Page 131 of Blood in the Water
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little relieved. This was all so new; it would take a little bit of processing to settle. I’d do my best. For her. But at the end of the day, she wasmine. We were meant to be together, and nobody could get in the way of that.
“So, how is this supposed to work?” I’d try to make it work, so long as she kept plenty of room for me in her heart.
She grinned. “I don’t know, but I’m kind of excited to find out. What about you?”
I chuckled and pulled her tight against me. She couldn’t know my fears. If I told her, she’d either deny herself the chance to explore or shut me out, and both were worse than sharing. “I guess I am too.”
45
LEONA
New York had already come alive at night, shining brightly despite the darkness and pitter-patter of rain against the windows. The penthouse’s massive windows had such a breathtaking view that I often had to tear myself from it to pay attention to everything else.
Behind me, the fireplace crackled. I cleared my throat to get their attention. It was time.
The guys sat around the massive couch, all with different drinks in their hands. Wynn had a Guinness, Ciel had a vodka soda, Ryuji had a glass of scotch, and Obi had a deep red wine. I’d asked them to relax so we could talk, but anxiousness made my palms clammy now that I was up here.
All five of them watched me calmly.
I definitely should have taken a shot.
Cas hovered just behind the couch on one of the stools borrowed from the kitchen, his beer clasped firmly in his good hand. He smiled softly. I’d gone over this with him earlier to make sure he was entirely on board, and we’d both agreed that we were on each other’s side no matter what happened.
Wynn was practically on the edge of the couch, constantly giving me reassuring nods. His energy gave me the confidence to get started.
Ciel looked surprisingly relaxed as he propped his feet up on the coffee table and took a drink. As he always did, his ice-blue eyes observed the room.
On the other hand, Ryuji flipped his phone around in his hand and stared at the window, barely even making eye contact with me. By now, I could get a sense of his body language. He was agitated, and for some reason, that made me smile.
Obi stretched his arm over the couch and gave me a reassuring nod.
“I’ll start with the truth,” I began, clasping my hands in front of my stomach, hopefully, so they couldn’t tell how damn nervous I was. “When I first sought out Wynn, I had a specific goal. I wanted to avenge my father’s death. I wanted to take back what I was owed as the Don’s only child. And I wanted you—the Shadows—to help me do it. I thought that, with the backing of the most powerful assassin organization in the world, no one could stop me, and you’d take Max out quickly and easily.”
I’d spent hours running this monologue through my head, making sure I knew exactly what I wanted to say and why, but now that it was here—now that they werealllooking at me—all that prep work felt purposeless. Iwantedto be the cool, calm, collected, badass woman that Fallon was when we met her. On the inside, I was terrified they’d reject me.
But I couldn’t turn back now. I had to push forward. I had to get my words out and let the pieces fall where they may. Regardless of what happened at the end of this conversation, I’d come out the other side in one piece. I’d find a way for Cas and I to survive.
“By now, you all know that my father was not the man I thought he was,” I continued. I stared at my feet, then over theirshoulders to where Cas gave his silent support. “My father lied to me, and he lied to the people in our Family.”
I looked at Wynn. “He trafficked women for at least a decade.”
I looked at Ciel. “He cut drugs with deadly additives.”
I looked at Ryuji. “He slowly lost more than half the Vero territory.”
Then I looked at Obi. “I thought he was a man worthy of vengeance. He was not.”
I began to pace in front of the couch. “When I learned this, I believed he ruined our Family. He damaged the trust the other four families had in us. He told the world that the Vero Family was weak. He dragged me down with him.”
Obi cocked his head to the side. “So then, why are you here?”
“I’m not the same as him.” I drank my water and put the glass back on the coffee table. “I came here wanting a contract for revenge, but that’s not what I want anymore. I want power. I want to kill Volpe because he’s an enemy, not because doing so will secure my birthright. I don’t want anything to do with my father’s mistakes. I don’t want anything to do with the tainted legacy he’s left behind. I want to build myownempire. For me. For all of us.”
The room was silent, only the crackling of the fireplace behind me. Each one of them watched as my words began to sink in.
“What do you mean ‘for us’?” Obi asked as he took another sip of his wine. I’d done my best to observe him over the last few days, but he was still the man I knew the least. I hoped what I’d learned would be enough.
“I’m here to offer you a business partnership.”
