AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Love makes fools of us all, Wolf. Even stone-cold bitches like us.”
“Speaking of stone-cold bitches,” I say, eager to change the subject before we veer into territory that’s too emotional for either of us to handle, “we need to make a new plan to take down Grandmother.”
Hadria’s eyes harden, that familiar spark of ruthless determination returning. “Actually, I’ve heard from Johnny again. Grandmother and Giuseppe Imperioli are planning another meeting at Valentino’s tonight.”
Her use of her father’s full name doesn’t escape me. I know this Hadria. This is the same Hadria who executed her brother right here on the grounds of Elysium.
She really meant it. She’s done playing around. Zepp is a dead man walking. But…
“You can’t be involved. Not in your condition,” I tell her bluntly.
“This is personal. And it’s a matter of honor. I have to be the one to do it, just like you have to be the one to end Grandmother. We started this Syndicate together, and we’ll defend it together.” I can’t argue with that logic. Hadria goes on, “So we’ll track them as they come out of Valentino’s, and then?—”
“Hold up,” I say. “I think it’s about time we stopped pretending we’re like them. We play by our own rules, Hades. Always have.”
She tips her head to the side, intrigued. “What do you have in mind?”
I walk into Valentino’s with Scarlett and Sarah flanking me, the familiar scent of garlic and tomato sauce hitting my nostrils. The maître d’s eyes widen as he spots us, his face draining of color. I can’t help but smirk at his obvious discomfort.
“You—you’re not welcome here anymore,” he stammers, trying to puff up his chest. “And if you have a problem with that, take it up with the new management.”
“Oh, we will. After we’re done. Watch the door, will you? We’re expecting one more in our party.”
Brushing past him, I make straight for the private room at the back. My heart pounds, a mix of anticipation and old anger coursing through my veins. It’s been over two decades since I last saw Grandmother—since I slit her throat and escaped her clutches as a child.
And I’m finally about to close that chapter of my life for good.
As we come through the door, my eyes lock onto her face at once. I’d prepared myself for all kinds of emotional responses, but what I feel, actually, is…
Nothing.
She looks older, of course. But she’s the kind of woman who spends a lot of money trying to stop time in its tracks, so she doesn’t look as frail as I unconsciously expected.
Good. That will make it easier to do what I need to do.
And anyway, those cold, dead eyes are unmistakable.
Valentino’s is supposed to be neutral ground, but two of Grandmother’s assassins flank her, tensed and ready for action. And for the first time, I take in Zepp Imperioli as well, looking furious to see me again.
“Well, well, what a touching reunion,” I drawl. And I see Grandmother’s eyes widen, a spark of fear in them as she looks behind me to see Scarlett and Sarah, too. “What big eyes you have, Grandmother. All the better to see me with, right?”
Grandmother sneers, raises a hand. “Kill them.” The two women with her step forward. But before they can make another move, Sarah’s voice rings out behind me, clear and commanding, quite different from the softer, confused tones I’ve heard from her during her time at Elysium.
“Stand down.”
It’s not Sarah Graves making the demand. It’s Ariadne, Grandmother’s most prized assassin. And as the two women stare past me at her, confusion flickers across their faces. One of them turns to Grandmother, uncertainty in her voice. “I thought…Ariadne was dead?”
“Kill them!” Grandmother shrieks, her composure cracking.
But Sarah isn’t finished. She comes forward, addressing the assassins directly. “You know me. You know what I can do. Why sacrifice yourself for this woman?” She gestures dismissively at Grandmother. “We will kill you if we have to, or you can be free—like Scarlett and me. She called me Ariadne. Well, now I’m offering you a way out. A pathway out of her labyrinth of horrors—a pathway to freedom. All you have to do is step outside this room. Now.”
I can see the indecision in the assassins’ eyes, the hope warring with ingrained, beaten-into-them loyalty. And Grandmother’s voice rises again, spewing threats and promises, but it’s clear her hold is slipping.
“Well?” Sarah asks, when Grandmother falls silent again.
With a shared glance, the two assassins make their choice. They walk out of the room and close the door behind them, leaving us alone with Grandmother.
She’s gone very pale, now. She sees it, I think: Death, coming close. “You can’t do this,” she hisses, her gaze settling on me.
