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That’s exactly how I felt. But unlike my mother, I was finding comfort in the darkness. I was able to coexist with it symbiotically, while she was consumed by it. Completely and utterly engulfed in it.
“Have her watched,” I ordered. "I don’t want her doing anything stupid that could possibly bring shame to her name.”
The thought of my mother ending it all was crippling on its own. If my father was her gravity, then I would make sure that her feet remained on Earth even in his death. She was all I had left, and I would be damned should these fucking Russians make an orphan out of me.
“And what have the other families been saying?”
I moved the chair from side to side. My eyes drifted to the backyard of the estate. The small green rolling hills were a stark contrast to the gray clouds that hung above the house. A fitting backdrop for the events of today.
“The Spaniards are circulating. Felipe wants to meet with whoever will be the new head of the Syndicate. The Irish seek to understand how the partnerships we have will stand. The Mexicans are waiting in the wings to see whoever takes over.”
There were four Mafia Families that operated in New York. The Spaniards, the Irish, the Mexicans, and us, the Italians. We used to be five, but then Vladimir got heavy-handed with his gun and pointed at the wrong person—my father.
“Felipe came to pay his respects.” I was not a fool to think that Felipe Valdez was our ally. The man had hated my father all his life, and his coming here was only to assert himself as what would be ‘the next King’.
“I know he did.” Uncle Dimitri nodded. “I will keep an eye on everyone until we have come to some kind of resolution on what the structure of the business will be moving forward.”
The news of the murder of my father had traveled fast. The streets of New York were abuzz, as both the King and his Heir were no longer there to hold power. It was only a matter of time before the vultures came circulating.
I circled my brother’s silver ring on my finger. It was the one thing I had requested when I dressed him and my father for their caskets. I had also taken my father’s favored blade. He always kept it on him, and now I would do the same.
“I’ll take over, uncle.” I lifted my gaze to meet my godfather’s soft caramel stare. “I’m my father's last remaining Heir.”
Uncle Dimitri blinked. “You know a woman has never led any Syndicate. This world we live in is not kind to females, child. They are seen more as a currency than leaders. They may not accept you.”
“I don’t require their acceptance, uncle. I only need them to do as I say or face the consequences of disobedience. My father taught me all he knew about the business. I may not have been the Crowned Prince, but I was not left in the dark. I know how this world runs. Not to mention you are the very person who taught me how to fight and to shoot a gun. Do you not remember?”
A nostalgic smile tickled his lips. “So full of fire and determination. So small yet so much power within you.”
I leaned back in my father’s chair, his throne still engulfed in his smell. “I have been training my whole life for this. And I trust my father had me training for the possibility of something like this happening.”
It still pained me to think of him in the past tense. The man who had raised me to be lethal, precise, and quick-witted. All those countless days spent shooting at the range. The hours I spent running the books with him and Fede. I knew the ins and outs of every inch of territory we had.
“I worry for you, cara, that is all.” He tilted his head to the side. “In my eyes, you are still just a girl. Nineteen is no age to head the rotten underbelly of the New York Syndicate. You have a whole life to live.”
“I’m no longer a child, uncle. I know too much pain to be considered a child any longer. I will lead this family, and I’ll expand on what my father has already created. It is my namesake—my birthright.”
He knew that he wasn’t going to win this. Once I made up my mind on something, I sticked with it. I was stubborn as a mule, just like my father had been.
“Then I will stay by your side.” He gave me a curt nod.
“As you always have, uncle.”
I was the head of the syndicate now. The King had fallen, and it was time for a Queen to arise. To think only a week ago I was counting down the days till I returned to my ‘normal’ life in Washington… But here I was now, permanently embedded in the very life I thought I did not want.
Quiet your mind and harden your heart. The advice my father had given me when I was only thirteen rang loud and true in my head.
I would use all the pain from this loss to fuel my revenge on the killer, and making sure that my father’s empire only grew.
Chapter Three
Andres’ POV
Nine years later…
I ducked, narrowly missing my brother’s fist. I swung my leg and kicked him off his feet, causing him to fall flat on his back.
“That was a cheap shot,” Valerio quipped, looking annoyed. “Must you cheat, brother?”
