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How did a foot of distance feel like a mile between us?
Grey stared at the side of my face and huffed when I wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“I’ll go check on things,” he murmured, stepping past me with stiff steps.
Dominic glanced between us, immediately registering the tension, and I knew he understood.
Disappointment drenched his voice as surely as the rain soaked the ground. “What’re you doing, mariposa?”
Wasn’t that the question. “Surviving.”
I wished I could see the sky instead of the black fabric of the umbrella above me, but I couldn’t show up to the meeting looking like a drowned rat. So, I walked until we were nestled in the doorway of the building. Dominic grabbed my arm before I could go any farther, though.
“You may be, but Greyson isn’t. Whatever reason you have for pushing him away, stop. He doesn’t deserve it. That man loves the bones of you, even if you’re too fucking dense to see it.”
He’d said it quiet enough for no one to overhear, but I still shot him a look. Just because we were friendly didn’t mean he could disrespect me in public. Couldn’t he see how precarious our position already was?
“I see it. I just—” My fingers twitched to rake through my styled hair, but I couldn’t. I had to maintain my mask that’d been slipping for weeks. Ever since Rey died. I couldn’t be Mari anymore. I had to be Marianna Marcosa, leader of the Marcosa Family. It was time to set down grief and put my mantle back on.
“You just, what?”
“Not every story has a happy ending, Dominic. Sometimes we don’t get what we want.”
“And you want Greyson.” I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Not when ears were everywhere, waiting for me to slip up and give them a weakness to exploit. Dominic stared at me for a long time, tugging me into a tight hug before saying quietly, “It’s not a question, Mari. It’s a statement. You want Greyson, so fight for him.”
“Even if it means Cash wins?” I whispered.
“Are those the stakes?”
Though they were warm, his eyes were sharp and calculating. He wasn’t just listening; he heard what I wasn’t saying. It was so unlike Dominic that I had to be honest. “They could be.”
“Then, yes.” I jerked back with shock, and he let me go with a chuckle. “Do I want anyone to die for this? No. But I sincerely doubt there isn’t a solution to your problem that would give you what you need to beat Cash and Greyson. You just haven’t found it yet.”
“What if there isn’t, though? What if one night is all we get?”
Dominic frowned, staring at the elevator bay where Grey waited for us to enter as a unit. “What if it’s not? Could you stand watching him with someone else in the future? Could you survive that? Because I gotta be honest, mariposa, I’m not sure he could. You’re Greyson’s whole world. If you walk away, he’s going to follow, even if it kills him.”
He kissed me on the cheek and walked across the lobby to Grey. Not like there was anything else to say. He’d made his point perfectly. If I wanted to keep Grey, I needed to find another way to get Sean’s help. I just wasn’t sure how.
A glance at the slim watch on my wrist showed me we were almost late, so I shook off every other thought and brought my mind back to the objectives in front of me.
The heads of the other four families, plus the leader of the biggest street gang, were waiting upstairs, and I had to convince them all to help without damaging my place at the top.
Unable to help myself, I brushed my fingers against Greyson’s wrist as a silent apology. “You ready?”
I could feel Dominic’s pride from the corner of the elevator, but I kept my eyes on Greyson. I didn’t know how I’d pull it off, but I was going to fight for him. For us.
The tiniest bit of tension bled from his shoulders, and he tangled our fingers together. It was just a moment, but knowing I hadn’t fucked us up for good made a world of difference. “For you, reina? I’m always ready.”
* * *
With the first step into the conference room, I slipped into my big, bad boss persona, and it felt like coming home. Looking around, I was impressed at how well Dominic had done. Despite having less than twelve hours to sort things out, the top-floor conference room was more than ready for a meeting. The long wooden table was perfectly shined, the room smelled clean, and there were more than enough chairs for everyone, including the seconds and underbosses in attendance. Pastries and coffee from a high-end boulangerie nearby littered the table, along with mini charcuterie boards.
Everything was packaged and sealed for the comfort of the men around the table. Not that any of them would eat. They were too paranoid that I’d try to poison them, but that was a win-win in my book. My staff got free breakfast, and it made my allies err on the side of caution.
“If everyone will find their seats, we can get started.” I sat first, forcing everyone to follow my lead. The glares sent my way told me the slight power play was noted, but not enough that they’d say anything. Petty move or not, it was necessary. These men were powerhouses in their own rights, and a single misstep would put us closer to even footing. If I wanted to stay alive, I had to maintain the lead I had on them. It was imperative that they remembered that while we looked like equals, we weren’t.
With no one but the heads allowed at the table, Dominic and Grey took their places behind me, set far enough back that they didn’t look like bodyguards. Everything was a show with these men, and I had to prove that I was more than capable of protecting myself, while also being very obviously unafraid. A balancing act, like every other part of my life.
