Page 49 of Vows in Violence

I study the image of the oddly-shaped building, taking note of its bulbous roof, the number of windows, and the general line of the structure, then snap my fingers. “It looks like a greenhouse.”

“That’s because that’s what it is,” Evie interjects, her tone confident as she peers at the screen over Cassidy’s shoulder. “That’s the Weir Greenhouse. It’s a historic building that’s been abandoned for years.”

A strange choice for Azrael's hideout, I think. Flowers seem frilly, even for the Italians, but then Luca speaks up.

“It fits. The greenhouse was built in the 1800s and hasn’t been in use in decades,” he says.”It’s an unassuming place they could’ve been using for decades.”

That makes more sense. No one knows how long Azrael has existed, but it’s possible they’ve been around since the beginning of mob presence in New York. The greenhouse is definitely old enough to be a traditional meeting spot for them.

Luca packs up the laptops as Cassidy and Evie start discussing plans. I seize the moment to ask, “Have any of you directly confronted Azrael?”

Cassidy nods. “I have.”

“And?” I prompt.

“It took Evie and I both to take them down. They are highly trained,” Cassidy admits.

“Which means we can’t just go in there without a plan,” I state firmly.

Evie crosses her arms, her gaze steely. “That is exactly what we are doing, Romanov. Making a plan.”

I shake my head. “No, your plans are easy to predict. Azrael is made up of your own people. It was easy for me to do everything I did because I was an outsider.”

Cassidy smirks. “It was easy, eh?”

“Cassidy,” Luca cuts in, “he’s right. Azrael has been watching us a lot longer than they have been watching him. Romanov’s been flying under the radar for years.”

Evie looks at me, her eyes challenging. “Then, what do you suggest, Romanov?”

I pause, considering the vision I had once harbored of leading these people, making them more like my capos than fellow Dons. But now, they want to play Avengers and team up. This is not something I prepared for.

“With all due respect to the Valachis, none of the other Dons in the United States have the power of the Five Families. Not individually,” I say, looking around at them.

Luca nods. “Not every major city has multiple Families in operation. You know as well as I do, that there’s individual mob activity scattered all over the United States. On the east coast alone, we have the Italians and Irish in Philly and Boston…the cartel down south…fucking cowboys in the midwest…hell, there’s even a southern mafia. Called the syndicate-something-or-other.” He looks sideways at me, a tiny smirk curving the lines of his mouth. “And the fucking Russians are everywhere.”

“Exactly,” I continue, not rising to the bait. “NYC is unique. Special. A new era is coming, and I see this city…and us…thriving without the influence of the Commission.”

Evie’s eyes widen slightly. “You want to break with the Commission?”

“I want to break the Commission,” I confirm. “We will be our own Commission henceforth. We will chase Azrael from this city, and the Commission won’t rule over us anymore.”

It’s a bold proclamation, a crazy idea, but no one argues. They share glances mixed with incredulity and uncertainty anddawning excitement. They know I’m right; we are powerful enough to do this.

My eyes land on Vivi, who is no longer paying attention to her friend and is looking back at me instead. An understanding passes between us. Angel tried to get rid of the Five Families to protect her, but he thought too small. In order to ensure her safety, no one will have power above me.

The Commission will cease to exist.

Chapter 19

Vivi

After everything that hashappened between our families, only a threat like Azrael has the power to bring us all together—all of us.

Including Ivan.

He was trained to operate by himself, to function on his own. He’s brilliant at it—cold and deadly and dispassionate when it comes to minor impediments like emotion.

He’s never had a second-in-command. Never formed an official alliance with any of the other families. I doubt that he has a single friend he can truly trust.

---