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Looking at Mari, I wondered what it would be like to have to love her in the shadows instead of out loud. What would it feel like to see my angel and not be able to touch her or kiss her or show anyone what she meant to me?
Torture. Pure and simple.
Nodding at Gabriele, Mari raised her voice, pulling the others back into the conversation. “Gabriele’s agreed to contact the news. He’ll feed them some bullshit story to get everyone moving.”
“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Leo asked, finally tuning back in. “Widespread hysteria is a beacon for the government to swoop in. We can’t afford for them to cause more chaos right now.”
“We’ve got the government handled,” Mari promised, a wicked gleam in her eye.
The capos didn’t seem convinced, but they were less uncomfortable than before. Hard to disagree with Mari when it was clear she wasn’t planning to let it go. Greyson and Dominic rolled their eyes at how easily they changed opinions, and I had to agree.
Not only was it annoying, it was a problem. Weak men at the helm of an organization would put the whole thing at risk. Mari was a force of nature, but if the men who led her armies weren’t, we were all doomed.
Should we talk about replacing them when Cash was taken care of? According to Grey, they’d been in power since Mario was alive. They’d been his right-hand men, his brothers-in-arms and blood, but that was a long time ago. Things had changed. The world had changed.
While Gabriele was committed to Mari, the others were a fight when she needed them to listen. That didn’t even touch the fact that they’d actively tried to remove her from her position.
Family or not, they were a risk to her authority and her life.
Yeah, we’d definitely be considering some new blood around the table soon.
Killer seemed like a good start to me. The kid had done well during the Cameron situation, and he’d gotten his territory under control and thriving quicker than expected, even with the Aces interference. He was young and loyal, smart and open to new ideas and ways of thinking. Even though he’d spent years in jail, he had street smarts that had already paid off in droves. He’d make a good capo whenever Mari was ready to take the leap.
After a short discussion, the capos were handed orders to create small diversions that would amplify the story Gabriele was going to spread. The city didn’t need more damage, but it was necessary to get people to evacuate.
With plans made, it was time for the worst part of the meeting.
“Before you go, there’s one more thing to discuss.”
After considering all sides, Mari had decided to tell the capos what she’d discovered. They needed to know Cameron wasn’t coming back, but she also needed to quash any ideas that she was a threat to their safety if they found out on their own. We didn’t need them taking justice into their own hands or removing her from the picture if they thought Mari was cleaning house. I just hoped they took it well.
Dominic and Grey didn’t budge from their positions against the wall, but I felt their tension. We all knew that if the capos handled this poorly, we’d have another fight on our hands. Mari didn’t want her remaining uncles to die, but we’d bury them ourselves if it kept her safe. No fucking way were we going to war, just to get shot in the back by those assholes.
Gabriele, Leo, and Mathias sat back in their chairs, watching Mari warily. Still, she didn’t speak. When she cleared her throat for the third time, I realized it wasn’t an intentional pause. She didn’t want to tell them.
I couldn’t imagine how hard this was for her. Her hesitation was all it took for me to slide my hand onto her shoulder. I wanted to be there for her, to give her whatever strength she needed to get through this, and thankfully, it worked.
She took a deep breath, her fingers brushing mine. “Cameron is no longer with the family.”
There was a moment’s pause before Gabriele crossed himself and Mathias cursed.
“He’s dead?” Leo swallowed hard.
Mari stared him down, her face disturbingly blank on screen. “He’s a traitor.”
Utter silence.
“Was there proof?” Mathias asked, only to shrink when she glared into the camera. “Not that we don’t believe you, but I think we would all feel more comfortable with evidence in hand.”
Though they’d argued earlier, it was clear Mathias was trying to keep the peace with his request.
Mari didn’t respond, just watched until he squirmed in his seat. After a minute, she waved Greyson forward. With a few clicks, he was sharing the screen of his tablet with everyone. All the screenshots of conversations we’d found on Cameron’s phone, plus the photos and videos I’d taken at the clubhouse, right there for all to see.
“He’s been meeting with Cash for a long time,” I said carefully, not knowing if I had a right to speak at all. When Mari sent me a grateful smile, I continued. “He gave up the intel Cash used to kill his brother, among other things.”
The news was something Mari herself had asked about after taking time to think about Cameron’s confessions. Cash had already taken credit for the attempted hit on her, but how else would he have known where she’d be? She’d only told the most important people in her life.
My confirmation had nearly devastated her all over again, but she stayed strong, knowing we were going to end Cash and spend the rest of our lives making Cameron wish he’d died too. It was the only retribution I could offer her.
