Page 59 of Savage Obsession

“Casualties?”

“Two of our men. The rest made it out before the building collapsed.”

I nod, jaw clenched. Two men. Two lives stolen because someone had the audacity to challenge me in my own city.

“How did we let this happen?”

Leon doesn’t answer right away. He shifts in his seat, finally looking me in the eye. “We have a leak. Someone fed them the shipment details, including the exact delivery time and location. We had just finished offloading, and I had barely made it out when the explosion went off.”

“And do we have any cash stashed there?

“Only two hundred thousand, and it is the payment that came in yesterday."

"From?"

"Mario.”

I inhale sharply, rage curling in my chest like a viper ready to strike. “Lazaro may not be the only mole we have. Because this shipment was rerouted and he does not have this current information.”

Leon nods. “And not just any mole. Whoever did this wanted you to look like a careless idiot. The council will not only reject your leadership, they will demand your head.”

There it is. The real hit.

Some of the Greek Mafia elders have been waiting for a reason to question my leadership. Lazaro, or whoever did this, just handed them one.

I lean back in my chair, dragging a hand down my face. My father is going to have a field day with this. But I won't let him.

I have bled too much for this organization to have anyone question my capability to lead it.

“Who knew about the shipment?”

“Only a handful of men. Me, you, the team… and a few key players in the council.”

The council. The same men who pushed for me to get married, and now whispering that I’ve gone soft. That Yelena is a distraction.

Lazaro is playing a long game, and he just moved his knight across the board. But what he doesn’t realize is that I don’t play fair. I don’t follow the rules. I will go after his allies in the council. Those pushing the same agenda as him will surely share in his interest.

I extinguish my cigar in the ashtray, the burn of control anchoring me. “Who’s leading the whispers?”

Leon gives me a knowing look. “Basilis and Orestes.”

Two influential men in the council. Two men who have never fully accepted me as their next leader.

I smile coldly. “Then I’ll give them a reason to shut up.”

Leon’s grin matches mine. “What’s the plan?”

“Simple. We flush the rat out. And when we do, we bleed him dry.”

“We need to find the rat first.”

“Get me the closest men who work directly with Basilis and Orestes. I will start from there.”

“And Lazaro?”

“The bastard is in hiding, but I’ll flush him out soon enough.”

The soundproofed back room in the warehouse smells like piss and gasoline. A single industrial light swings from the ceiling, casting long, menacing shadows over the stained concrete floor. The concrete beneath my boots is wet with sweat, blood, and piss—not mine, of course.

---