Marcus eventually separated from the Castello’s when he and Alya went through something horrible. Do I wish something like that on anyone? No. But I am glad that I was no longer forced to watch the only woman I ever loved dangled in front of me like a piece of meat.
At least shewasthe only woman I ever loved. My Little Bird has captured my black heart in her tiny hands, and I do not want it back. I would happily hand her every piece of my soul so long as she stays. And, while I should be worried about the power Chantelle holds over me, I am not. At forty-three, it is time I live my life the way I want to.
As soon as Malia comes home and takes my position in the empire, I will do everything I can to bind Chantelle to me.
“He will come around,” Elijah says.
I look at him with a raised brow. I was so lost in my own head I had forgotten what our conversation was about.
“Lion,” he reminds me. “I think it pissed him off more that Liam did that when he wants to hate him.”
I snort.
“I don’t think Lion saying no will deter Liam. The boy is out of his depth after being thrust into our world, but he has not once coward beneath myself or Lion.”
Elijah hums in consideration.
“As admirable as that is, it can also be problematic.”
“Perhaps,” I say with a nod. “But it’s a good thing to have when you want to marry the next leader of a mafia, even if it makes him stupid sometimes.”
“Does he know what that means for him?”
Elijah is the only living soul who’s known my plans for Malia from the beginning. I wanted to let Lion in on it as he grew older, but his loyalty to Malia is much greater than it is to me. He would tell her and that would defeat the purpose.
“Somewhat,” I say with a sigh. “He sees me as a liar and doesn’t understand why I would do such a thing to my own flesh and blood.”
Elijah chuckles softly.
“The more you speak of Liam, and I see how he acts, the more I see Joey in him. I can’t imagine how hard that is for you.”
“It just reminds me what an asshole my best friend was,” I say through a tight smile. “It is refreshing. After so long, I had forgotten how much I missed Joey; visiting his grave became such a habit, such a routine, I forgot the person buried there. It’s selfish, but I don’t think I’d be able to follow through with my promise to him even if Liam and Malia hadn’t started… whatever they started.”
Elijah turns toward me, his dark eyebrows pulling together. I roll my eyes, hating when he goes into protective big brother mode. He’s done this since we were kids—assessing me and reading my mind as easily as if it were his own.
“I’ve told you before not to beat yourself up with feeling like you’ve failed your best friend,” he says, slapping his hand down firmly on my shoulder. “If Joey were still alive, he’d want Liam to have what he had with Nadya. You know that as much as I do. It doesn’t mean you’re not trustworthy and everything you’ve worked hard to build around your name is a façade. We’re all selfish in this life, and that’s not always a bad thing.”
I nod once in acknowledgment, scoffing when Elijah smiles, knowing I am irritated he can read me so easily. It is not the first time he has said those words to me, but I needed them all the same.
“What do you need from me, brother?” Elijah asks, and I drop my head looking inside my glass.
“I can’t let Malia die thinking she wasn’t good enough for me or this business not understanding why I did everything and worked so hard to make sure she was ready for this,” I croak, hating the weakness in my voice.
“Let me take over so you and Lion can focus on finding Malia,” Elijah offers. “I’ll handle the business here. With Mario coming in, he can help both of us.”
Mario Castello is Elijah’s nephew from Mexico. I can only come up with one logical reason as to why they would take him out of his own country to help us instead of using the men already in the states: they plan on keeping him here with us. Likely to assign to Malia personally, but I will not ask because, as much as my brother knows me, I know him. This will be good for Malia when she takes over, having someone specifically to watch her back to avoid things like this happening again.
“Chantelle is missing her friend,” I say. “She was at Insatiable when it exploded, but not listed in the names of those who didn’t survive.”
Elijah nods in understanding.
“Give me what information you know, and I will have Mario look for her.”
“She has a history of running and is apparently good at it. I want Chantelle to have her friend, but I need every man I have looking for Malia.”
I purse my lips, a thought taking root in my mind. If we find Chantelle’s friend Letty, will she then try to leave? Am I going to need to keep both of them here to make sure I can keep one?
My office door slams open, the door banging into the interior wall as Caine Byrne rushes in with both Donovan and Breckin behind him, their guns drawn. Elijah chuckles and leans back against my desk, crossing his arms like he is getting comfortable so he can watch his favorite television show. I sneer at the fucker who has the nerve to enter my personal space, not paying much attention to my dickhead brother beside me.