Chapter 25
Four days later, we arrange a meeting with Caleb and Victoria.
Things have been moving fast in the wake of Luca’s death. For one thing, the story of how he died and the events that led up to the fight at the cemetery have become something of a legend already. Rumors about Luca and his double-dealings started flying almost immediately, fueled by a slow and controlled leak of information by me and the guys.
We’ve been careful about what we reveal, using those revelations to our advantage as we begin to fill the power vacuum left by Luca’s sudden death.
That’s what we need to talk to Caleb and Victoria about, actually.
“Nice spot,” I comment, glancing around at the large park that surrounds us.
The men and I are sitting on a bench set along an out-of-the-way path while kids play in a field nearby. I can hear happy shouts and screams from the small playground in the distance. The afternoon is bright and cloudless, and even though there’s a little chill in the air, the sun heats my face.
Marcus nods, catching my gaze. “It was neutral territory under Luca’s rule, and I don’t see any reason to change that.”
“Even if we plan on changing everything else,” Theo adds, looking up from where he’s tracing the shapes of the roses on my tattoo. The light contact of his fingertip on my skin sends a pleasurable little thrill through me.
Movement to my left catches my eye, and I glance up to see Victoria walking toward us. Last time I saw her, she was dirty and disheveled from a vicious and bloody fight. But she looks elegant and sharp today, her auburn hair sleek and her makeup perfectly done. She walks with a slight limp, which I’m sure would be worse if she weren’t so determined, and one hand lightly grips the arm of the tall man who walks beside her.
It must be Jaden.
She never described him, but I know it’s him anyway. I can tell by the way her body seems to unconsciously lean closer to his, and by the protective way he moves beside her that the two of them are in love.
That this is the man she did all of this for. The man she fought for, tooth and fucking nail.
He’s got dark brown hair and deeply tanned skin. His eyes are dark too, framed by long lashes, straight brows, and high cheekbones. His expression is serious as his gaze tracks over all of us, and I wonder what Victoria has told him, or what he’s heard from other sources.
When they reach us, Victoria nods curtly.
As she introduces Jaden, I shoot a surreptitious glance at my men. Technically, this negotiation was just supposed to be between the four of us, Victoria, and Caleb. I wait to see if any of them will object, but none do. They must know as well as I do that Jaden will be a part of this no matter what.
“Where’s Dom?” Theo asks.
The name sounds so strange to me now. At some point in the middle of this fucking ordeal, my brother flipped from being Dominic to being Caleb in my head, and it’s hard to think of him any other way now. But not everyone knows his whole story yet, I don’t think, and I appreciate that Theo is letting him be the one to tell it.
“I don’t know.” Victoria shrugs. “He’s not staying at my house anymore. After two days, Doctor Brenson gave him the go-ahead to move around, and he left. Brenson will still do his follow-ups, but I haven’t spoken to him since then.”
“There he is.” Ryland jerks his chin, and I turn to see my brother walking slowly up the path from the opposite direction.
Caleb is moving slowly, but he’s upright and has a lot more color than he did last time I saw him. The sun glints off his dark hair as a messy piece falls across his forehead, and when he sees us all looking at him, he tries to pick up his pace.
“Jesus, he’s gonna pull his stitches,” I mutter, irritation in my voice. I stand up and stride quickly over to him, meeting him halfway and offering him my arm.
He looks at it in surprise, and I press my lips together.
“Don’t make a big deal out of it. And don’t expect this kind of thing all the time. I just don’t want you to pop your stitches and bleed all over yourself while we’re discussing the fu
ture of Halston.”
Caleb’s mouth twitches like he’s trying to fight back a smile, but he doesn’t say anything as he rests a hand on my good arm, letting me take a little of his weight.
When we reach the others, Marcus, Ryland, and Theo are all standing. I step up beside Marcus, and the seven of us form a small circle.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us,” Marcus says, skipping the boring pleasantries and jumping right into things. He glances from Victoria to Caleb. “As I’m sure you’ve both noticed, the landscape in Halston is already shifting. There’s a small window of time before the power structure settles. The Morello and Saviano families are already scrambling to increase their influence, but with Gabriel’s and Michael’s deaths, each organization has their own internal shit to deal with. That leaves an opening. An opportunity.”
Victoria’s eyes narrow slightly, and I can tell that although she’s keeping her face set into a neutral mask, she’s interested.
“We have a proposal for you,” Ryland adds, picking up where Marcus left off. His gaze bounces from Victoria to Caleb. His black eye has faded a bit, the colors turning a little green around the edges. “An offer.”