I walk into the billiard room and grab a pole off the wall. Then I step up to the table and hit the cue ball, knocking a four in the hole.
“You’re late,” Lev says.
I continue my aim for the next hole while he scoffs. “By like five minutes,” I counter.
“They seem to be hitting it off,” Lev whispers, swirling a glass of scotch.
I look over at Mia and Adrian and find they’re laughing with one another while they both sit on a small chair in the corner of the room. I knew it would happen eventually. It was just a matter of time.
“Finally.” I wink at Adrian, and he rolls his eyes at me.
“Enough of the game—you need to look at these,” Lev says, directing my attention to the files that cover the entire table. I just started playing, but he’s right: I need to sort this shit out. I don’t have Sloane on the boat for shits and giggles.
I take a file from the table and lay all the pictures out. “Which one is Giovanni after again?” I ask him.
“324 Parkway.”
He’s after the one building I want. The one building my father wanted me to take back. Giovanni might not even know about this, and if he does, I’ll kill him twice over.
I read the paper and see a name I recognize.
Gabe.
At this point, it’s just one bad thing after another. After losing two people who meant everything to me, life can’t seem to give me a fucking pass.
“Why the fuck is Gabe’s name on here?”
“I’d assume it’s because he wants to get it before you do.”
No kidding. Gabe has done shit like this my entire life. He goes after what I want every single time. He’s my cousin and believes he deserves to rule instead of me. He’ll never be able to comprehend that Pavel gave me his kingdom instead of him. He’ll never be able to get that through his thick skull.
“A meeting will be arranged with him,” I demand.
“Good. He’s using Kirill’s tactics,” Dimitri says as if I’m not already aware of his scheming tendencies.
Acting innocent until proven guilty—that’s his thing. I’m sure Gabe’s plan is to make it look like he has my best interests in mind, but he never has. He’s a snake who’ll go against me if I show one sign of weakness. He’s never gotten along with anyone in my family. I can’t even begin to understand how the fuck he’s still relevant.
“This is the building worth seven million.”
“Yes, but I don’t think Giovanni has the funds for it right now. You could take over his entire section of the city if you wanted to.”
I shake my head. I don’t want to take everything from him; I only want the buildings he hasn’t gotten yet. I want what’s mine.
“I don’t want his parts of the city. I just need that building. It doesn’t matter whether I have more money than Giovanni or not—it’s controlled by investors. If the three brothers choose me, it will eventually go in my name. All I need is Parkway and a house. The rest will come easy after that.”
“Many will see it as a threat.”
“I don’t give a fuck.” I need 324 Parkway. If Giovanni takes it over, it’s a roadblock.
I wasn’t planning on going back to New York yet—not for a while. But then I found out Giovanni is bidding. It’ll be nice to see Nina again.
I want everything in my name. I want the Stepanov name in New York. I’m tired of being seen as a threat an ocean away.
I reach for a cigarette from my pocket and light it.
“Reservations are planned for West 90—it’s in the Upper East Side. Clarke’s territory,” Lev says.
“That’s too close,” I tell him. “I told you to stay clear of them. Get rid of West 90.”
If I target the Clarke family, they’ll come after me with their fucking pitchforks raised. They’re ruthless and don’t blink at the sight of blood—as a matter of fact, they’re usually the first to spill it.
It’s been years since we last heard from them, and I’d love nothing more than to keep it that way. West 90 isn’t an option because it’s on their land. The second I sign a contract for a building in their territory, they’ll walk off with my head.
I could go the usual route, the way my family’s always done their business—drug distribution, loan sharing, tax fraud, and extortion—but I want to do this a better way. Property management. I won’t have to get my hands as dirty, and the feds won’t be on my ass like they are now. I want to control the city and make a profit without them even realizing it. I have a feeling that’s what my father wanted, but he never wrote it down. He made sure I would own the city again, but not in the way I figured. He must have known I enjoy management more.
“You could take over more this way.”
“I’m not trying to start a war with the Irish, Lev. They’ve been doing their own thing for years, and I want them to keep it that way. I already have too much going on with Giovanni.”
“I’ve got to hand it to you, man,” Dimitri says, taking a sip from his glass, “I thought this was just about revenge.”
“It is. But I also want what’s best for this family. It’s what my father wanted.”
“And what’s the plan with Sloane?”
I have many reasons for keeping her. Selfishly, I want to because of how my body reacts to her. I like how she always has something smart to say back to me, but if I keep this going, I might snap. I’ve never dealt with anyone like her. When people piss me off, I’m able to handle it—but I need Sloane alive.
There are two other reasons I have to keep in mind. One: if Giovanni takes a property I want, I’ll trade her for it. Two: if everything works out and I claim my section, I’ll use her for a contract. They can have her back if they agree to remain civil.
“It really all depends on how the event goes, doesn’t it?” I say.
“Will Giovanni be there?”
I shrug. “Depends on how badly he wants it and whether people will invest their money in him or me.”
“He has a wife and a daughter on the way. They’ll invest in him because he looks better.”
I’m aware of that. A family man is viewed in a better light than a single man. “That’s what Dimitri was telling me.”
“Sloane,” Lev insists.
I put out the cigarette in the ashtray and fold my arms across my chest. “Yep. Don’t ask me how I’ll get her to agree. She’s a wild horse who refuses to be ridden.”
“Make a deal with her.”
“Like what?” I ask, interested in his idea.
“If she does this for you, you’ll let her go.”
Let her go.
The thought of letting her go pisses me off. I’ll never admit it to her, but I’ve been enjoying her company. She maddens me. She makes me feel things I haven’t felt before. I fucking hate her. She never knows when to shut up and mind her own fucking business.
“She would believe you—you know that,” Lev muses.
“I wouldn’t lie to her. If that’s what I tell her to convince her, then I’ll stick to my end of the deal.”
“A man of honor,” he chuckles.
I toss my head back. “A man of honor.”
It would leave me empty-handed, at risk of the families coming after me.
Grabbing the pool stick, I place it back on the rack. “Max is arriving tomorrow. And there will be no fucking fighting.”
“He’s with Giovanni. Fighting is bound to happen,” Lev says, the veins in his neck standing out.
“He’s with me.”
I end my conversation with Lev and head back to my bedroom, where I take a shower and lie down on the firm mattress. I’d never be able to stay in New York without Sloane. She connects two strong families, and they’d do anything to get to her. But now I have to worry about her. I have to protect her from the people who want to steal her from me.
She doesn’t know the truth about anything, and when she learns, it’ll shatter her precious, fragile heart.
