Not stupid enough to make matters worse, I move, slowly taking myself to the space at his side, fearing the absolute worst. Christian’s eyes remain on me with confusion, and the small concern in his gaze tells me that no matter what, he’s still on my side. I still have his protection even though he’s questioning my loyalty.
Once I’m right where Russo wants me, an intense hush falls over the Den, and Russo pushes off the bar, doing his best to look strong in front of his men despite the pain he must be in. “There are a few things we need to discuss,” he announces, looking around the crowded bodies. Russo’s gaze flicks to mine before looking back to his people. “Last night, I was taken off the fucking streets by Widows,” he says, sending the men into an uproar. “Dominic Garcia tortured me for information, but I didn’t relent.”
My eyes bug out of my head as I look up at Russo.
The big, scary, broken man says what?
I swear he just told his people that Nic was the one who did this. Why would he do that? Is he trying to protect me or fuel their hatred of the Widows? This doesn’t make any sense, but I’m not stupid enough to speak up about it. For now, it’s the only thing keeping me breathing.
Christian glances at me, and that one look confirms his suspicion, but just like me, he keeps his mouth shut, letting Russo play out what little game he’s brought us all here to play.
Snake takes a step into the circle. “The Widows knew we were coming,” he spits, looking right at me. “The little bitch squealed. What’s she even doing here? She’s a Widow lover.”
Russo steps directly in front of me and grabs Snake by the front of his shirt. “That little bitch was given the impression that we were still weeks off from an attack. Your big mouth was the fucking reason they knew, so I suggest you shut the fuck up and stand back in line where you belong. Unless you’d prefer me to tell your fellow Wolves how you directly told Dominic Garcia that you were on your way to take them out.”
Snake’s eyes go wide, and he instantly begins to retreat as the Wolves around him start to murmur, but as Russo steps out of my way, Snake’s eyes come back to mine, filled with hatred.
“Today was a sham,” Russo spits at his men. “An embarrassment. You all failed me. Instead of standing strong, you bitched out to save my life, but you all know better. If you have a chance to take out the enemy, you take it, no matter what the costs, even if it means sending a bullet straight through my brain. Failures.”
Cries of outrage and protest come shooting through the Den, until Russo holds up his hands, not about to deal with their rowdy bullshit. “SILENCE,” he demands, bringing order back to his meeting. Once he has all of their attention, he continues. “Here’s the thing, Dominic has possession of something very important to me, something important to us all,” he says, referring to his company that is now actually in Colton’s possession, but these guys don’t need to know that. “Dominic will use this against us. He will retaliate. He will not sit back and accept that we came to his home. We need to be prepared because this isn’t just war anymore, this is a termination.”
The Wolves start chanting, showing that they’re ready for this when Russo holds up his hands, telling them to shut the fuck up. “I will lay my life down for the Wolves, but Dominic has made it impossible for me to fight, and because of that, there’s something that I must do.”
Every eye turns his way, focusing with every bit of attention they have. “In order to keep every one of your asses out of prison, I have to step down. I made a deal, and unless I stick to my word, we’re all going down.”
My brows furrow as the murmurs pick up through the room again. That wasn’t the deal that Colton made. It was my freedom for his company. What the fuck is he playing at?
“As of now, you have a new leader,” Russo explains. I glance at Christian, wondering how the fuck this is supposed to work. Does Snake step up as his second, or is Christian supposed to take over the family business? What kind of side deals has Russo made?
Christian's brows furrow as Snake raises his chin, puffing out his chest with pride. He’s assuming that today is the day he finally gets what he has always wanted, but when Russo reaches back and snaps his fingers around my wrist and drags me forward, dread sinks heavily into my stomach.