Page 174 of Fall Before Her Throne

I shook my head. “It’s not like you’ll trust my answer, but Ciel didn’t put any virus on it, just information. Plug it in anywhere; it doesn’t matter. All we want is for you to know that there are two futures ahead of New York, and you should be able to choose which one you want to face.”

Her eyes narrowed, flicking around my face. For a second, I thought she’d throw it in the trash, but she slipped it into a pocket of her dress instead. “I will look at it.”

“Thank you,” I breathed.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she said with a gentle smile. “I must return to the party. I also imagine your hacker, Ciel, and your men are about to break down this door.”

She gestured for me to push it open.

I cleared my throat. “One last thing. This is an offer that comes with no strings attached. If you need anything, if anything goes wrong, call me. I will help, no questions asked, no expectations in return.”

She pursed her lips. “I won’t be needing your help.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “The offer stands.”

She nodded once. After a deep breath, I pushed the bathroom door open—only to find all six of my guys waiting outside, hands in jackets on their hidden guns. I grimaced when I saw Obi frowning.

Was he frowning because I went no comms in this murder den of a gala? Or was he frowning because I cleaned my legs?

Couldn’t wait to find out.

“Sorry!” I said, making room for Josephine to exit. “It was lovely to meet you, Mayor Zambani. I hope we’ll be able to talk again later.”

She gave a little wave to all six of my guys. “The infamous boyfriends, I presume.”

I laughed. “Yeah. Ciel, Cas, Wynn, Max, Ryuji, and Obi.” I went through the semi-circle because she already knew who we were, plus I lived to make situations even more awkward and terrible.

Josephine’s eyes landed on Max. “Oh, Max Volpe. I wasn’t aware that you’d be here tonight. Good to see you again.”

He inclined his head. “Mayor Zambani. I wasn’t sure if you would remember me.”

“I remember the last conversation we had about the future of the construction industry in New York. It was very stimulating. Now, I’d love to stay and chat, but duty calls. I did not know when I campaigned that so much of this job would be smiling while pretending to be interested in a conversation. Please excuse me.”

She gave a quick nod to me and then walked back to the crowd.

“Well, I met the mayor,” I said sheepishly. “Gave her the drive. Warned her about Greco. I’d say that the mission was successful! We can all forget about the rest, right?”

Ryuji snickered while he nudged Max’s side. Cas hid a grin behind the back of his palm.

Obi let out a breath and buttoned the front of his tuxedo. “Hmm. We shall see.”

Fuck.

55

OBI

Ihad half a mind to push Leona back into that bathroom, lock the door behind us, and repaint her thighs with cum. She gave me her sweetest look of sincere apology—utter bullshit—and I pinched the bridge of my nose while turning to face the party again.

“What did the mayor say?”

“Well, she at least took the thumb drive.” She explained their conversation and her warning. It hadn’t gone to plan, but at least Leona had a private conversation with her. “I’m not sure if Greco had spoken with her yet.”

Greco was still unseen. My guess was that he’d arrive just before the dinner portion of the evening began, make a fine speech about supporting the mayor and her interests, and then schmooze for the rest of the evening.

Max came up to my side. “The police commissioner is here.” He nodded toward one table near the front of the room. “Should we corner him?”

“Watch him until he’s alone, and then we’ll approach,” I ordered before looking at Ryuji and Caspian. “Stick by her side for the rest of the evening. Do not let her out of your sight.”