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“I am,” she replies. “And you’re all going to help me get what I want.”
“If we don’t want to work for you, what’s in it for us?” Seb asks.
“Aside from money and immunity from the best group of assassins in the world?” She giggles. “I’ll throw in Alaric’s head.”
“You can mount it on your wall, thanks,” I say.
“Maybe I will,” she purrs. “I can imagine he’d look fetching above a fireplace.”
I can’t decide who is more evil: Stephanie or Alaric, and which of them I’d rather have as the Killers Club’s leader.
Stephanie must sense my shift as she rises and approaches me.
“I am sorry I couldn’t tell you about your sister,” she says. Her words sound believable, reminding me of my old friend when she held her psychopathic urges at bay. “But I will make it right.”
After everything we’ve been through, I can’t believe a word she says. On the one hand, I don’t want to give her the power and control she desperately craves. But, if we agreed, it might help keep Daisy and her family safe.
“I’ll help you for Daisy’s sake,” I say. “But I can’t speak on behalf of the Dukes.”
Stephanie arches an eyebrow. Contrary to whatever she thinks is going on between us, the Dukes and I aren’t one entity.
“What’s it going to be, Freddie?”
“That’s not for me to decide,” Freddie replies. “This is Seb’s decision to make.”
“Well, well, well…” Stephanie whirls around while Seb draws himself up to full height and crosses his arms to appear intimidating. Stephanie has eaten men like him for breakfast, so she doesn’t blink at his menacing expression. “It looks like you’ve finally got your seat on the throne. What’s your decision, Prince Charming? Are the Dukes going into battle with us?”
“This could be another of your games,” Seb says. “How are we to know you’re not playing us?”
“You’re still alive, aren’t you?” She smiles. “Don’t think that’s an accident.”
“If we help, we’ll get immunity and freedom. The Dukes, both Ivy’s, and Daisy,” he says. “For good.”
“Consider it done,” she says. “After I get full control, I don’t see myself sticking around in the UK for long. I plan to return to Italy, and someone else can handle operations here. I’ll have wine, vineyards, and our mafia friends to keep me busy—what more could a girl want?” She holds out her hand for him to shake. “Do we have a deal?”
Seb looks at it for a few seconds, then shakes it. “Done.”
At that moment, Ivy screams from the other room. Hale launches himself across the suite like an animal possessed and leaps over the sofa in one jump. Daisy and I follow close behind him. When we walk in, my hands fly to my mouth in surprise, and a laugh escapes my lips.
Callen is on all fours, and Ivy has climbed onto his back. She’s pretending he’s a horse, yanking his long hair and using it as reigns. She squeals happily as he bucks and makes a horsey noise, almost causing her to slip off, but stops just in time to catch her.
“Again!” she demands. “Again!”
Hale isn’t having it. He grabs her and hauls her into his arms. Callen returns to two legs, running his hands through his hair, trying to appear cool and regain some of his street cred.
“That’s not fair,” Ivy argues. “I want to go again! Daddy Hale, please!”
“You’ve played enough games for today,” he says firmly.
“But we’ve had so much fun,” she says. “We built a blanket fort, then Cally?—”
Bram snickers at the new nickname. I guess Callen doesn’t seem scary when you have a dad like Hale.
“Cally made up the coolest story about a princess and a dragon and they?—”
“It’s time we leave, Ivy,” Daisy says.
“Can I see Cally another day?” she asks. “Please!”
