Chapter1
Lennox
“We need to speak—alone,”I say, staring into the eyes of a monster. By all accounts, this man wants me and my friends dead. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be considering what I’m about to do. But even monsters have their weaknesses, and I know exactly how I’m going to exploit his to get what I want.
Unblinking, the monster’s dark orbs stare back. The whites of his eyes aren’t visible—just dark pupils. He doesn’t reveal at all what’s going through his head or even if he fully realizes who I am. We’ve interacted before, but to him I’m just a minion doing Beckett’s bidding. I’m not a player in this game, not a leader, so therefore, I’m a nobody to him.
The men around him draw their guns and aim them at me. I shouldn’t have been able to get past the other guards and security system, but I did. That makes me dangerous in their eyes.
There is no reason Vincent Corsi should take this meeting; he’s a powerful mafia leader. But I’m not going to reveal my hand unless he talks one on one.
I stare Corsi down, silently imploring him to meet with me in private. What I have to discuss is going to be well worth his time and the risk of meeting me without his security.
His eyes skim me up and down like a predator stalking his prey, making it even more obvious that he doesn’t actually see me as a threat. Maybe he shouldn’t. I have very little power. I have no army of men that will follow me. My combat skills are proficient, but others are better. I don’t have a lot of money to pay people to attack him. It’s just me.
But something in my gaze makes him decide I’m worth taking a chance on. With the slightest gesture of his hand, the men all lower their guns and file out of the room.
“This better be good,” Corsi says, sitting behind his mahogany desk with a glass of whiskey in one hand. He doesn’t offer me a drink or even motion for me to take a seat, but then again, I’m not his guest. I’m an intruder who just showed how incompetent his men are.
I take a seat in front of him anyway and grab the bottle of whiskey, helping myself to a glass from the corner of his desk.
His jaw twitches as I pour myself some of his Johnnie Walker Blue, but he doesn’t shoot me or tell me to stop. The man has a reputation for being ruthless and killing men for less, but he also respects a man for having some guts around him.
“You have a problem,” I say leaning back in my chair.
“I have many problems. Get to the point before I eliminate the one sitting in my office.”
I smirk. “I want to marry your daughter.”
Corsi freezes. I don’t know what he was expecting me to say, but it wasn’t that.
It gives me a minute to study the man. Corsi can’t be much past fifty, but the years of pain and loss he’s suffered have really taken a toll on him. His hair is practically all grey, sunspots cover his skin, and deep wrinkles crinkle his forehead, eyes, and mouth. Those dim eyes are sunken into his head like he hasn’t slept for years.
“You want to marry Rialta Corsi?” he asks.
“Yes, I want to marry her.”
He narrows his eyes, trying to read my mind and motivation. But I won’t let him see past my hard exterior. No one gets to know my real reasoning for this decision. No one gets to know my tragic history. No one but me.
“Why would I ever agree to that?”
“It’s the best solution to your problem. The man you chose to do it fell for your adopted daughter instead. And as much as you’d like to force him to marry Rialta, you won’t. You love River as much as you love Rialta, and you won’t take away her happiness. But you can’t wait any longer to get Rialta married.”
He frowns. “I can take as much time as I please.”
I shake my head. “You can’t. You’re tired of doing the job. You’re ready to pass down the torch to new blood.” I pause. “And cancer is coming quickly for you. I’ve seen your medical records. You need your legacy secured before you go.”
His face boils red. “I can do this job as long as I want! I don’t need one of Beckett’s guard dogs coming in and telling me I need to step down. I may be dying, but I won’t go as quickly as you’d like. I have years left.”
“I don’t have to tell you to step down because you already know it’s the truth. It’s what you want to do. You need Rialta married. You need Rialta safe. You need your legacy protected. And then you need to retire and live what’s left of your life in peace.” I take a slow sip of my drink, not letting him see the fear beating through me.
I have no idea if what I’m doing is the smart move, but I have to try. It’s the best way to protect everyone I love—Beckett, River, Hayes, Gage, and even Rialta.
War will continue without Rialta married and the chain of leadership established. The Corsi men need a strong leader, Rialta needs a protector, and I need power I’ve never had.
“What about the Retribution Kings? You’re just going to abandon them? Because you can’t do both. You can’t lead my men and still be a Retribution King,” Corsi says.
“I will gladly relinquish my membership with the Retribution Kings. My loyalty will be to the Corsi men.”