Page 22 of We Will Rise

They’re hitmen. I’ve heard of the infamous Savage family. There’s no one they can’t get to. No one they can’t kill. Having people like them on our side gives me an odd sense of comfort, even if everyone in the room has tensed since he walked in.

I flick my gaze back to the doorway just in time to see the last man stop beside Crew, his violet eyes moving over every person sitting at the table. He’s a little older than the rest of the table, probably closer to Crew’s age than any of ours. His dark hair is messy and untamed, but his perfectly-fitted navy suit is all he needs to seem perfectly put together.

As he moves to take a seat at the opposite end of the table to me, Crew clears his throat. “And this is Beckham Huntley. He runs guns down in San Francisco.”

I let out a steadying breath as I regard each of them. I’ve never felt more like the lamb in the lion’s den than I do right now, but I’m not going to let any of them know that.

“Thank you for coming,” I say, keeping the mask I spent my life mastering in place.

“When the Syndicate calls, you’d be stupid not the answer.” Elijah shrugs as he leans back in his seat. He seems calm considering I’ve heard he has beef with at least three people in the room, but you don’t get the reputation he has by being afraid, and I have little doubt he could take them all out here and now if he really wanted to.

“What are we doing here, Crew?” Bennett asks as Bishop and Kaos file into the room and take their seats beside Elias.

Crew moves around the table to sit beside me and immediately drops his hand to my other thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. “We need your help.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

BISHOP

Having this many of the country’s most dangerous men in one room is even making me nervous, and I’m known for my nerves of steel.

There’s so much that can go wrong with having them all here like this, but without them we may not be able to win the war that gets closer to our doorstep by the day.

Camilla is holding her own considering how thick the tension is in the room, but I can see how stiff she is. She knows what could happen having these men here, and she knows how easily they could betray us.

“Let me get this straight,” Bryant starts. “Your brother faked his own death and started fucking with your business, only to come back and try to kill all of you and your girl?”

“That about sums it up.” Crew nods. “He’s recruited his own army of men, but we haven’t been able to track where they’ve come from or what he’s got on them. He’s been a ghost since he disappeared, and even with Everett’s help, Wyatt hasn’t been able to track his movements before he rose from the dead.”

Storm nods. “We’ve had Ace working on tracking some financial movements that seem to align with the dates you gave us, but so far he’s coming up empty as well.”

“What do you want from us?” Bennett asks, his face as impassive as always. I suppose when you come from a family of hitmen, you’re not exactly going to wear your emotions on your sleeve. I’ve only met him a handful of times, but as the oldest of seven brothers, he naturally stepped into the role of leader when his father stepped back to enjoy retirement with their mother.

“Right now, nothing. But we want to be able to call on you and some of your men if and when we need it. We’re waiting for them to make their next move to assess when we’re best to hit them, but for right now, it’s a waiting game,” I explain. “They think we’re in mourning because they’re still under the impression that Kovu is dead, so we can only assume they’ll be looking to make their move soon.”

Bryant runs his hand down his face. “And how can we be assured that we won’t be caught up in this mess if things go wrong? There’s a lot of beef in this room, and I don’t want my brothers or I taking the fall for anything that isn’t our fault.”

“If we call on you, we need you all to put your differences aside,” Crew admits.

“Those assholes broke into our compound and stole our women a few months ago, I don’t have a whole lot of trust in them not taking the chance to take us out.” Damon glares across the table at Storm and Elijah.

“To be fair, your father did kidnap one of them and buy the other from years of trafficking. It’s not exactly like they were willing houseguests,” Elijah adds, and I sigh. We’re already getting off track.

“Like you’re one to talk,” Beckham rumbles. “Your father has been working with the Jensen Cartel to move in on our territory.”

“Because you won’t give us access to your docks,” he retorts.

“We don’t need your shit coming through our city. We’re already on shaky ground with the cops because of the Jensens.”

“Enough,” Camilla snaps, and all eyes fall on her. “We understand you all have your own history, but we need your help. If you’re not willing to give us that, there’s no hard feelings, but the Syndicate will remember that the next time you call on them.” Her voice is clear and even despite the nerves that are likely only noticeable to the four of us that spend our every waking hour studying her.

“We’ll help anyway we can,” Storm says. “Ace is at your disposal anytime you need, and we can be here with a few hours’ notice. Since we joined forces with the Russos, we have more manpower freed up and are willing to loan as many men as you require.”

Elijah nods. “Anything you need, we’re happy to help.”

Damon glares at the two men sitting across from him before letting out a frustrated breath. “We can spare some men, and Ronan and I can mobilize whenever you need. Things are quiet down in the south right now.”

Bryant taps his fingers on the table a few times as he considers what he can offer. “Things are shaky in Boston with the fall of two crime bosses. We can’t offer any men, but my brothers and I can be here within a few hours when you need us.”

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