Page 35 of Vicious Chaos

I cock my head as I study him. That isn’t a bad idea at all. The girls could start training with Roe’s teacher to learn more than just working the pole. It works towards what Kade was suggesting as well. We can turn Steel Roses into much more of a performance place.

I nod my head, the more I think about it the more I like it. “That’s a good idea.”

He winks at me and I can’t help but chuckle at his expression. He’s becoming more and more playful every day.

“What else did William say?” Kade asks, drawing me back into the conversation. It takes only a few minutes to summarize the insight he gave us on Romano and what he most likely will do.

“We want to cut him off before he turns to his backers,” Kade says as soon as I finish.

The guys all start nodding along in agreement, except for Declan. He stares at me as I start chewing on my lower lip. I can feel the weight of his gaze on me, my mind races as I try to work through all of the implications if we go down the road my plan will take us.

“What are you thinking, Scarlett?” His deep voice calls my attention to him. I focus only on him as I start to outline my plan.

“Would it really be the worst thing to let him run?” I keep my focus on Declan, but the question is for all the guys.

“It’ll make it harder to get our hands on him,” Kade says slowly, obviously deliberating why I would be asking.

I nod along. “It could,” I agree. “But it isn’t like it’s easy right now.” No one says anything and I know they are waiting to hear exactly what I’m thinking. I take a moment to think it through again. I haven’t put as much thought into it as I would like.

I almost never go to anyone with a half-baked plan. I know we are supposed to be a team now. It’s us six against the world. I know they can help me formulate an actual plan or shoot down ideas that won’t pan out. I just have to push through my instincts.

I take a deep breath and keep my eyes on D. He anchors me to this moment, but his opinion also matters the most when it comes to this plan. We will have to rely on his old connections. I don’t know his whole past, but I know just enough to know this is a lot to ask of him.

“We know what Romano is most likely going to do. Disrupt our businesses, drag other people into it. Attack innocent people. Ruin our reputations. Make a show of his strength. Only tuck tail and run when he realizes he’s outmatched.”

I take my eyes away from D and look at the others to see all five of them following along with rapt attention. I can tell that they’re all trying to run through the different ways we could play against that.

“We could try to play it safe, keep him at bay and weaken him, without pushing him into hiding. Try to stealthily get the upper hand on him before we back him into a corner, where he can’t turn to his investors.”

Luca hums and I can tell that’s the path he was preparing to take. I think they all were. Hell, so was I before we met with William. “It seems like the most logical path,” he muses.

I shrug, he isn’t wrong. “But it keeps him in play. If we try to balance that line, more innocent people are going to pay the price.”

“We knew that was a distinct possibility going into this war. Even back when we first decided to get revenge,” he points out.

“But what if that isn’t the only option we have? What if we do the very thing we’ve been trying to avoid all this time?”

Luca and Kade are already shaking their heads vigorously. “We are not giving away your identity,” Luca snaps. Kade immediately backs him up, starting in on his lecture about not endangering myself needlessly.

Surprised laughter eddies up out of me, only increasing the ire pointed in my direction. I hold my hands up in front of me. “Sorry, that wasn’t what I meant,” I explain. They both instantly fall back, but keep the speculative gleam in their eyes that tells me they aren’t quite buying it yet.

“I just think playing it safe is no longer the way to go about this. We already decided that when I was the one to lead into the fights. We agreed to no longer hold back. I don’t think we should start that game again just to avoid Romano running.” I rush to get the words out, not wanting any of them to cut me off again.

It all clicks.

“You want to drive him into hiding.” Now I understand why so much of her focus has been on me. I couldn't understand at first. I thought she was going to say the same thing that Kade and Luca had thought. I knew they would be her most vocal obstacles, though I doubt she would have been capable of getting any of us to agree to that plan.

It’s a relief that wasn’t what she was thinking. It would put too big of a spotlight on her. Make it almost impossible to live a normal life, let alone the one we lead. This plan is just as surprising though.

“Doesn’t that only make it harder on us though?” Ryder asks. I have to agree with him. We already have so much information on Romano. We have to have at least most of his aliases and businesses. It would be hard for him to hide under his own means for very long. Bringing some of the wealthiest people in the world into it seems like a mistake.

Scarlett just shrugs though. “First, he was never our endgame anyways. Second, I learned just how much he didn’t trust William today. I can just about guarantee he isn’t in any of the properties William knew about. Nor is he probably using any of the identities he would have known.”

“You think he’s using resources no one other than him knows about?” Kade asks.

“Wouldn’t you?” she counters. I have to agree with her. Based on what she told us about what she got out of William today, I think it makes the most sense. He’s probably receded from everyone in a place where no one knows where he is. A secure location he’s never gotten close to before, using only his most vetted associates that are able to go completely off the map. Romano is smart and organized enough to pull it off.

“It’ll still take a lot of work and time to find him wherever he is,” she continues. “And everything else will be on hold while we do. We’ve pulled everyone in, we’re closing down our businesses, we don’t know where he’s going to attack next.”

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