I release him and step back, breathing hard.Teo straightens, eyeing me with something between caution and surprise.Luc lets out a long, slow whistle and plops down in the booth again.
“Shit.He’s got it bad,” Teo mutters, rubbing his neck.We both sit down.
“Told you,” Luc says with a grin, unbothered, and claps me on the shoulder.“Lust’s a bitch, huh?”
I grit my teeth and down what’s left in my glass.The burn is welcome.So is the silence, for about five seconds.Only they can talk to me like that and walk away with all their limbs intact.We’ve been like brothers since the beginning.We’ve shared everything—our childhood, our scars, our rise to power, even our damn women.
But this?This is different.Guess things change.
The waiter sets a new glass in front of me and that deflates me.I let out a long breath.
“She didn’t say no,” I say, lifting the glass, voice even.Too even?“We were interrupted.That’s all.”I take a sip, reflecting on the evening.“If fucking Moira hadn’t paraded in like some goddamn walking fire hazard of perfume and desperation, we’d be engaged by now.”
Luc slams his drink on the table then leans forward, eyes gleaming.“Damn, I don’t know any Moira chick yet.Gimme her number.She sounds like a good time.”
I glare at him, the kind of glare that says don’t push it, and Luc throws his hands up, laughing.But I can’t laugh, not really.Because I know I could’ve convinced her.Lily might have that fire in her, that smart mouth and those wide, suspicious eyes, but she was softening.I saw it.She looked at me like I wasn’t the monster people whisper about.And maybe she was humoring me.Maybe the wine helped.Maybe I imagined more than there was, but fuck it, I chose to believe it.Because the alternative?The alternative was that I miscalculated.And I don’t do that.
I knock back the drink and set the glass down harder than necessary.
“She’ll come around,” I mutter, mostly to myself.“She only needs time.”
Luc raises a brow but for once says nothing.Teo watches me quietly, that familiar wariness creeping into his expression.But I ignore it all.
She’ll say yes.
She was going to say yes.
She simply didn’t get the chance.
Right?
I glare one last time at my empty glass, then shove it aside and switch gears.
“What is the news about our problem?”
Teo groans, the sound pure frustration.“They’re fucking shadows.We pulled the footage from the van and the drop locations.Nothing of use there—they’re wearing ski masks, have zero identifying markers.The van’s always parked out of direct view, like someone planned the angles.”
“Fuck,” I mutter.My jaw tightens.
“And the warehouse?”I snap, turning to Luc.
He shakes his head.“Dead end.They never returned.No prints, no DNA, nothing inside except old needles and the kind of filth you expect in a junkie den.We’ve asked around, the locals say they didn’t see anything, but either they’re lying or too strung out to know which way is up.”
“Shit.”My sour mood is worsening by the second.
“I’m flying to New York tomorrow,” I say, my tone firm.“I’ll see if the Lombardis have caught wind of anything.They hate this kind of business.Human trafficking doesn’t sit well with them.We’ve worked together before.Maybe they’ve seen movement we haven’t.”
I glance between them, my tone clipped and final.
“Teo, you’ll come with me.Luc, you stay here.Handle the crews, keep an eye on our fronts.And if anything—anything—comes up, you let me know.”
Both of them nod without hesitation.They might poke fun, might tease and throw low blows, but when it comes to business, they remember exactly who I am.I’m the one who gives the orders.
“And”—I look at Luc—“I want someone on her around the clock.”He nods again, understanding who I meant.We make more plans around drinks before we part ways.
I need to be ready.Even though the Lombardis and the Santaluccias have maintained a friendly relationship, I don’t trust them enough to walk in unprepared.If there’s something happening, there’s a chance New York is involved.And if not, I’ll be making the rounds, paying my allies a visit, reminding them of the bonds we share.
I should be back in a few days, maybe a week tops.
