Page 8 of Fall Before Her Throne

We could leave him behind. We did not know what had turned the alliance between Volpe and the Camorra sour. He had led them right to us, exposing us all to danger. It would be even riskier to take him with us, especially if they wanted him dead.

But he could also be valuable. His connection with them meant he had information which we could use to take them down.

In all my planning, I hadn’t considered the Camorra would travel to the States, nor that we’d have to face this battle so soon. I needed all the information I could get. I would not let a decade’s worth of blood and sweat go to waste.

As my brain tried to reform my plan around what knowledge Volpe could provide, I glanced at Leona. Her look said she was ready to fight if we left him here.

Fine. If he wanted to stay alive now, his allegiances would change. He would be a tool, and tools were kept so long as they remained useful. Otherwise, they were discarded.

“We’ll bring him with us.”

Leona sighed in relief, glancing at Caspian and his efforts to slump Volpe’s limp body into the backseat of the SUV. After he successfully got him inside, everyone huddled around, staring at the vehicle. Waiting for orders.

“Where the fuck are we supposed to go now?” Caspian asked.

“We could go to my father’s house?” Leona offered, though her voice was unconvinced.

“Too risky.” Ciel shook his head. “They’ll know where you lived. They’ll check there first.”

“Fallon?” Wynn asked, wrapping a possessive arm around Leona’s waist. He pulled her to his chest, and she leaned her head against him. “Philadelphia?”

Leona looked up at him. “I don’t want to leave the boroughs. If we leave, we’re giving up the city. Our men are here. Our lives are here. We should stay.”

She was right. We couldn’t run to the Irish every time we needed help.

“The Russians, then?” Ryu pulled his phone from his pocket, but I held out my hand to stop him.

We needed to stand our ground, but we also needed security to regroup and plan. Somewhere no one would know.

“I know where we can go,” I said. Only our realtor and I knew the address. It was the safest option we had. “Ryu, you drive and take Ciel and Wynn. Leona, Caspian, you’re with me.”

“Where are we going?” Ryu asked as we both headed to our respective driver’s side doors.

“Follow me.”

3

CASPIAN

We pulled into the driveway of a mansion on Staten Island. The three-story home was set far behind the treeline, blocking the view of it from the road, and the driveway wound around like an asphalt river. Leona’s face pressed up against the window of our SUV, her hair hanging down her back as her head tilted. She’d shucked off the Kevlar vest, and it sat on the ground at her feet.

“Whoa,” she breathed. “Obi, seriously?”

He gripped the steering wheel. “What?”

“Is this the new house? The one you just bought.”

“Yes.”

“This place is huge!”

He smirked, catching her eye in the rearview. “I take it you like it.”

She grinned. “I’ll withhold judgment until I see the inside.”

Ryu, Wynn, and Ciel followed us in the other car, and we both parked at the doors of the five-car garage. The house stretched above us and spread out to the east and west. Columns upheld the second story, and manicured foliage decorated the front lawn and around the house. It was larger than even the Vero estate—the first time I’d seen that house, I’d almost choked in surprise. But this one? It gave me the same feeling: that I was just a little boy who didn’t belong around this kind of wealth. With a sigh, I unbuckled my seatbelt. That boy was long gone.

Max groaned softly, still passed out on the seat next to me. His bandages were already soaked through. I frowned. We needed to get him patched up fast. Medicine, stitches, and fingers crossed that he’d avoid infection.