Page 32 of Fall Before Her Throne

“Yeah,” Max said. “He’s stupidly rich. There’s so much money in these tech startups, especially in AI. I’m sure not all of his money is legal, either.”

“Well, it is a good thing Cole Hawkins lives in my pocket, then,” Obi said, handing me back the phone. “We’ll get in contact immediately and learn what Greco wants.”

I tucked the phone back into my leggings while I peered down at the map. “What are you two doing in here?”

Obi pointed at two spots on the map. “According to Volpe, those are two known storage locations for Camorra gun smuggling.”

Max braced one hand on the table and leaned over the map. “We were discussing whether we should hit the warehouses. Take the guns for ourselves. If Greco sticks to his regular schedule, a new shipment should be delivered in two days.”

“If we can catch some of Greco’s capos there, it might be worth the hit,” Obi said. “His soldiers are replaceable. The men who have earned his trust, his inner circle, are not.”

“Let’s do it,” I said as I stepped around the desk and ducked under Obi’s open arm. He circled me and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “We’ll be careful, but I don’t want him to think we’re letting him take control without a fight.”

“Agreed,” Obi said. My stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly and heat rose to my cheeks. He glanced at the time on the clock hanging on the wall. “Did you eat yet?”

“I was just about to,” I answered, slipping my hand in his and pulling him toward the door. “Ciel and I were taking a break for lunch. Wynn made food. Cas and Ryu were training in the makeshift gym in the basement, but they were going to stop to eat with us.”

He let me pull him toward the door, but Max hung back.

“Are you coming?” I asked.

Max lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “I’m not hungry.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re a bad liar. Stop it or I’ll stab you.”

Obi and I walked back to the kitchen hand in hand. I didn’t look back to see if Max was following. He either would or he wouldn’t, and hell if I cared.

Things had been tense between everyone the last few days, but Max had hung on the fringes, clearly avoiding us. He answered whatever questions we asked, but this was the first time I’d seen him having a civilized conversation that actually seemed productive. Typically, Ryuji was threatening to kill him.

“Hey, cara mia,” Cas said when we found everyone filling their plates with food. “Hungry? I made you a plate.”

I grinned. “That’s my bodyguard. Always taking care of me.”

“Can’t stop, won’t stop,” Cas said with a smile. He handed me the plate and guided me to the table we’d put in the bay window. It had six seats in a circle—so honestly, it worked out that Max had refused to join us.

I sat down while the rest of the guys got their food and sat around the table.

“This looks so good, Wynn. Thank you,” I said, taking the first bite. It was delicious. “Damn, I didn’t realize I was starving.”

“You’re welcome, darling,” he said as he sat next to Ciel. “What updates do we have?”

With his mouth full, Ryuji started talking. “Kostya just texted me that they’ve seen Italians hovering on the edge of their territories, poking their noses where they don’t belong. He said the next time he sees them, the Russians will attack.”

“Can he send me the coordinates where they’ve been seen?” Ciel asked.

“Yeah, I’ll ask him to send you updates and photos,” Ryu replied. “We can start a database of their faces and identities so we know who they are.”

“Good idea, Ryu,” I said, right as my phone started buzzing in my leggings. With a frown, I fished it from the pocket of my leggings. The phone screen lit up with an unknown number.

A chill swept through my bones.

Cas leaned over my shoulder, peering at it with me. “Who is it?”

“I don’t know.”

The phone finally stopped ringing, but almost immediately starting ringing again. The exact same number.

It could be anyone. It could be a fucking spam call. But did spam calls usually call back to back?