“Shall we begin?” I take the seat across from them, Leon moving to stand behind my chair like a sentinel. His presence is comforting, a reminder that whilesomepeople may choose tobetray the Novak Consortium, others have loyalty stronger than death.
Brie’s smile widens. “I’ve spoken to the Styx Syndicate. They’re interested in lending a hand, but they’re not willing to risk their own resources without certain assurances from the Novak Consortium. So with that in mind, let’s talk over this new contract.”
I incline my head slightly, the picture of icy composure. On the surface, I’m focused on strategy, weighing the implications of this three-way alliance against the Gattos. Considering supply lines and Brie’s requests and the delicate balance of power that she wants to maintain with other organizations in Las Vegas, to keep the criminal underworld from devolving into open warfare.
But underneath, my mind isn’t in this boardroom at all.
It’s back at that hospital, tangled up in Robin’s strawberry blonde hair. It’s replaying the fire in her blue eyes when she told me there wasn’t enough money in the world to make her leave her sister. It’s remembering the way her voice shook even as her spine stayed straight, the contradiction of vulnerability and strength that defines everything about Robin Rivers.
My impossible, infuriating Robin.
She’s not yours, I remind myself viciously.You sent her away, remember? You chose your grief over her warmth, your pride over her heart.
“This shipment routes through the port authority in LA,” Brie continues, spreading documents across the mahogany table. “So we’d need to coordinate with your people in Cali, make sure the weapons reach us without interference.”
I should care about this. Should be dissecting every word for hidden meanings, every pause for signs of deception. Any alliance with her—even one that I initiated myself to rid the world of the Gattos—requires constant vigilance.
Instead, I find myself wondering what Robin is doing right now. Is she still sitting beside her sister’s bed, holding that fragile hand and pretending she’s strong enough to carry the weight of her family’s world? Is her brother arguing with her, pleading with her?
Or is she already planning to accept my offer? Already resigning herself to another thirty days in my castle, in my bed, under my control?
Leon shifts behind me, the movement so subtle that anyone else would miss it. But I understand his warning. He knows I’m not fully present. Knows my mind is elsewhere.
He knows metoowell, sometimes.
Brie Colombo is waiting expectantly, eyebrows raised.
“The timeline?” I ask after a moment.
“Six weeks,” Dominika speaks for the first time, flat and professional. She doesn’t look at me, keeps her eyes fixed on the documents spread between us. “The Gattos have been shoring up their territory and making friends. If we’re doing this, the response needs to be sudden and complete. There can be no loose ends.”
She could have been sitting atmytable instead of Brie’s, planning strategies that served my interests instead of my rivals’.
But that was before she chose love over duty and walked away from everything. Fromme.
Just like Robin will walk away again, even if she swallows her pride and crawls back to me for another thirty days. Once she’s paid her debts and saved her sister, she’ll have no reason at all to stay with me.
“Fine,” I say abruptly, the word cutting through Brie’s detailed explanation of the weapons they require. “Whatever you need. The Consortium will provide it all.”
Silence falls over the boardroom. Brie’s eyebrows arch once more, but in surprise this time. Even Dominika looks at me now, her dark eyes narrowing as she studies my face.
“You’re very agreeable today,” Brie says carefully, and I can hear the suspicion in her voice.
“I have other pressing matters to attend to. Las Vegas might be the center of your world, but it is not the center of mine.”
Brie studies me for a long moment. She’s looking for weakness, for some sign that the great Eva Novak might finally be showing cracks in her armor. Part of me wants to give her something to sink her teeth into, just to see if she’s brave enough to try.
But I don’t have time for games. Not when Robin is sitting in that hospital room, weighing my offer against her pride, deciding whether to save her sister or preserve what’s left of her dignity.
Not when every second I spend in this boardroom is another second away from the only person who’s ever made me feel fully alive.
“I have given you my word,” I tell her. “The Consortium will provide whatever resources the Colombos or the Syndicate think they need. There will be no hold ups.”
“Excellent,” Brie says finally, though she still looks like she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. “I’ll speak to the Syndicate again, but if you can push these deliveries through, that will do a lot to build goodwill from them.”
I rise from my chair. Leon falls into step behind me without a word.
“Eva.” Nik’s voice stops me as I reach the door. I turn, meeting her dark eyes for the first time since entering the room.
