Page 12 of Fall Before Her Throne

I slipped into Cas’s lap, and his arm wrapped around my waist. My palm found his cheek, and I turned his face to look at me. “You need to sleep.”

His nose nudged mine. “I’m fine. Did you rest?”

“A few hours.”

Obi and I were supposed to go to the meeting with the FBI later today, which was the worst fucking timing ever, but Obi had called Samuel Achebe, our lawyer, to postpone it after the mess at the penthouse. Samuel didn’t think the FBI would be happy, but fuck them. It wasn’t safe to be on the streets right now, and we needed a game plan to deal with the much bigger threat bearing down on us.

Cas kissed me softly before inhaling deeply and resting his forehead against mine. “I can’t believe Obi bought this fucking house.”

I smiled against his lips. “You honestly can’t?”

“No, you’re totally right. He would buy this house and then four more just like it. Just so you’d have options.”

“Worked out for us.”

He sighed. “I guess so.”

I missed the penthouse and everything that home had done for me. It was my refuge when I’d lost everything. It was where I’d fallen in love with my men. It was a witness to my tears, my pain, and my growth. It saw me become a queen.

A deep sadness took root in my chest…but we didn’t have time to dwell.

“I want a house in the Hamptons next. And then I want my own private island.”

He laughed while his palms squeezed me. “Tell Obi, not me.”

“Mission accepted,” I said while I kissed him again. My hand brushed over his stubble. I had come here to check on Max, and now that I knew he was sleeping, I should start thinking of a plan or some way to deal with the Camorra.

Part of me thought we could bargain with them, get them to leave, but clearly that didn’t work too well for Max. If they really wanted New York, as we thought, then war was inevitable.

War between mafias hadn’t been seen on the streets since the eighties and before. The last generation of the Five Families did everything they could to avoid law enforcement. With the Camorra and the FBI breathing down our necks…this felt so much bigger than the conflict we had with Max—and skirmishing with him still took a toll on our income and our men. We needed a plan for how to fight back and resist their takeover—or at least a next step.

But Max was just down the hall.

All I could think about was peeking my head in the door to make sure he was alive.

Cas’s eyes crinkled as he smiled crookedly. “You want to go in there, don’t you?”

I cringed. “A little?”

“You should.” His head tilted to the side cryptically, eyes flitting around my face before he swallowed. “I think it would be good for you.”

“Really?”

For a second, he looked like he wanted to say something, but he changed his mind and nodded instead. “Just go see him, and then you won’t have to worry about it.”

I inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I’ll just be a minute.”

He helped me stand, his hand circling my waist and pulling me tightly against his chest. His heart thumped a steady beat against my cheek. “Take your time. I have a feeling you’ll have things to talk about.”

I looked up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” He let go and held up his hands in defense, but I didn’t buy the coy act for a minute. Something was up. Was Max worse than I thought? My stomach rolled until Cas cupped my cheeks. “Everything is fine, princess. I’m going to check in with the rest of the guys. Maybe shower if the water works. Did you make the list of food we need? I’ll ask Giulio to bring it discreetly. We can’t go back to the penthouse, so we live here now. Might as well make it home.”

“Yeah, I’ll text it to you.”

He was right, though. Max and I had things to talk about, especially if he was going to be hiding out with us. He hadn’t told us all the details of how the Camorra had attacked him, but I doubted they’d leave him alone. He needed us; that much was clear.

“Come downstairs when you’re done,” Cas said as he pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. “I love you.”