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23
MADDOC
Once The Six’srepresentative leaves, I pinch the bridge of my nose and allow myself one breath—no, two—to get my shit back under control after letting my temper explode. Then I refocus, my emotions shoved to the background and my mind racing ahead as I mentally play out possible ramifications of getting on their radar like this.
I sigh. None of them are good, but since I’ve built an entire organization that counts on me to lead it, I’m gonna have to figure out how best to handle the newest shit sandwich we’ve been served up and still come out on top.
And luckily, I don’t have to figure it out alone.
“We’ve got twenty-four hours until the meet,” I point out, meeting the eyes of my seconds. My brothers. “Let’s make sure we’ve got everything in order so we make a good showing. Your thoughts?”
“Those fucking weasels,” Dante spits out, his eyes dark with an uncharacteristic anger that he doesn’t usually let show. “It never would have come to an open shootout if Payton hadn’t been retaliating for a move they made first.Theystarted this shit by killing Troy.”
“Over Chloe,” Riley says quietly, her face pale.
Dante immediately tamps down on his rage.
“Nah, princess,” he says, bumping her shoulder with a little smile. “None of this is on you or your sister. McKenna’s a stupid jackass who didn’t even know what he was hoping to get when he took Troy. The Six wouldn’t be up in our business at all if it weren’t for how fucking reckless he is.”
I grit my teeth. He’s not wrong. And yeah, it pisses me the fuck off too.
“But you guys said West Point interrogated Troy to find out what—who—you were searching the city for,” Riley argues in a tight voice. “And that’s Chloe.”
“Let’s stay focused,” I say sharply. I don’t like hearing the worry and guilt in Riley’s voice. Besides, we’re getting off track, me included. I’ve long since learned that getting pissed off over Austin fucking McKenna is a waste of time. It’s why I plan on destroying him… eventually. But right now, our priority is getting through this meeting with The Six.
Riley gives me a short, tight nod. “Fine.”
I should leave it at that, but I don’t. Something in me drives me to give her back the words she offered me earlier today too. “Dante’s right. It really isn’t your fault.”
She smiles—a small one, but still enough to make something inside me unwind a little.
Then she looks away, and it tightens up again.
Dante lets out an explosive breath, running a hand through his chocolate-brown hair in frustration. “Not even a little bit your fault. McKenna set this train wreck in motion.”
“The Six aren’t going to care who started it,” Logan says flatly. “They don’t use their power to play mediator, trying to make everyone here in Halston get along. They use it to keep order.”
Riley’s brow crinkles. “So The Six are like, what… an enforcement group? Gang war police?”
“No,” Logan says.
“I mean, sorta,” Dante throws in with a shrug. “They do keep the various criminal elements here in Halston in line.”
“And if our current conflict with West Point has drawn their ire,” Logan adds, “it’s bad.”
“What kind of bad?” Riley asks, looking between the three of us.
My brothers look to me, silently questioning how deeply I’m willing to share our world with her. But at this point, there’s no reason to keep or hide anything from her... and one very important reason to make sure she’s well-informed.
Her safety.
Whether any of us intended it or not, Rileyispart of our world now—and once we secure Chloe’s inheritance, she’ll continue to have ties to it forever. It’s best she knows more about how Halston really operates.
“Are they a rival gang?” Riley presses.
“No,” I tell her. “The Six are a lot bigger than just a gang. They came into power a couple years ago, and you could say they’re sort of the royalty of the underworld of Halston. They keep order among the various criminal elements in the city.”
“And they enforce that order strictly,” Logan adds. “They don’t interfere with how we operate or try to control every little thing that any one organization does, but they’ve got eyes everywhere and the power to make sure everyone stays in line.”
