Page 85 of Fall Before Her Throne

The five of them quickly grabbed their things from the office and scurried away while the rest of us looked around and wondered what to do next. We still had to take the bouncers to the hospital, but was there anything to salvage here?

I was just about to ask when my phone rang in my pocket. I pulled it from my jeans and instantly recognized the number. Obi watched carefully as I put the phone to my ear.

“Piero,” I greeted. Max’s head snapped up. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Signorina,” his smooth voice came from the other side. “I enjoyed your pictures the other day. How are my guns treating you?”

“Excellent,” I said. “Can’t wait to kill more of your men with them. How’s our money?”

His easy laugh sent chills down my spine. “A welcome addition to my coffers. I’m sure I’ll put it to good use. Are you still at the casino?”

My eyes narrowed as I looked around. Cas and Ryu had wandered around the overturned poker tables, talking in low voices to one another. Ciel and Wynn inspected the vault while Ciel typed on his tablet. Obi stood next to me.

All seemed quiet. Everyone was accounted for, but the back of my neck prickled with unease. Somehow I got the feeling he was watching. Waiting in the dark.

“You know I am.”

“I’ll give you one last chance, then.”

“For what?”

“Turn Maximiliano over to me,” he said. “I’ll even return your money.”

Max wiped his face with the sleeve of his dark henley. Even though none of them could hear Greco’s demand, it was like they all knew. Everyone turned to look at him.

“I’ll give you my final answer,” I replied to Greco. “No.”

Max took a step forward with his arm slightly raised, like he were reaching for me, before he let it drop to his side.

“Uhh, guys?” Ryu said from where he and Cas now stood by the front door. “I think we have a problem.”

“What?” Obi asked, while I held my hand over the phone so Greco couldn’t hear.

Greco sighed. “I am disappointed, signorina. I thought better of you than this.”

“I don’t really care, Greco,” I said as I stalked to the door at the front. The faint sound of sirens echoed down the street. “Your approval means nothing to me.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I despised your father. He never had the bravery or the pride to stand up to me, but I could always tell that he was working against me in the background. He jostled for his own power, and it ended up being the death of him. Are you sure you want to make the same foolish choices?”

“Different choices for different reasons,” I said while I watched Ciel fiddle with his tablet.

Meanwhile, I grabbed the man with the shoulder injury and yanked him to his feet. Ryu pulled up the first bouncer. “Time to go,” Ryu whispered. “Think you can hobble to the clinic? Two blocks to the south.”

With wide eyes, they looked down at the guy’s leg. They both swallowed in trepidation, but they had little choice.

“Get out of here,” I hissed, hand over the phone, while Ryu ushered them to the door.

“Signorina,” Greco said in my ear. “When you lay dying—and rest assured, you will not reach the end of this war alive—I want you to remember how many opportunities I gave you.”

“When I kill you, I hope you’ll do the same.”

He smirked. “Ah, but to do that, you’ll have to beat me, and it doesn’t look like that will happen.”

The line went dead.

Ciel looked up from his tablet. “The cops are on their way.”

I stared down at my screen and Greco’s number.