“Easy to get to,” Kayden says. “We’re The Underground. There’s a reason why Evil Eye is so damn evil.” He leans forward, damn near in Niccolo’s face. “If you were to cross the wrong Hawk, that Hawk might just displace you from that program and give someone else your spot. And you won’t be alive to get a second chance.” He leans back in his chair. “Good thing that you represent the stability this region needs.”
I hold my breath, certain Niccolo is about to threaten him, but there’s the slightest hint of fear in Niccolo’s eyes and I get the feeling it’s unfamiliar to him.
“Our local kingpin, Raul Martinez, had troubles in the States. He left. Would you know anything about that?” Niccolo asks.
“I know something about everything,” Kayden says. “That’s what makes me such an ally, isn’t it?”
“Do not mistake what an enemy or ally I can be, Hawk,” Niccolo warns. “I will not leave this earth without rewarding and punishing those who deserve it.” He turns to me. “I’m growing impatient with your amnesia. You have one week.”
He stands up and leaves.
Kayden and I watch him depart, the seconds ticking by before Kayden says, “How was the coffee?”
I give him an incredulous look. “That’s all you’re going to say?”
“That was predictable.”
“He’s a problem.”
“He’s necessary for stability, just like I said. Besides, the fear I just saw in his eyes was the sweetest damn revenge I could ask for.”
“What about the necklace?”
“As far as we know, someone stole it from you that night in the alleyway and it ended up back with the British government. He should have protected you better. Niccolo is a problem checked off. Gallo is not.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I don’t want him to end up dead, and Niccolo might just do it to lash out at me at this point. And, what I couldn’t do with Gallo in the past, I might be able to now, with his sister involved: pay him off. I’m going to send Nathan to him and offer him money and protection for him and his sister, to get them far, far away. Let’s hope like hell that checks him off the list, as well.”
My phone buzzes with a text in my purse. I remove it and glance at the screen with a groan. “Marabella and Giada are determined to get me to go shopping with them, on Saturday of all days.” My gut twists a little, and the twist of weird emotions that follow is unsettling. “What do you think?”
“It sounds like hell, but it helps drive home the idea that we’re not planning anything and we’re not involved with what’s about to happen in Paris. In fact, plan it late enough in the day that I can meet you for dinner right before I leave.”
“You aren’t worried about safety?”
His gaze narrows on me and he rests his elbow on the table, leaning in close. “The watch is messing with your head.” It’s not a question.
“No. Yes. Damn it, I hate that I let Garner Neuville make me blink. The first time they brought this shopping trip up to me, my first thought was hell, no. I wanted to lock them away and hide them until this is over. And I really like that I can say that to you. But maybe I shouldn’t. My father said: Don’t give fear a voice. Don’t give it that power.”
Kayden reaches up and strokes my cheek. “Saying it to me is the same as thinking it to yourself and working through it. We all work through those things in our heads, Ella.”
“Even you?”
“You know I do. I know you know I do. Especially when it comes to other’s people’s safety. I’m protective of you and responsible for everyone who sees me as Hawk. This isn’t Paris the eve before an operation directly related to you, or even Paris on a normal day, where we always tread lighter. This is Rome, our operational center. Niccolo may own the city, sweetheart, but we own the core neighborhoods, where the real heart and soul rests. We own the heart and soul. And those people, those eyes and ears, are layers of protection and loyal followers, Hunters and otherwise. No one makes us afraid here, and that’s a message we send loud and clear in every action we take. We have people everywhere, and when I get back next week, I’m going to make sure you start meeting more than a small core group of Hunters.”
“I’d like that,” I say. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind sitting in while Matteo dispatches for a few days, to see how it all works.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” he says. “We’ll have him come over the next few days. You’ll get a feel for how deep our resources are before Saturday. And just as Evil Eye exists, there is ‘The Code,’ which is universal for all Underground operations. It’s meant to ensure Hunters are never Jackals. They’re a breed made of uncompromised morals and loyalty.”
“And that code is what?”
“There’s actually a book, but the bottom line for this conversation right now is: Loyalty and life above all else. You steal, you’re out. You betray us and that results in putting someone in danger, Hunter or civilian, you die. It’s brutal, but it’s the only way we keep order in a business this rogue and driven by money.”
I like that he’s included civilians in that code, but even more, I admire his passion as he speaks of life and loyalty. “Have you ever had to kill a Hunter?”
“Once. A massive payday was in play and the Hunter killed his partnering Hunter, a good man with two kids. I found our betrayer, ended him, and I have no regrets. And the money from that treasure went to that man’s family.”
“You kept none of it.”