Page 55 of Fall of Snow

“No. I’ve had enough of these games. Elijah is a Russo through and through. He brought us here this afternoon to flaunt the fact our baby sister is sitting by his side playing king and queen with him, and I’ve had enough. I bet none of your dealers are missing at all.”

“Enough,” I shout, standing from my seat to lean forward over the desk. My palms brush across the mahogany, the smoothness under my hands enough to keep me grounded as rage beats through my blood with every beat of my heart. “You are acting like a child, Storm. Yes, you are the leader of our family, and you do the job well, but you need to remember that I am not a child, and I should have the autonomy to make my own decisions. Wynter is marrying Everett, who is every bit a Russo as Elijah is. Just because they don’t share the name doesn’t make him any less related to Angelo.”

“Everett is our brother,” Storm growls.

“Yes, he is,” I agree. We may not have been born to the same parents, but Everett is just as much a brother to me as Storm and Rayne, however that doesn’t make my words any less true. “I’m marrying Elijah on Saturday, regardless of what you think. I respect you, and I respect your authority within the family, but this is not a family decision. This is me, for the first time in my life, making a decision for myself and not rolling over when a Saint James man says I should. I know what I want, and I want to marry Elijah.”

“Well, Snow, we don’t always get what we want,” Storm retorts.

A laugh claws its way up my throat, and I can’t help but allow the vindictive sound to fill the room. “No. You all get what you want. Rayne got Emerson. Wynter got Everett. You got to lead the business and do whatever the fuck you want.Igot nothing. I got told what I could and couldn’t do all my life. I got underestimated and doubted.”

“So you admit you’re only doing this to push our buttons.”

“No. I didn’t say that. What I said is, for once in my life, I’m taking what I want. I’m doing what I want, regardless of what you say. Elijah and I are happy, and I feel more whole than I’ve ever felt in my life.”

Wynter stands from her seat and dodges Everett when he tries to wrap his arms around her and keep her where he deems it to be safe. She moves to Storm and places a hand on his shoulder. My heart aches at the sight of my sister, my best friend in the whole world, taking his side and allowing him to dictate my happiness. But I don’t know why I expected anything else. Of course, she’s loyal to Storm. She is his succession plan after all. It’s only right that she stands on the side that she may lead one day.

But a moment later, she takes measured steps until he’s standing beside me. What the fuck is she doing?

“Wynter,” Everett rumbles.

“I will not stand on the side that doesn’t allow my sister to marry who she wants to marry. She’s right. Everett is a Russo just like Elijah, and he’s been a part of our family since day one. Why can’t we accept that our sister is happy and give her fiancé a chance?”

“You shot him a few months ago!” Storm reminds her.

She lets out a small laugh, and I can’t help the small smile that pulls at my lips. There’s definitely a funny side to all this. Maybe one day I’ll be able to laugh about how preposterous this conversation has been. “You’re right. I did. He threatened my safety, and I took the shot I had to take. But that doesn’t mean he’s not capable of change. That doesn’t mean he’s not suitable for our sister. She’s right. You have always barked orders at us, and we’ve always jumped. If there is anywhere in this city that Snow is as safe as she is with us, it’s here with Elijah.”

“You cannot be serious.”

“I’m deadly serious, Storm. Either you get on board with this and stop threatening our sister’s fiancé, or I’m out. You can find someone else to take the reins if something happens to you.” She shrugs as if the thought of abandoning our family doesn’t have her breath picking up and panic raging through her veins.

“You would leave us just like that?” Storm asks incredulously.

“I would do what I need to do to make sure my little sister is given the same opportunities we’ve been given.”

I turn my attention to Elijah, who almost seems amused by the back and forth. The anger he displayed only a few minutes ago has dissipated. “As amusing as this display of familial bickering is, I’d like to bring it back to the issue at hand, and while I appreciate your good intentions, Wynter, you can take a seat back with my cousin before he decapitates me with his mind. Snow will not be leaving this house, and I hazard you against trying to take her, sway her feelings, or attempting to tear us apart, because I will not allow it. For the last time, Snow and I will be getting married on Saturday, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to attend the ceremony. However, I know it would mean the world to Snow to have you there by her side.” He gives me a small smile as he reaches across the space between us and takes my hand in his. The silent support is almost enough to settle my racing heart as I watch Wynter move back toward Everett. Once she’s close enough, he wraps his arms around her waist and tugs her into his lap carefully. He whispers something into her ear, and a deep blush stains her cheeks.

“How sure are you that your dealers didn’t just take off?” Rayne asks. It’s unlike him to be quiet for this long during these kinds of discussions, but I have a feeling he is much more understanding of matters of the heart now he has Emerson.

“Ninety-nine percent,” Elijah answers immediately. “These guys have wives and kids. One of them is a single father. I had my guy check where the families are, and his little boy wasn’t picked up from school this afternoon. He sat on the step for an hour before one of the teachers noticed him and called child services. I’ve known this guy for a lot of years and he wouldn’t do that to that kid. He’s his entire world.”

Wynter sucks in a breath, her hand falling protectively over her swelling stomach, but I can’t allow the emotions to crash over me, not when I need to establish my role within the organization. I need to show the same amount of strength Elijah does.

Rayne nods slowly, his eyes meeting Everett beside him. “Where’s the kid?”

“I had one of my guys pick him up and take him home, where my housekeeper, Mrs. Chambers, met them. She’s warm and nurturing, exactly what he needs to distract him from his dad being missing.”

“It looks like we have a common enemy,” Storm says, his eyes moving to meet mine.

“So what are we going to do about it?” I ask.

“We’re going to wait for them to make their next move, except this time, we’re going to be ready for them.”

52

Elijah

All the times I imagined Snow becoming my wife, none of them involved doing so in part to draw out our enemy. But that’s how the chips have fallen and something we’ll both have to learn to live with.

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