Page 34 of From the Ashes

“I’m okay standing.”

“Very well.” He huffs and turns his attention to Caleb for a moment before his eyes fall back to my own.

I try to think of where my dad used to keep the gun in here. I’m sure most Mafia families are the same, with firearms stashed anywhere you could possibly be ambushed, but I’m coming up empty, which means if they’re here to kill me, I’m not going to have any way to defend myself.

“We would like to discuss what it will take to make you disappear,” Caleb says, his arms crossed over his chest.

A laugh bursts out of my throat before I can catch it, and their reactions are each as displeased with my reaction as the other. Once I have a handle on myself again and I wipe away the tears that have gathered at the corners of my eyes so as not to smudge my makeup, I turn my attention back to them. “I’m curious what it is you think you have to offer someone that already has everything she ever wanted. I have the position I spent my life training for, I have more money than I could spend in ten lifetimes, and I’m not your wife.” I nod to Charles and revel in the way his face reddens at the reminder that I should have walked down an aisle and become a Davenport by now.

“Listen here, you little—” Charles pushes himself to his feet, but Caleb quickly intercepts him, giving him a pointed look that has him sitting back down.

What is it that Caleb has on Charles that has him obeying like a well-trained golden retriever? As far as I knew, Charles doesn’t answer to anyone but himself.

“Look, Camilla. I’m going to level with you,” Caleb says, his dark eyes locked with mine. “You are becoming a problem for us and our plans, and we would like to work with you so we can all get what we want.”

“And what are those plans exactly? Walk me through this grand scheme of yours that has you returning from the dead and joining forces with one another.”

“Why would we tell you that?” Charles snaps.

“Because from where I’m sitting, I hold all the cards.” I shrug. “But you’re more than welcome to leave if you’d rather not give me the full picture before I make any decisions.”

Caleb sighs and looks to contemplate his options. “It should come as little surprise that we want to overthrow the Syndicate of the Legion. It has served its purpose, and it’s time the power is returned to the five families. Your predecessors dealt with their own shit for generations, so there’s no reason things can’t return to that time.”

“Except for the fact that before the Syndicate was formed, we were always at war with someone. The city was a bloodbath every other week. Why would we want to go back to that?”

“Our business options are limited to what’s included in the contracts we signed,” Charles explains.

I turn my attention to him with a raised brow. “Unless you’re looking to traffic humans, animals, or organs, the contract doesn’t really limit much of anything. So which of those delightfully disgusting things are you looking to dabble in, Charles?”

Fury overtakes his features, and this time when he surges to his feet, Caleb can’t stop him. “Listen here, you little bitch, we’re here out of courtesy, but this is happening regardless of whether you’re happy with it.”

“Charles,” Caleb warns.

“No. I won’t let her stand in our way when she’s already dipped out of the contract I made with her father.”

I lean back on my heels, my eyes flicking from the way they’re glaring at one another to the security camera in the corner. With any luck, the Legion has this place bugged or can at least hack into the security feed so they know what’s going on here.

“I didn’t dip out of anything. You called for his death. Kovu killed him as per the terms of the Syndicate you’re trying to disperse, which in turn canceled the contract you held with him. If you didn’t want him dead, you shouldn’t have involved the Legion in the first place.” I keep my face perfectly even, not giving any of the pain I’ve felt for the last twenty-four hours away. Fuck, has it only been that long since I ran out of the apartment and stole Kaos’s car? Feels like a fucking lifetime at this point.

Caleb nods and turns back to me. “Camilla, you’re correct. But the Syndicate is outdated. There was a time when it had its place, but the families have a much better relationship now. It’s much less likely that anyone would try to overthrow another territory due to the relationships that have been formed over the last eight years.”

I sigh and lean my head back. “I may be eighteen years old, but I’m not a fucking idiot, and I’d appreciate you not treating me like one,” I say evenly despite the anger beating through my veins. I’ve heard enough, and I can’t believe they ever thought I was going to side with them on this.

Oh my god. The video.

The video that was perfectly timed before this little intervention.

The one that made me leave the safety the guys give me and ensure they could get me alone.

I really gave them too little credit, because if they could get their hands on the footage from the mansion, I have little doubt they could get into the house if they wanted to.

They set all of this up, and I can’t believe I let myself fall for it.

Before I can continue, the door swings open and Bishop strolls in. His perfectly fitted navy suit is neatly pressed, and the contrasting maroon of his tie distracts from how tired he looks.

How the hell did he get here so quickly?

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

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