Page 69 of Vows in Violence

The kitchen door swings open, and Damon strides in.

“They are starting to arrive,” Damon announces.

I nod, finishing my last bite. “I’ll be there soon.”

Damon eyes me with curiosity. “What are you doing?”

“Reading everything I can on this police commissioner,” I say, tapping the paper. “A real Boy Scout, this one.”

Damon scoffs. “He has a perfect record. Unscathed. The public doesn’t know who he really is, though, and we could use that to our advantage. We could blackmail him.”

I shake my head. “Waylon is the head of one of the most powerful groups of assassins in the world; he can’t be blackmailed.”

Damon paces, agitation clear in his movements. “It does have me wondering how many of them are left.”

“Of Azrael?” I ask, lifting my gaze to meet his.

“Yeah. We’ve killed a good amount,” Damon replies. “And yet they keep pouring out of the woodwork like a bunch of fucking cockroaches.”

I fall silent, mulling over this information. If Waylon is low on operatives, the next logical step would be to involve the police directly. Which would mean he’s willing to risk everything to end this.

“Let’s hope we have made a dent in his armor,” I say, folding the newspaper and brushing crumbs off the breakfast bar. Damon watches me with a look of curiosity as if I’m something to be studied. I clear my throat, letting Damon know our little conversation and his analysis of me are over.

“Everyone is in the dining room,” he informs me, like I didn’t already know where we were meeting. I don’t answer but brush past him, side-eyeing him on my way out. His footfalls behind me make me rethink leading. I don’t like anyone behind my back, but I can’t rectify that without showing him I think he may be a threat.

Wouldn’t he just love that?

He doesn’t try anything, and we both arrive at the dining room intact. The servants have already cleared it out, preparing for our meeting. Another servant comes in, setting a variety of different drinks out on the table. My mouth waters at the sight of ice floating in amber liquid. A drink sounds amazing right now, but I need to stay sharp and alert. Damon opts for a glass of water, a smart decision, but I sit down at the center of the tablewhere I can watch everyone with my back to the wall and my gaze on the door.

Damon doesn’t speak, and before long, Cassidy, Enzo, and Luca file into the room. A silent tension simmers between Luca and me, but I don’t act on it. We have more pressing matters to discuss. Everyone takes their seats. Luca sits across from me, but I refuse to meet his glare, heavy on my face. I keep a stoic expression.

Cassidy breaks the silence. “We need an aggressive campaign to shut down Waylon once and for all.”

Luca’s gaze finally leaves my face, and I finally glance at him as he shakes his head. “That’s a bad idea. Waylon has the entire police force at his disposal. There’s an unwritten rule—we don’t target the police. Doing so would get federal agencies involved, and we don’t need that kind of attention.”

Damon leans forward, confident as ever. “Waylon cares more about his public image than anything else. Some heavy blackmail could get him to back down.”

I roll my eyes. Didn’t I already tell Damon, not five minutes ago, that was a bad idea? That we couldn’t blackmail the likes of Waylon? Clearly, he wasn’t listening and is hoping the others will agree with him. He meets my gaze for a second before he looks away.

Enzo and I exchange a look from across the table. We’ve been here before, taking down other groups. Enzo speaks up. “I don’t agree with blackmailing him, and neither does Ivan. Waylonknew the risks of involving himself in such an organization. He was probably part of Azrael before he ever became the police commissioner.”

I nod, adding, “He may have been a plant by the Commission themselves as a way to control both us and the police department.”

Damon breaks the silence, his voice dripping with skepticism. “Having a man like Waylon in such a position seems like a good way for the Commission to shoot itself in the foot.”

I shake my head. “No. It makes sense. The Commission is threatened by the Five Families. We hold more economic power than any of them. Their goal was to control us, and they are succeeding.”

Luca’s eyes narrow as he speaks. “Waylon’s position basically makes him as untouchable as me. Are we ready for the consequences of taking him out?”

“We need to be,” I say firmly. “We all agreed: the Commission will no longer rule this city.”

Damon looks at me intently. “Do you have any kind of plan, Ivan?”

“There are a number of public events the commissioner attends,” I begin. “There may be opportunities to go after him there.” Take him out quickly. In the open isn’t my style, but for the likes of Waylon, it could be smart. No one would thinkanybody would be brazen enough to do such a thing. The words have hardly left my mouth when everyone starts shouting all at once.

“Too much public attention,” Damon shouts.

“Any public event would be swarming with police,” Enzo continues.

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