I know the old fucker is smiling. I can practically feel his triumph from here. “You will stop your attacks on my men. Right now,” he tells me, knowing he’s got the upper hand here. “And as for the rest… do we have a deal?”
I have to think fast. I can’t imagine why Rokiades would want to give up Renata. Especially since his control over half the city would depend on her.
But perhaps he thinks holding the O’Sullivan don is a more effective strategy. There’s no doubt we’re the most powerful mafia in the city.
Or maybe this is all just a trap, a way to lure me out into the open so that he could attack.
Every possibility seems as likely as the next, and I don’t have the luxury of considering each one.
On the other hand, even if the exchange is made successfully, there’s no way Rokiades would be able to control my men. They’d never bend to his rules. Not without my command. And if he slaughtered me in cold blood, Cillian would come and take control.
The Clan will be safe, no matter what.
The question that remains is… Will Renata?
“Fine,” I reply. “We’ll meet at a neutral location and make the exchange. I want to see her first.”
“That can be arranged.”
“I’ll give your man a time and place,” I tell him.
“Looking forward to meeting you, Kian,” he says, using my name with a gross overfamiliarity.
I hang up, pull out a piece of paper and write down an address and a time. Then I turn towards his man and hand over the paper.
“Tell your boss that we each bring twenty men. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Good. Now get the fuck out of my house.”
* * *
Once the Greek is gone, I have all my men gather in the main foyer at the front door. Then I tell them about the plan. By the time I finish, their jaws are on the floor. For the first minute, only their protestations fill the air. “Don, you can’t be serious!”
I hold up my hand and immediately, silence descends.
“I appreciate your input… and your concern,” I tell them. “But I have to do this.”
“It’s a trap,” Ramsey says earnestly.
“It very well could be, but I can’t leave Renata with him. She’s too valuable and he’s too dangerous.”
“You’re valuable, too,” Collin points out. “Boss, without you—”
“Without me, you have Don Cillian,” I point out. “Your orders will come from him. You are to do as he commands. Understood?”
“Is he aware of this plan?”
I pause. “No,” I admit. “And he is not to be informed until after the exchange.”
“Boss—”
I hold up my hand again, silencing the fresh round of arguments. “I know I’m asking a lot of you. But I trust you all. I need you to trust me. I need you to resist no matter what. Remember, your loyalty lies with the Clan and the Clan alone.”
The men hold their closed fists up against their chest. The O’Sullivan salute.
I nod approvingly. “Now prepare yourselves,” I say. “We’re going in tonight.”
“Tonight?” Collin repeats in shock.
“At midnight. I’m the one who chose the location. It’s in the neutral territory between our land and theirs.”
I can see the uneasy looks that my men are exchanging. None of them like this plan. None of them can understand why I’m agreed to it. A part of me is even questioning my own judgement here. But even I can’t deny that my decision has little to do with judgement or reason. This has to do with emotion. I’m not making this decision for myself or for the Clan.
I’m doing it for her.