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To my surprise, it was Freya who asked the question.
“They’re only interested in power and how to get more of it. There are four factions, each making up part of a whole: Curiata, Milites, Aurum, and Sicarius. To take on Gladius means you need dirt on each of them. Which is impossible.”
Liam chuckled darkly and pointed at me. “You just did the equivalent of waving a red flag in front of a bull.”
I growled my assent. “Nothing’s impossible.”
Ariel closed her eyes for a beat, then fixed me with an unblinking stare. One I recognized well and had been the recipient of a few times. She wanted me to pay attention. “Okay. Since I need you to succeed, I’ll give you as much information as I can.” She took a deep breath and continued. “Curiata is like a court. They decide who lives and dies. Milites are the foot soldiers who take orders from Curiata. Aurum control commercial interests and the large gold storage Gladius thinks nobody knows about. And then there’s Sicarius, the assassins.”
“Who controls them?” Gabriel asked. We were all intrigued to find out more about this secret society.
“Only princeps can make decisions. And their word is final. If you want to stop them, you’ll have to start at the top. I don’t know how many members Gladius has, but I do know they operate all over the world. Their headquarters is an old mansion on the outskirts of Chicago. It’s like a fortress.”
Freya looked at Ariel with wide eyes, too interested in the inner workings of Gladius for my liking. “Do you know who the leaders are? Or the members?”
Ariel shook her head. “I only know the leader of my faction. We don’t mix with the other factions.”
Grinning, I got up. “Let’s get him, then. He can tell us who the other leaders are.”
“Jude, it’s not that easy. He’s dangerous. He has infinite resources. He’s the mayor of Chicago. His code name is Carnifax.”
At this stage, all our gazes went blank, unable to take in what Ariel just said. It also explained why one of the voices sounded familiar.
“Of course he fucking is.” Gabriel was the first to break the silence. “Dad, what do you think? You used to golf with him, didn’t you?”
“The mayor is one of the smartest people I know. And one of the cruelest.” Dad brushed a hand over his face. “I’ve seen what he’s capable of. And how he operates. I’ve been trying to distance myself from him ever since. I’ve seen a lot of shit in my life, but he’s worse.”
Liam narrowed his eyes, already making plans. “Tell him you want to reconnect. Get him to meet you somewhere private. Offer him something he wouldn’t say no to.”
Dad used to be the most ruthless man in Chicago. But over the years, he’d eased up. He’d become a family man, his wife and children the most important things in his life. But he knew what it took to climb to the top and stay there. And for him to walk away from a powerful connection that could have made him even more powerful meant Carnifax was one sick fuck.
Dad lifted his chin in agreement. “I’ll tell him we’re willing to negotiate the sale of the shooting range.”
We owned the land and building, and were leasing it out to Bear. Since the mayor was planning on a redevelopment, he wouldn’t refuse a meeting that might give him more land. As long as we made sure Dad was safe, this could be our way in.
21
ARIEL
This plan sucked.Worse than sucked. It was “accidentally shooting yourself” bad. But nobody could come up with anything better.
And now here we were, only a day later, sitting in a dive bar, badly disguised, watching Constantine talk to Carnifax. Also known as Harold Bilcher III. Mayor of Chicago, one of its most powerful men. But the Olysses family had as much—if not more—control over law enforcement and commercial interests in the city.
My black wig itched like ants were partying on my scalp, and my glasses and heavy sweater felt stifling.
Jude covered my hand with his. “Stop fiddling with the bar runner.”
My hand instantly stilled when his skin touched mine. The jolt running through me took my thoughts away from our attempt to kidnap the mayor. Instead, all I felt and all I could think about was Jude’s hand on mine.
He didn’t pull away; instead, he curled his fingers around mine, holding on. We sat in charged silence, watching Carnifax laugh loudly at something Constantine said, his four bodyguards standing unmoving behind him.
Jude’s dad was a force to be reckoned with. Not only did he accomplish the impossible and organize a meeting with Carnifax on just a day’s notice, but he also seemed to play his part to perfection.
“You guys ready?” Gabriel’s voice asked through my earpiece, startling me.
Jude cleared his throat and pulled his hand off mine. “Ready.”
Liam echoed Jude’s statement. It was go time. And everything in me screamed for us to stop. I felt off, like there was something we’d missed. Carnifax was on top because he was smart. I didn’t for one second believe he’d only brought four guys.
