Roman shakes his head. “We go out there and see what the fuck she wants,” he says as though it’s as easy as that. “Let her show her cards and use them against her. All that matters is that she still needs you alive, at least for now.”
My lips press into a hard line. “Not unless she assumes that you’re going to kill your father. Then technically, she has no use for me.”
“FUCK,” Levi grunts, his hands going to his head. “Why does every motherfucker we meet want to see you in a goddamn grave?”
“You’re telling me,” I scoff before moving to the door. “Let’s just get this over and done with. Hopefully, we can get her to fuck off without having to put a bullet through someone’s head.”
“Marcus isn’t going to like that,” Levi says under his breath, letting out a heavy sigh before reaching for the door and giving me a tight smile. “What do we have to lose?”
Roman lowers his tone, darkness seeping into his obsidian eyes. “Absolutely everything.”
Stepping out into the cold night to face down Gia’s army isn’t exactly something I want to get used to. Until now, it’s always been Giovanni’s army that we’ve faced down in the dead of night, and though that’s not a great feeling either, Gia’s army is something different. They’re stronger and fiercer than Giovanni’s men. They play by their own rules and are well versed in the art of manipulation.
The soft breeze hits my face as Roman and Levi flank me, no longer demanding that I stay behind them as they have in the past. Tonight, we stand as equals.
Gia’s men stop the moment they notice us, and we immediately begin descending the stairs, not allowing their presence to intimidate us.
Gia continues forward with Zeke at her side, and my gaze flickers toward him, capturing his hard stare with nerves. The last time I’d seen him, he was giving me keys to a getaway car and telling me that if I ever returned, it should be to put a bullet in Gia’s head. If it weren’t for him, I never would have gotten away. I never would have found the guys, and I sure as fuck wouldn’t have been able to get them the help they so desperately needed.
Without Zeke, the boys would be dead and for that, I owe him my life, but he’s also the man who keeps Gia’s bed warm at night. He has other intentions at play here, and I’m not sure he can be trusted.
We hit the bottom step and Gia watches me like a hawk, keeping a fair distance, but not too far that we have to shout to be heard. She glances over Roman and Levi, scanning them from head to toe, probably mentally tallying how many weapons are on their bodies and where their weaknesses may lie. “You’re missing a brother,” she comments, her gaze sharp and controlled.
“We are,” Roman states, allowing her to believe the worst rather than explaining that the third brother is currently propped up on the roof of the mansion with a rifle pointed right between her eyes.
Gia narrows her gaze, not believing it for one second but having nothing else to suggest otherwise. With her whole army at her back, what does it really matter? We’re only a small handful up against a fucking empire. We don’t stand a chance.
Gia’s gaze comes back to mine. “You ran from my home,” she states. “You know the consequences. I explained to you what would happen if you were to run.”
I nod my head. “Yeah, I heard you loud and clear. I heard the threats rolling off your tongue as though you’d dipped them in poison, but you know what? Your threats don’t mean shit to me … and neither do you for that matter.”
Gia’s gaze darkens in a similar way that Roman’s does when he’s being tested, and it’s damn clear that she doesn’t appreciate it. “Do you see how this looks?” she spits. “What position you’ve put me in? My daughter, my heir, has willingly risked her life to save DeAngelis scum.”
I laugh. “And I’d do it again.”
Roman groans at my side. “Stop provoking her,” he mutters under his breath.
Whoops.
“Your foolishness has come to an end,” Gia spits. “You are embarrassing me and the legacy that I will be leaving behind. You will be coming with me whether you like it or not, so I suggest that you march your ass over here before I am forced to come over there and take you.”
Levi flinches at my side, and I brush my fingers against his, allowing my pinky to hook around his thumb and feeling him slowly begin to calm. “So you can train me to kill Giovanni, turn me into one of your soldiers, only for you to fake a sickness and kill me once you’ve used me for your sick games? Yeah, fuck that. It was a nice idea while it lasted, but I’ll pass. Catch ya on the next one.”
Gia’s eyes blaze, realizing that her carefully structured plan to fake a disease and rule the fucking world is imploding in her face. She scrambles, trying to think of how to play me, but it won’t work. I’m not interested. I have too much to lose to risk being tangled up in her twisted little web again.
“I’m going to give you three seconds, Shayne Moretti. You’re going to cross this lawn and stand behind me. You’re going to say goodbye to your lovers and then walk away.”
A smile pulls at my lips, and I hold back a laugh. “I applaud your confidence, really, I do. It’s impressive, but I’m over it. You’re not my mother. We may share the same blood, but you do not hold a damn thing over me. I’m over playing by other people’s rules. I’m the puppeteer now, and you just stepped into my world.”
Zeke presses his hand to his ear and in an instant, we have every gun on the property turned toward us. “You want to play games, Shayne? Then that is what we will do.”
Her gaze drops to my chest, and I glance down to see the red, glowing dot on my chest, and I laugh, glancing up to find an identical one right between her eyes.
“Two can play that game,” I say, watching as Zeke's head snaps up to the top of the mansion, seeking out Marcus’ rifle with shock on his face. He hadn’t expected us to be so prepared, and that’s on them. They should have known that no matter what, we have each other’s backs. “You know, I’m surprised you bothered making the trip all the way out here. After all, don’t you have bigger issues to worry about other than tracking your degenerate daughter all over the state?”
Her gaze shifts over the property, taking in Marcus’ exact location, taking her time as she tries to figure out how to play this, though something tells me that she’s considering ending us all right here and now. But then, I’m sure she knows just how unhinged Marcus can be. He won’t hesitate to pull the trigger, and he sure as hell won’t wait for a reason to do it.
Gia’s stare falls back to me, narrowed and showing just a hint of confusion.