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“He’s out of control,” another guy said from the edges of the group. “There’s no way to predict what he’ll do next. We already lost a ton of people at the waterfront property, and now he’s even crazier than before.”
“Yeah,” a third man piped up. “Let the cops deal with him for once. They can take the hits this time.”
I didn’t like the approving hum that spread through the gathering. Wylder scowled at them all. “Really? That’s your answer—wait for the police to finally step up? Chances are that dozens more people will be dead before that happens, and if we don’t act now, their blood will be on our hands. The last time Xavier got the better of us, it was because we were abandoned by those who should have been fighting with us. But we have the strength in numbers this time.”
“He can’t hold us all off at once,” I added. “Once we’re coordinated, we can find an opportunity to pick him off, and this war will all be over just like that.”
The expressions in the crowd still looked doubtful. I spotted Jenner, Sam, Quinn, and several other Claws hanging back by the edges with Beckett standing among them. An impulse gripped me. I caught Beckett’s eye and motioned for him to come join us.
The kid skirted the crowd and walked over to the steps a little hesitantly, but his shoulders pulled back and his chin rose as he came to stand next to me. He peered out over the gathered men as if daring them to challenge his right to be there. “What do you need?” he asked me under his breath.
“Just for you to be yourself.” I smiled and set my hand on his back, pitching my voice to carry farther. “This is Beckett. Take a good look at him. How old are you, Beckett?”
“Sixteen,” Beckett said, his shoulders stiffening even more.
Someone in the crowd snickered, and Kaige took a step toward the guy with an intimidating pose. After all his skepticism about Beckett, he’d obviously come around.
“This sixteen-year-old,” I said, “is the reason we were able to take down the man behind Xavier and most of his forces. You’ve noticed that most of the men who worked with Xavier have already left town? It’s thanks to Beckett that we were able to force the Storm to back down.”
Wylder folded his arms over his chest, picking up my thread. “If one sixteen-year-old kid can make all the difference in tackling a huge crime lord, then the bunch of you should be able to manage one psychopath, don’t you think? Beckett wasn’t afraid to take action when he needed to, and we can’t let ourselves cower either. We’re Nobles, and Nobles fight for what’s theirs.”
Anthea nodded approvingly. The gathered men stared at Beckett. I saw flickers of shame and then resolve cross their faces. They stirred again, but this time the energy was more aggressive than uneasy.
“Right!” Jenner shouted. “The Claws are going to fight. We’re going to put this asshole down like the mad dog he is.”
“I’m going to be there going at him,” Kaige said, flexing his arms.
Gideon gave a tight smile. “And me.”
“Who else?” Wylder called out. “I only want people who are ready to go all in, who’ll stick with us and not turn their backs when the going gets tough. I thought that was what you were all made of. If that’s what you want the Nobles to be, then stand with us now.”
The murmurs that rose up now thrummed with eager determination. “Hell yeah!”
“I’m in.”
“Let’s take that bastard down and show him who the real boss is around here.”
“Wylder’ll make him pay!”
I glanced at the Noble heir, knowing what an important moment this was for him. The Nobles were throwing their lot in with him, with no guidance from his father and even against what they might have suspected Ezra would prefer. Wylder had just proven that he was stronger than his father, with solid principles and a desire to protect everyone within this city, not just those who kissed his feet.
It might not be just Xavier we conquered today.
But we did still have to conquer the psycho. We waved everyone closer.
“We head out now,” Wylder said. “We have the numbers to surround Xavier and his lackeys on all sides. Stay where you have some cover but get as close as you can without provoking him into setting off his explosives. When we have every possible angle, one of us will get an opening soon enough. Be ready to take it if it’s you. I don’t care how you do it—if you can kill him, make it happen.”
The men let out a whoop and started streaming toward the cars. I didn’t know if that plan would be enough to get us all the way there, but it was a solid start. We couldn’t be sure exactly what we’d need to do until we faced Xavier on the turf he’d tried to claim as his own.
“Thanks,” I said to Beckett, and sent him off to the Claws so Jenner could arrange transport back to the house for him while the rest of us headed downtown.
Anthea had ambled over. “I’ll see about getting more weapons and ammo sent over there so you can handle a long stand-off.”
“Perfect,” Wylder said with a tip of his head.
“We’ll have to set a specific boundary,” Gideon started saying as we walked away from the house, but my attention was drawn away from the conversation by a movement at one of the front windows.
Ezra was standing in the living room, half hidden by one of the curtains, watching us. His lips were pursed and his eyes narrowed. When he realized I’d noticed him, he stepped back, fading into the shadows.
A chill pooled in my gut. Xavier definitely wasn’t our only enemy.
But he was the one we had to tackle first. I yanked my gaze away and hurried over to join my men.
