“Exactly what the hell are you talking about, Isaiah?” Suspicion flickered across Sven’s face as his eyes narrowed.
I glanced at Liza, but my attention was quickly drawn back to Isaiah when he began to explain himself. The confidence radiated from him as he spoke, leaving no doubt that he believed what he was saying.
“I’ve been working with moles from other packs for the past few weeks, gathering information,” Isaiah explained. “My main goal was to compile a list of everyone who was backing Castro—all the bosses, enforcers, anyone with even a hint of loyalty to that bastard.” He paused, gathering his thoughts before continuing, “What I found was that Benny was pretty much the linchpin holding everything together. With him out of the picture, the other bosses have backed out. They think Castro’s cause is lost and don’t want to risk their own necks over it.”
We stared at Isaiah in shock, none of us saying a word as we tried to comprehend what he’d just said.
My heart raced, each beat echoing the building hope within me that maybe, just maybe, the end of this nightmare was in sight. But I couldn’t let myself get too carried away until we had more concrete evidence to support Isaiah’s claims.
“Can you confirm this, Isaiah?” I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. “Is there any chance some of them might still be loyal to Castro?”
“From what I gathered, it’s highly unlikely.” Isaiah’s dark eyes met mine. “Of course, there’s always a chance some could be hiding their true intentions, but the general consensus among the bosses is that Castro’s finished.”
The energy in the room shifted, crackling with anticipation and hope. Each face around me brightened at the prospect of Castro’s vulnerability. I felt it, too—that sudden spark of exhilaration, knowing we had a real chance at victory.
“Well, goddamn.” Hiram smirked, leaning back in his chair as he looked around the room. “I never thought our plan would do this much damage. Good job, everyone.”
My pack mates and our allies couldn’t contain their excitement, grinning and slapping each other on the back as they celebrated the unexpected turn of events. We may have stopped the war before it had even started.
I should have been celebrating, too, but I kept drifting back to Liza.
She stood apart from the others, her arms crossed and expression distant. The news about Castro’s dwindling army had barely registered with her. As I watched her, dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Was there something she wasn’t telling me? After all that crap the other day about teamwork, too. Something that might put her or the rest of us in danger?
Hiram cut through the excited chatter. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m going to confirm what Isaiah told us, speak to the other mob bosses, and find out if they really have backed out. Until I can verify it myself, we need to stay sharp and be ready for anything.”
“Of course.” I tore my attention away from Liza and met his stern expression. “We’ll keep our guard up.”
Isaiah huffed. “I’m a reliable source.”
“Hey, I know.” I chuckled as I patted him on the shoulder. I silently hoped Isaiah knew how much I valued him for all he had done. “You’ve done amazing work. I’m glad to have you as my informant.”
“Thanks,” he said, finally cracking a small smile. “I want to help end this as much as any of you. For all our sakes.”
“Your efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.” I slapped his back before turning my attention to the group gathered around the table. Everyone was discussing plans and possibilities,
Liam’s hand on my shoulder caught my attention, and I turned to face him, sensing both urgency and resolve in his touch.
“Ty, there’s something I need to tell you,” he said somberly.
“Sure, what’s up?” I asked, my curiosity piqued by his demeanor.
“Once all this is over, I’m going into hiding.” The declaration hit me like a punch to the gut, making it hard for me to breathe for a moment. I stared at him, trying to process what he was saying. “I’ve got things to handle. Things that don’t involve Liza. While I’m doing that, I can’t be her brother, I need to be the mob boss.”
“You sure about that?” Liza would be devastated if her brother just disappeared without a word.
“Positive.” Liam’s determination was etched into his features. “I can’t be around Liza while I’m the mob boss. It’ll only put her in danger.”
He made a valid point, but it didn’t make the situation any easier to swallow.
The thought of Liza losing her brother without knowing why tore at me. I couldn’t let him just slip away from her life without a word. She deserved better than that.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “You can’t just disappear on her. You have to tell Liza what’s going on. She needs to understand why you’re doing this.”
“Ty—”
I held my hand up. “Disappearing is not fair to her. She’s your sister, and she loves you. She deserves to be told the truth.”
Liam stared for a long moment, his jaw tense and eyes flickering with indecision. Finally, he exhaled heavily, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Fine. I’ll speak to her, but I need to handle one last thing.”
