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“I’m very well aware the alliance needs me. Better yet, you need what I have. Access to Boston. Manpower. But don’t worry, I’m not putting myself in any unnecessary danger.”
“Aren’t you?” he argues. “Marrying the daughter of your enemy, a man equal in strength to you, behind his back. Word on the street is he’s raking the city searching for them. How long do you think you have before he figures out you’re behind the abduction? When he confirms it, he’ll likely declare war, and that puts you in a vulnerable position. Do you really believe you could fight Duranandguard against Gideon Black?”
The thought had occurred to me that Gideon would learn of my marriage and use it to his advantage, but I figured the possibility was slim. That is, until Luca showed up.
“I’ve got it,” I say.
“Rowan, you don’t even know who’s stealing your product. Is it Duran? Gideon? Another enemy waiting for you to let down your guard?”
“Once the marriage is official, Duran will have no choice but to align with me. He will be an asset against Gideon. As for who is stealing from my trucks, it has to be Duran. Even if it’s not, that’s an entirely different matter altogether. They are after product, not my life.”
Luca laughs. “You’ve got this all thought out.” Then his laughter dies instantly. “But what happens when Duran decides to kill you instead?”
“He won’t,” I say with certainty.
“Either way,” Luca adds. “From now on, I want to stay informed of these decisions. You will have the protection of the alliance only as long as we can count on you. And you need it if you want to keep your position as the McKenzie boss.”
“Fine,” I throw up my hands. “If you want to provide extra security, I won’t fight you on it.”
“Good. I already have. I’ve set up men along the route to the church.”
A thought occurs to me about the alliance. “Have you heard from Gavin?”
He shakes his head slowly, concern forming lines between his brows. “Arran and Noah are in Vegas now, conducting their own search. But he’s been missing too many days.”
During Arran’s encounter with Gideon, we discovered Gavin’s absence when he didn’t answer the call for assistance. It’s unlike the ruler of the Vegas underworld to ignore us, especially when he was one of the first to join the alliance.
“Have you found anything linking Gideon to his disappearance?”
Luca seems to think on it for it moment. “If it were him, Gavin would already have shown up with pennies over his eyes.”
“What about Sofia? Gideon took her and she’s still alive.”
There’s a tic in Luca’s jaw. His sister is a sore subject. Gideon has had her for months now, completely hidden. Anytime we’ve gotten close enough to Gideon, he’s slipped away, and with him, any chance of finding Sofia.
Actually, her being alive is just a theory. We don’t know for sure. We only know that she hasn’t been used against Luca yet. That’s the only thing that gives him hope.
Luca leans forward, hanging his clasped hands between his legs as he narrows his gaze. “When the time comes to fight for my sister, can I count on you?”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation.
“Then I need you alive.”
I give him a nod. “I’ll do my best to stay that way.”
There’s a knock on the door a moment before Declan enters. “It’s time.”
* * *
We arrive at Her Lady of Faith, the small church in West Roxbury where I left Lou waiting five years ago.
The first time I chose this church, it was because of the carving on one of the old gray stones that form part of the outer wall.Finnegan Kaneand Shannon McKenzie, it reads.
I pause before entering, tracing my parents’ names with my fingertip. This was their last stop before running to Texas, afraid of my uncles’ wrath. Their little sister had married one of the men entrusted to guard her, after all. At four months pregnant, she was starting to show and they knew the clock was ticking.
This time, I chose this church because Lou and I have unfinished business here.
Dropping my hand a few inches, I touch the blank stone beneath it. The one that would have had our names carved into it long ago had I followed my uncle’s orders.
