Page 185 of Fall Before Her Throne

“Most of you saw the incident at the fundraising gala thrown for my campaign funds last night,” she started. “Cornerstone Industries, which I’ve learned hosted the event, is funded by members of the mafia. I want to make it incredibly clear that I did not, and will not, accept any money with connections to organized crime. I also condemn the host of last night’s gala and the terrible events that led to the injuries of innocent people.”

She paused, looking into the crowd.

“There are criminals in this city who think they can buy me,” she continued. “They cannot. I will not be bribed or coerced into overlooking blatant acts of violence. My administration will have zero association with these criminals. I will work with every form of law enforcement available to me in order to bring these people to justice.”

“Shit,” Max said under his breath. “Every form of law enforcement.”

The FBI. But was the mayor referring to us? Or Greco?

“First and foremost, I am a servant to the people of New York City. Those citizens have long been affected by nefarious acts from people in positions of power over them. I’ve spent the last year working to change that, and will continue to do so. I will not bend, and I will not break. If that makes me a target, then so be it.”

My eyes went so wide I thought they might bug out of my face. Josephine ended her speech there, dodging the reporters shouting questions at her. Her security staff quickly escorted her off the stage and into a waiting vehicle.

“Whoa,” I whispered.

It wasn’t the first time city leadership had condemned the mafia, but in the past, we’d all known it was fake. This city ran on corrupt officials. But this felt real. Like she was ready to make a stand. Whether she was speaking to Greco or to us, the message was clear.

We would find no ally in the mayor.

“Greco will not be happy with that display,” Obi said, forearms braced on his knees.

“Nope.”

“If she were a politician in Italy, she would have just signed her own death warrant,” Max said. “I doubt Greco has ever been disrespected like that before, and not in public.”

Cas scoffed. “Well, he’s the one who showed up here and thought he could just steamroll our city.”

“It’s not like she’s supporting us either,” Wynn said. “She’s as much our enemy as she is his. She declared war on all of us.”

“Yeah,” I murmured, remembering our conversation last night. What would she do next?

Ciel sat straight up, eyes wide. “Holy shit.”

“What is it, love?” Wynn asked.

“Greco is going after the mayor,” he said. “Right now. Right fucking now.”

I shot to my feet. “What?”

“He’s going to kill her.” He hopped off the big bed and ran through the living room until he skidded to a stop next to the kitchen island. He picked up his tablet. “I was just checking Lucia’s files. With the bugs I put in place, I intercepted his message to his underboss. She’s headed back to her office for some meetings. They’re going to hit her there.”

Ryuji whistled. “That was fucking quick.”

Fuck. Max and Obi were right. He wouldn’t let her speech stand, and now he was going to make an example of her. “We have to stop him.”

“What?” Ryu asked. “You want to get involved in that shit?”

“Well, we can’t just let him kill her!” I exclaimed. “Not after she just made that sweeping declaration!”

Cas nodded. “Leona’s right. If we know she’s in danger, we shouldn’t turn our backs on that.”

“Not only that,” Max added. “But if she dies, Greco will install someone he can control. It’s a lose-lose.”

“Exactly,” Obi said tightly, looking at Max. An unspoken message passed between them. Max’s jaw ticked and Obi slightly shook his head.

“How is it a lose-lose?” Ciel asked, looking between them. “What do you mean?”

Obi leaned back in his chair. Max rubbed the back of his neck. My eyes narrowed. Something was going on between the two of them.