Page 108 of When Kings Fall

“It is, it’s what happened back then. But I appreciate you saying the words anyhow.”

My chest squeezed. “That’s all in the past. And after tonight, the rest will be as well.”

“Yeah, it damn well will,” Levi said.

“Son,” Roman spoke. “For the four of you to even reach Lynch in the penthouse, you’ll need a distraction. Making it up twenty-five stories will take a toll and with that many hostiles in place, they’ll cut you down before you reach our chief target. You need the element of surprise.”

“A sneak attack,” my dad said. “I’ll be there to covertly cut down any of the hostiles who try to flee, but the risk regarding the rest is too high, unacceptable to me. Letting you do this is one thing and difficult for both Curt and I to accept, but we understand where you’re coming from and how badly you need to be the ones to inflict this damage, to defeat that which has haunted you, to reclaim your power that was taken during that awful time. But allowing undue risks wasn’t part of that agreement.”

“I know. We won’t move in recklessly like that, Dad. We’ll brainstorm a way around it.”

“Aside from a fake gas leak, which it’s highly doubtful he’d buy, anything bigger would risk exposure and alert half a city block worth of witnesses,” Mason said.

“More like several blocks’ worth,” Levi countered.

“There’s a way to do this,” Roman said.

We all fell into concentrated silence, trying to determine the way to go with it.

My mind was racing a million miles a minute, but it was compromised, like I was sure Levi’s was with the satisfying thought of ending Malcolm Lynch.

“Why don’t you use that guy you knifed through the hand, Lev?” Colt piped up. “Kyle?”

Levi’s eyes sparked and he went to Colt and grasped his shoulders. “Fucking spectacular idea, cupcake.”

“Yeah, we can work that,” Mason said. “Have it where he’s freaking out because Royce was murdered, then Tommy, and he’s thinking he’ll be the next one to face yours and Bree’s wrath, Lev. Have him go to Lynch for protection, begging to join him again as part of the deal.”

“You gotta offer him something big to get him to fake all that,” my dad pointed out.

“Protection,” Roman said. “He’s been in hiding for a long time. Levi found him. His former protector is dead. That fear of reprisal for what happened six years ago from Lev, myself, and Curt, is his weakness. It can be used in our favor.”

“I’ll throw in my brand of protection too,” my dad told Roman. “You up for doing it on your end?”

“He did help the kids out in the end.”

“Too late, though,” Mason groused.

“I’ll do it,” Roman said. He looked at Levi. “You’ve gotta be able to back off too. It ends with Malcolm Lynch. Forget about Kyle Trass. He’s a useless and pointless target anyway.”

Levi looked to me for my agreement too and I gave a nod.

It was what was best for the circumstances.

“All right,” he told Roman and my dad. “I’ll leave him be after this.”

“Good,” Roman said, pushing away from the laptop. “I’ll retrieve him immediately. In the meantime, gear up.”

We all nodded and gave our confirmations as Roman headed out.

My dad pulled his phone out and started contacting his former club members who were still loyal—or who owed him a favor.

As he did that, Mason went over some rules and procedures for Colt taking part in this, something he was being lighthearted about compared to how he’d normally be.

“How are you doing?” Levi asked, coming to me.

I reached out and rubbed his arms. “My mind is kind of awhirl, honestly. It’s hard to focus on all the details for once with the thought of seeing the defeat in that bastard’s eyes pushing to the forefront, then watching the light go out of those fucking eyes. I just… after all this time we’ll finally take back the power he took from us. It’s a lot to process, to wrap my mind around.”

“I feel the same way.”

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