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“I don’t want the suspicion cast on us,” he says, brushing his thumb over my cheek.
I snort. “I’m not worried about people thinking it was me. I’m just a girl, Vice. I’m not a threat to anyone,” I tell him with a smile.
“And that, my sweet, is what makes you the most dangerous person in the room.”
I don’t say anything to that because he’s not wrong. I’ve been using people’s bias against me over the years to my advantage.
“So, what’s the plan now?”
“Isaac is calling an emergency meeting of the five families. Either the don or underboss will be expected to attend.”
“This is where you ask to be given the role of don?”
“I’m not asking. You see, I might have been gone for a decade, but I’ve always had a backup plan in place. The most powerful men left in our organization are already my men and are loyal to me. The others are too weak to wear the crown. If I walked away, my men would come with me.”
“And chaos would ensue as the rest of the family scrambles to find a suitable leader to fill the role. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m surprised you managed to pull all this off without Vigo hearing whispers about it. If he thought there was a power shift inone of the families, one that could potentially threaten his reign, he would have squished you all like ants.”
“The problem with men like Vigo is that they’ve been on top for so long they forgot what it’s like to be hungry, and I’m not talking about for food.”
“You’re talking about power. I know. Everyone thinks money makes the world go round, and I’m sure, in some cases, it’s true. But power is all anyone wants. Power over their own actions, power over others. Control is something most people seek, especially in our world. You either have it and rule or don’t and follow.”
He kisses me hard, bruising my lips before pulling back. “I didn’t know how much of a turn-on it would be to have such a smart wife.”
I roll my eyes and twirl a piece of hair, adopting a valley girl voice. “Like… I’m really pretty too, though, right?”
He grins that fucking grin that would distract the devil. “I have no use for a blow-up doll for a wife.”
“Good, because I’d suck at the whole airhead thing. I might be really good at holding my tongue, but I tend to let my fists fly when I’m angry.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You planning on making me angry?”
He looks at me with amusement.
“Right, I forgot who I was talking to. I’m just going to apologize in advance for all the things I’ll throw at your head and for calling you a dickhead.”
“You didn’t call me a?—”
“The day is still young.”
“Noted.” He looks about to say something else, but his cell chimes.
“The meeting has been set. It’s at the Belovaine in two hours.”
Belovaine, a large estate that acts as neutral ground for the families, is where most in-person meetings take place.
“That’s not a lot of notice for the families to get there.”
“No, but a don is dead, and a new one must step in. So this has to be done in person. If they can’t make it, they can send a representative. They just have to be comfortable with that person voting by proxy.”
“You know you’re going to walk out of there the don. I don’t doubt that for a second. But don’t think it won’t bring you more enemies either.”
“You worried about me, Nova?”
“You’re no good to me dead, Vice, and I’ve already had to save you twice.”
“You’re gonna play that card a lot, aren’t you?”
