorm and being a part of it. Killian is quiet but present, clearly taking in everything that’s being said and considering it thoroughly.

“We’ve got a smuggling drop coming up soon,” Nico tells me. “A big one. Any suggestions for how to keep our runners safe?”

I can’t tell if this is a test of some kind or if he’s genuinely asking, but I decide it doesn’t matter.

“You need to pick a new location for the drop,” I say. “Maybe even somewhere in Enigma territory, which would be unexpected and outside of your usual patterns. Keeping things unpredictable is our best bet at the moment.” I rattle off a spot I’m fairly familiar with deep in the heart of Enigma territory, then add, “Someone from your crew should go check out the area ahead of time to make sure the spot is secure. Cover all the angles and find any place that someone could lie in wait to ambush your people.”

“Our people,” he corrects me.

I blink. “Right. Whatever. Anyway, I think that location will be solid, but if you do a sweep ahead of time, you can make sure that there are no blind spots where an attacker could hide. Make sure an ambush won’t be easy.”

Nico nods, not taking his eyes off me. “It’s a good idea. Killian, you can go with Quinn to check out the drop spot.”

Killian inclines his head before glancing at me, and I frown. I didn’t know I was volunteering myself to do it, but there’s something to be said for getting eyes on the designated site myself.

And it’s a good sign that we are actually in this together, so I don’t complain.

“Atlas.” Nico jerks his chin at his other friend. “You and I will go put our ears to the ground.”

“About what?” I ask him.

“I want to see what the chatter on the streets is. Find out if there’s been any suspicious activity in other areas, anything that could possibly be related to our mystery attacker.”

It’s a good idea, and as much as I feel a little strange about being alone with the silent, hulking Killian, I can admit that dividing forces like this makes the most sense.

“Fine,” I say. “We’ll report back once we’re done, and you can do the same.”

Nico nods, ending our impromptu little meeting, and I grimace as I realize I’ll probably have to ride on the back of Killian’s bike. Something about the idea of clinging to him the way I clung to Nico on the way here just feels… odd.

Fuck, I wish I had my car. Then I could get myself to the drop spot and home without worrying about it.

Killian turns to head to his bike, and I huff out an annoyed breath. But before I can say anything, Nico stops me, grinning.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Your new ride, mia cara.”

He nods to a bike that’s parked just a bit away from where the three Princes parked theirs. I didn’t pay much attention to it before, assuming it belonged to one of their crew, but now that everyone’s gone, it’s still there.

“Wait.” I frown. “That’s for me?”

“You’re married to the leader of a motorcycle gang,” he says, smirking. “Seems fitting you should have a bike.”

I can’t even downplay the shock I feel. A gesture like this seems like an actual show of solidarity, something that says we’re in this together. It’s above and beyond our tenuous truce, especially considering I drew blood from him last night after sneaking into his bedroom with a knife while he was sleeping.

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