Page 99 of Heritage of Fire

“I’m meeting some people. I see one of them over there. Thanks.” She nods at me, and I stride over to where Salvatore is sitting.

“Mr. Buscetta,” I say, joining him at the table.

“Nikolai.”

The fine linen tablecloth drapes over my legs as I take my seat, and I find myself idly fiddling with its hem.

I push the crystal stemware away from me and sit back in the plush velvet chair. Would Luna like this place? I smirk, thinking about our second training lesson later today. Yesterday, wetrained for over an hour in the warehouse gym. It was incredible watching her take to some moves so quickly. And every brush of her skin against mine, every stroke—it was maddening.

“Can I get you anything to drink, sir?” The waiter stands next to me, hands clasped behind his back. I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t even notice him approach.

“Vodka, straight.” The bar to our right appears well stocked with premium spirits, so I’m hoping their vodka doesn’t disappoint.

A few minutes later, Kieran and Luka join us, each grabbing a drink and casually joining the conversation. The way Salvatore is laughing, like he didn’t just throw his daughter to the sharks, makes me want to pick up my fork and stab him in the eye. But I remain a loyal Bratva follower, waiting for Luka to get on with it so I can get the hell out of here.

“Kieran’s man on the inside has divulged that the Eight from New York will be meeting off-site on Thursday.”

My ears perk up, and instead of throwing eye daggers at my father-in-law, I listen to Luka.

“Are we making a move?”

While Luna has been having nightmares, I’ve been having dreams—sweet dreams of killing every single one of those eight men. They think they can take my wife and play games with the Bratva? I’ll send them all to an early grave.

Luka knows this is what I’m thinking. I can tell by his expression.

“The Bratva is willing to assume this if Salvatore and Kieran are on board.”

What?

“Kieran? What does this have to do with Boston? And Salvatore left Luna to rot. They shouldn’t have a say.” I throw back my drink and slam my glass down.

“Nikolai.” Luka’s stern voice means I’ve gone too far. “Kieran is the source of our information, and it would be irresponsible to put a target on their backs because of their help. And the Cosa Nostra, as you know, is aligned with us. They would be providing men for this as well.”

I slump back in my chair, impatience gnawing at me.

“We will provide equal men for any operation,” Salvatore says.

“Oh, really?” I snark out.

“Nikolai,” Luka barks at me, and I shut my mouth. He continues, “We will be making a move on this meeting. Nik, you will lead. I want eight men from the Cosa Nostra, and the Bratva will supply eight as well.” He turns to Kieran. “We’ll support any blowback in Boston if it occurs. Also, I want Senator Hope dropped into a cell. He’s mine to deal with.”

There’s a part of me that wants to do the same with Mr. Rose. Take the time to slowly kill him. However, I want EV out of New York as quickly as possible. My hope is that they won’t reestablish here.

“Sounds good. Think they assume we’ll be making a move?” I ask.

“There’s no doubt they expect a move. That’s most likely why they changed their meeting location. They don’t know Kieran has a man on the inside,” Luka says.

I glance around the restaurant. Salvatore has several men placed along the perimeter—so does Luka and Kieran. The Eight will also have their own guards during the meet. Probably quite a few of them.

“I’ll put together the plan and send it over,” I say, rising to leave. I nod to Salvatore and Kieran and pause when I get to Luka, seeking permission to step away. He grants it with the dip of his head, and I proceed toward the door.

Four days from now, I get to make EV pay.

When I get down to the gym, Luna’s already there, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she practices some of the jabs I taught her during our last session. She’s dressed in all black, and her long hair is pulled back in a ponytail that I want to wrap around my fist. Her razorback top does nothing to quell my imagination.

I lean against the door frame and watch her. Her expression is concentrated, and there are embers in her eyes as she punches the air. Letting my gaze fall down her body, I take in her perfect figure, lingering on her backside.

She notices me in the doorway and drops her hands, smiling while shrugging her shoulders. I rub my thumb across my bottom lip and allow her to see my perusal of her. I chuckle when she narrows her eyes at me.

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