Where one would rise, another had to fall. If one was injured, others would wait to feast upon their carcass like vultures waiting for its meal to finally die.
I couldn’t let that happen to Lucas.
As much as I wanted to just let Lucas fail, I couldn’t.
Sure, he had betrayed my trust, told me what I wanted to hear only to put me on that block and destroy it all, but it hadn’t dimmed my feelings for him. It didn’t change what I wanted, and heaven help me, I wanted him. More importantly, I wanted him to survive. The Mafia meant everything to Lucas, even more than anything I could ever have with him.
I could help him if he let me.
Sitting up in my chair, I weighed my options.
I was Leda D’Agostino. Carmine D’Agostino’s blood ran through my veins. I’d seen him act enough in my life. What would my father do in this situation? He might have been a bastard, but under his thumb, Nico and I had learned how to survive. We learned how to play the only game that mattered: the game of power.
So, I had to pick up the slack where he was faltering and give him the support that he didn’t know he needed.
Whether he wanted it or not.
I had to be his rock, just like Rory was to Nico.
No matter what he thought, Lucas was reactive. He saw an issue, and he took control of that issue, but not the bigger problem behind it. My father would take hold of the issue and the entire problem himself, eliminating the possibility of it ever happening again. It was one of the reasons he had stayed in power for as long as he had.
So that was what I needed to do. I needed to be the other half of Lucas. I just had to figure out how and when. We didn’t have much time, and our resources were horribly limited.
I stood and stretched my limbs, thinking about how much Lucas would hate if he saw me in control. There were ways for him not to realize he had just given me the power, and one of those was in the bedroom. I needed to know about his inner circle. I needed to know what his plans were. To challenge him where no one else dared.
A smile crossed my face as I walked back into the bedroom, going to the offending wardrobe that held nothing but lingerie. There was a clear, direct path to Lucas’s heart, and I knew exactly how to navigate that path.
I just hoped I could handle the fallout that was going to happen, because he wasn’t going to be happy that I was attempting my own takeover.
But it was his turn to find out what it was like to be used. But luckily for him, my motives were far different from his. I was doing this because I loved him, because I didn’t want to see him go down in flames. I wanted to see him succeed but also to realize that he wasn’t alone in this fight.
Something told me that Lucas was used to being alone, which was why he felt the need to protect himself from any sort of warm, fuzzy feeling that could bring him joy. It was the very reason that I felt like he couldn’t truly love me—not until he realized that there was no need for those walls he erected.
I could handle the burden for him. I could share his load.
I pulled out a short silk robe, holding it up to my body. It fell mid-thigh and barely covered anything up.
In short, it was exactly what I needed to put my plans in motion.
Chapter 17
Lucas
“I’m sorry, Don. That’s all I have for now.”
I unclenched my fist, wanting to throw my phone across the room at the news. “Keep an eye on him then. I want to know everything he’s doing.”
“Yes, Don.”
I ended the call and slammed the cell on the desk, taking a moment to dispel my anger. After my morning with Leda, I threw myself back into my work, following up with every capo I could. I knew I was grasping at straws, seeking out any who still remained loyal when the most loyal ones had already come. But mostly, I checked to make sure that Adrian hadn’t started going after properties just yet.
So far he hadn’t. He seemed to be content with keeping me here through uncertainty. But it was only going to be a matter of time before he did. All he needed was to get one – big enough for the others to notice.
Once that happened, others would follow.
I couldn’t blame anyone for jumping ship. It was the most sensible thing any of them could do. I didn’t have the luxury of protecting my assets.
Hell, I was trying to protect my ass first.