“He’s a dead man walking if Neuville finds out,” Carlo replies. “I fucking love it.”
“He’s going to find out,” Kayden says. “Because you’re going to make sure he finds out.” He slides the envelope across the table to Carlo, who catches it easily. “Get that to the Jackal you know will sell out Alessandro and go to Neuville, preferably in Paris, but don’t let yourself be the source. When Alessandro falls we’re breaking up The Jackals. The existing members will have these options: follow my rules, leave the country, retire, or suffer great consequences. They’ll report to me through you.”
“Understood,” Carlo says, all of his cockiness remarkably, if only momentarily, washed away. “I won’t let you down.”
“Then hear me, and hear me well, Carlo. Alessandro does not die until Neuville and his second and third are dead, and it’s assumed to be retaliation. Do not get trigger happy and blow that. You communicate with me. We’ll design the timing. When he leaves for Paris, you and I will, too.”
It’s what I expected him to say. He wants to end this. I knew he would. Adriel, however, isn’t pleased. “You can’t get anywhere near this.”
“I’m ending this,” Kayden says. “One way or the other.”
“Aside from incriminating yourself,” Adriel argues, “this is dangerous as fuck. You’re too important to the stability of Europe to take that risk.”
Adriel convinces me he’s right and I open my mouth to agree, but somehow, some way, I remind myself that for now, at least, Kayden needs me to argue with him behind closed doors.
But Nathan doesn’t stay silent. “You can’t risk being connected to this.”
“I can back up Carlo,” Sasha says. “I know it leaves Gallo exposed, but Alessandro will now have other things to worry about. And I know Paris, and Neuville’s people. And I’d be happy to kill any or all of them that survive Alessandro.”
“You can back us both up,” Kayden says, his gaze warning me not to debate my role in this in this room.
A concern outside of Kayden’s safety hits me, and I speak up. “Niccolo will know that you released the information he sent you.”
“Here’s the piece of the puzzle you need to put it together,” Kayden replies, to me and everyone else. “Niccolo didn’t give me this file to satisfy me, or to offer you protection. He’s not that honorable. He knows what Neuville did to Ella. He knows I want Neuville dead. He led Alessandro into crossing my path and endangering Ella. He wanted me to use this to get rid of a stepbrother he wants dead.”
“Without starting a mob war,” I supply.
“Exactly,” Kayden says. “But we aren’t doing his dirty work,
leaving ourselves that exposed. We’ll clear the path for him or someone he trusts to do the job. And that’s what I’m going to tell him in person tonight.” Kayden considers a moment. “In fact . . .”
He glances at Adriel. “Contact our man inside Neuville’s operation. This is starting to read like a setup by Niccolo. I’m betting Neuville’s still wearing his watch, and the gift to Carlo was a plant, meant to hit a trigger with Ella and make me go after him.” He looks at me. “Niccolo knows you were running from his stepbrother.”
“We can’t assume it was Niccolo,” I warn. “It could have been Neuville.”
“It fits Neuville’s style of manipulation,” Sasha says, quick to support my worries.
“I’ll tell Niccolo I’m going to kill Neuville, which is what he wants,” Kayden says. “If he did send the watch he has no reason to deny it, and will likely gloat about how brilliant his plan was.”
“I’ll look for a connection between the customer who gave it to Carlo and Niccolo, just in case he tries to play coy,” Matteo says.
“Do that,” Kayden says. “And I need a final word on Blake Walker and Chris Merit tonight.”
“You’ll have it,” Matteo assures him.
Kayden looks at Sasha. “Deal with Gallo until we’re ready for you.” His attention shifts to Nathan and Adriel. “You know what you have to do.” He then scans the room. “Any questions or input?” After several beats of silence, he says, “We’re done, then.”
Everyone stands, including me. Only, as they disappear out of the War Room, I close the space between myself and Kayden, him watching my every step, his expression unreadable, those pale blue eyes hooded. Ridiculously, in those final few steps as he turns to face me, butterflies attack my stomach, ridiculous when this man is my soul mate. My shelter in every storm I will ever face, and in all the ones I now relive.
He doesn’t reach for me, standing there, all power and masculinity, his gaze sharp, unreadable. “I’m going to be a few hours. Maybe longer.”
I want to ask where he’s going, aside from seeing Niccolo. I want to tell him to be careful. But this is one of those moments where I must ensure that one of the fears I voiced doesn’t become reality. That I don’t become a distraction, one that changes how he makes decisions, and places him and the others in danger.
“I’ll be here when you get back,” I say.
He doesn’t immediately respond, and the wall I placed between us is still there, still dividing us. “What you said to Carlo—”
“I meant every word.”