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Roam closed his eyes, and the taut expression he wore said he was ready to lose his shit.
Laredo placed one phone on the bar.
“Hola, Roam. Catalina aquí,” spoke the husky female matriarch of Soldadas De Satana. “You know I like you, Roam. This is nothing personal.”
And when Roam opened his eyes, he trained his black, inhuman gaze on me and uttered the words he said to me not so long before. “Business rarely is, Cat.”
When Laredo held up my own cell, Ettore, Malocchio’s capo, spoke through a sigh, clearly not wanting to start a war with his closest ally. “Listen, Roam. I got mad love for ya, but this was unavoidable. My balls are in a vice, and I’d like to keep ’em from getting cut clean off.” He then offered a sincere, “I’m sorry.”
Roam lowered his staggered face and began to laugh, finally realizing that what happened next was his decision and his alone.
Just how much did he crave war?
Enough to lose everything?
I didn’t know. He was crazy enough to try for both war and a win.
Roam finally lifted his face, and as he began to nod slowly, his lips pursed, I could see it. He was surprised. There was something else in his gaze. An appreciation of some sort. He appeared almost impressed.
My shrug was light. “Tell me I’m bluffing.” The fight was building in him, but I wasn’t here for that. I was here for her, and showing him up was icing on the cake. “Chaos was a huge firm. We ran this fucking city. We ran it well; we ran it with style. We did it right. And while you collect your broken dolls, we collected powerful allies. Ones that remain loyal to us because we didn’t beat them into submission and demand respect. We offered our support. We earned those markers.”
Roam’s jaw tightened at the insult. I didn’t care.
“I know this won’t break you. I know you’ll be able to recover from it.” I shot him a knowing look. “But you’ll suffer for it. Recovery will take time I’m not sure a growing trademark like yours has, because we know how it goes. You lose an inch of power, and someone comes after your throne. And then where will that army of yours go? Are they loyal to you, I wonder? Or will they mutiny and move on at the first sign of weakness?” Roam’s stare turned dull, and he actually seemed to consider my words. “If you want a war, I’ll give you one, but I am going to be dead honest,” I laid my final card out. “I have nothing left to lose, and that makes me one dangerous motherfucker.”
Roam stared off into space a moment, and when he said the beautifully defeated words, I almost tilted my head back and roared with the victory.
“What do you want?”
“Nothing” was my sincere reply.
Roam chuckled with clear skepticism. “Don’t fuck with me.”
“We’re not,” uttered Sasha. “We don’t want a fight. War isn’t our style. We don’t want to make an enemy of you, Roam. We aren’t that stupid. We just want Nastasia back, unharmed.” The eldest Leokov took pause. “And because you aren’t the kind of man who gives something for nothing, perhaps you and I can come to some sort of arrangement. One that will keep us both happy.”
Roam looked uninterested. “What could you possibly offer me that I don’t already have?”
I hated that Sasha had to do this, more because I was the cause. And when he said the words, I knew there was no going back. “I’d prefer to discuss it in private, but I assure you, it’ll be worth your while.”
Roam stared at the eldest Leokov a long moment. “You wanted out so bad. You step so much as a toe back into this pool, and you’re gonna have the sharks circling. You sure you want that?”
I watched my best friend take a moment before he responded, “My family is grown. My time as caregiver has come to an end. It’s clear to me now,” explained Sasha. “I was always destined to be part of this world, even if from a distance.” Sasha was an intelligent man, and he planted the seed he planned to sow right away. “It’s always smart to have a hidden weapon in your artillery. I could be yours.”
When Roam’s head tilted slightly, it was clear Sasha had gained his attention. “An unknown variant.”
“A silent partnership,” Sasha proposed, because Sasha was no one’s employee. He wasn’t the kind of man you bossed around.
A short silence passed, not uncomfortable but thoughtful. Time needed to consider all options and outcomes. Whether the costs outweighed the gain. Roam laid his intense yet suspicious gaze on Sasha, and when he saw nothing but sincerity in Sasha’s words, he waved his hand, and a goon turned and walked right out the door. Surprisingly, Roam took a step closer, peering around the club with interest. “Nice place you got here. What’s your turnover like?”
