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“Yes, a truce to let you run amok in my city absolutely weighs the same as the loss of life you inflicted.”
As usual, Cash didn’t defend his actions with anything more than a shrug. “If you cared that much, you wouldn’t have sent your decoys to trick me.”
“The fact that I had to trick you at all is the issue here.”
“Family is everything,” Kosas interrupted. “While we don’t condone the way Cash handled it, we do understand. Losing a brother…it had to be repaid.”
“Maybe if I’d killed him, sure. But Nate chose to leave. He chose me. That doesn’t require retribution.”
Kosas waved his hand, brushing my thought away like a gnat he wanted dead. I should’ve known better than to argue with him in front of Cash. He and the others were too scared to act against Cash now that they had a truce going.
Cash grinned at the blatant irritation on my face, leaning back like he’d stolen the advantage I had in killing O’Bannon. “Are you going to allow her to run free, knowing that any minute she could turn on you next? We could put a bounty on her head. Hunt her down for sport.”
When he turned to convince the others, I saw the sickness in him. The way his eyes glimmered at the thought of my death, and I wasn’t the only one. My men were tense around me, but I wasn’t. The not-so-subtle suggestion to annihilate me was expected, though I hadn’t planned on it coming from Cash. We knew there would be consequences for O’Bannon. The others were as old-school as my uncles and wouldn’t appreciate me going off book.
Ajilon shifted, obviously uncomfortable, as did Haru. Two-Bit, who’d been silent the whole time, just watched the interaction go down. Good to know he’s willing to stick his neck out for me.
“I’m not of a mind to approve a manhunt just yet. Not until she gives us the reason she slaughtered one of our own in his bed.”
“Technically, it was in his bedroom, and I’ll tell you everything you need to know, but not with him in the room.” I leveled one red-tipped nail at Cash, who glowered at me.
“Agreed.” Ajilon practically jumped on the chance to understand, and I felt bad for worrying him. He’d been the closest thing to a real ally for ages, but he was a pacifist when possible. This situation was no longer one we could sit back and avoid confrontation on. We had to work together to take Cash down before he turned on them too.
“Remember our deal.” Cash’s glare burned my cheek as he stood, straightened his clothes, and walked out. The door slammed closed behind him, and everyone seemed to take a breath as he took that volatile energy with him.
Kosas leveled me with a glare that reminded me of parents and misbehaving children. “Explain.”
“I suggest you check yourself, Sideris. I’m not yours to command.”
“You can’t even command yourself, it seems.”
Instead of baring my teeth like I wanted, I sat back with a demure smile. “You have a rat.”
He scoffed, rolling his eyes and looking at the others as if to say can you believe her?
The thump of files dropping to the table ended that soon enough.
Each leader got a massive stack of pages in front of them, the covers firmly closed to the others. Ajilon, Kosas, and Two-Bit ignored them, while Haru and Kieran brought theirs close and flipped through them. Kieran’s agitated curses grew louder with every page, and the normally flappable Haru looked annoyed.
“Where did you get these?” he finally asked, pushing the file away with disgust.
“Our little Irish friend gave me a lesson before he died.” It was a lie. The information came from Nate, but I wasn’t going to let him become a target for the leaders and his brother.
“And you killed him for it?”
“I killed him because he was working with Cash long before your little truce. I killed him because he nearly killed his own daughter—twice. O’Bannon was a spineless fuck who didn’t care who he allied with as long as he thought he’d survive in the end. He was a fucking cockroach, and I exterminated him like one.”
Kieran shifted in his chair, clearing his throat. “I agree with Mari. My father wasn’t an honorable man, and while I wish he’d gone differently, I’m not sorry he’s dead.”
“That doesn’t change the facts,” Kosas said, shoving the file away. “You killed another member of this order. There has to be some punishment.”
“Correction, I killed a member of your order. This little tribunal of ours is a formality. I am the defining power in the city. I am the leader, regardless of what that psychotic asshole thinks. These meetings of ours are a courtesy, one I’ve let go too long if this is how you respect me. Making treaties behind my back.” I spat on the floor, the ultimate disrespect.
Kosas’s face reddened, but Ajilon was the one who stood, facing off with a weariness I knew all too well. “We did make a treaty, and regardless of your reasoning, it stands. Go after Cash, and you do it alone. We won’t offer any aid.”
I knew they wouldn’t, but it still pissed me off. Kosas decided to push the issue. “You let this go on too long, and look what happened. You should have removed the upstart the second you heard about him.”
“Says the man who gave him a seat at the table,” I growled.
