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“And what about the Angeles de Fuego in Chicago?” Dimitri adds.
“Armando owes us. My father did him a solid back in the day. We can count on the Angeles, too,” I say, my voice steady and confident.
“But can we trust them?” Erik chimes in, his usual calm disrupted by the gravity of the plan.
I give a curt nod, the barest trace of a smile tugging at my lips. “It’s time they paid their dues.”
“Las Vegas?” Dimitri continues, rolling his eyes. “The Royal Serpents? You know those high rollers don’t want to get their hands dirty.”
“We’ll make them an offer they can’t refuse,” I state.
Dimitri grunts, scrutinizing me. “And you’re sure they’ll play ball?”
“They hate Aleks as much as we do,” I counter, my gaze steady. “He screwed them over, too. It’s time we all came together. Our collective strength…it’ll give us a chance against Aleks.”
Dimitri levels me with a stare, and I sense he’s not convinced. It should piss me off, but it’s to be expected. I’ve been out of the loop too long. But that doesn’t mean I’ve lost my touch. Or lost my grasp of the landscape out here.
I’ve been behind bars. Not dead.
I lean back in my chair, meeting his gaze head-on. “We make it worth their while, Dimitri. It’s either that or we let Aleks keep pushing us around. Your choice.”
“Not just mine,” he responds, looking around at the others. There are several nods of affirmation. It’s gratifying.
“Our aim is clear now: bring down Aleks and his traitors,” I say firmly. “Once we do that, Aleks himself will have no place left to crawl. He will finally face the consequences of murdering my father,” I declare, my voice ringing with cold determination.
There’s silence all around me, but I know everyone understands where this is going.
War starts now.
Chapter 28
Luka
“ERIC’S ON his way to Vegas.” I snap my phone shut and tuck it into my pocket. Grisha managed to drop Erik at the airport, our private jet waiting for him.
I slip into my leather jacket, feeling the familiar weight settle on my shoulders.
Thank fuck for Viktor. Our pilot is a seasoned vet in the game and the real MVP tonight. Old man never sleeps, always ready to fly whenever we need him. I owe him a bottle of the finest Russian vodka when I see him next.
“He’s scheduled a ‘friendly chat’ with The Serpents by first light tomorrow.”
Dimitri grunts in acknowledgment, a staccato beat played out on the table with his fingers. I heave myself out of my chair, with Dimitri mirroring my actions like we’re part of some synchronized routine. Outside, midnight has cast a cloak over the city, the remaining night lights putting up a vain fight against the impending darkness. We pile into my Jag, the hum of its engine slicing through the silence, echoing the undercurrent of tension that’s strung between us.
The city’s neon haze can’t quite scrub away the bitter aftertaste of our meeting. Images of Aleks, his head removed from his shoulders, flicker hot and insistent in my mind.
“So, Sophia…” Dimitri’s voice cuts the silence, baiting me. The question hangs, unvoiced but louder than the car’s rumbling engine.
“Yulia’s new nanny.” I glance at him from the corner of my eye, my grip on the steering wheel tightening. The way her name rolls off his tongue sends a familiar jolt of anticipation through me. God, something about her being around me is sending excitement down my spine.
“You got the hots for her?” Dimitri asks. I snort, dismissing it with a shake of my head.
“Nah, not like that,” I lie.
“But you’ve fucked her,” he retorts, his tone sharp, almost accusing. “And now she’s our employee, looking after Yulia, and…” He trails off, the implication hanging in the air like a guillotine. An uncomfortable silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken words and veiled accusations.
Eventually, he speaks again. “Think she’s trustworthy?”
