My surprise meets Torin’s nonchalance, but I’m not entirely rocked by the fact my brother finally did what he said he would always do. Emilio treated him like shit. There’s never been even one time, that I remember, when he gave Torin any praise or love.
“Ramsey will never let her have The Landing’s seat, and I don’t want her to try,” Cairo chimes in. “He’ll call her out.”
“I agree,” Oz mutters, and the sound of his voice makes me want to jump him all over again.
“He’s next on the list,” Torin says matter-of-factly. “He has to be. He’s never going to play nice?—”
“One step at a time,” Lorenzo decrees with a raise of his hand. “First, I need you all to align and make sure you are all on the same page with her.”
“The Nameless will barely let us through,” Cairo claims before I can tell Lorenzo he can count me out. “They’re more protective of her than they were of Wallace.”
“She’s a woman,” his father replies. “And she’s new. I also highly doubt she wanted it either. Which makes this even harder.”
“Ramsey has to go,” Cairo says. “Torin can sit on the seat all he wants, but she’s the heir. He doesn’t need to call Torin out. Ramsey can just kill him.”
“Then she’ll need to give it to him,” Lorenzo replies. “Because she is the only one who has any right to it.”
“Torin can call him out to distract him,” Cairo professes. “Make it look like two brothers fighting over it.”
“Bay isn’t going to give it up,” Torin cuts in, earning both Blacks’ attention. “She’s going to do it for South Shore. Forhim. She’ll want to merge both towns together. It’s what her father always wanted. What she always wanted. Ramsey calls her out…she’ll take the fight.”
Cairo rises from the couch. “He will pick the most fucked-up way to gain it. If we can’t do shit about it, then he doesn’t see her. He doesn’tgetto her.”
Torin looks up at him. “And is your plan to keep her locked up, brother? Because that girl will run you into the ground.”
“She only has three shots,” Cairo grinds out. “To get a fair chance. Andhegets the last option.”
Three shots.
Three opportunities.
When someone is called out for the Titan seat, you’re automatically fucked. The person calling you out gets the first option of how you fight for it. If it sucks, you deny it, then get to pick the next method. They will, of course, shoot that down and pick the shittiest way to obtain the spot.
Ramseywillmake it nearly impossible for her to get it.
“Then you need to get to him before he does Bay Astor,” Lorenzo states. “Roger would never want her to go up in a Titan fight. He never wanted her to be part of this world. I’m trying to do my best to keep with his wishes now that he’s gone.”
Silence falls throughout the space, and I take a seat back on the couch. Everything has gone to hell in a handbasket, and I’m not looking to have a picnic.
But this is our life.
These are my brothers.
And we always planned to stop this bullshit war.
However, Ramsey stands in the way of it.
“She’s pregnant,” Cairo spouts, straightening his spine as his father gapes at him. “She’s thinking about?—”
“Shewon’t,” Torin cuts in. “Don’t evensayit, Black.”
Cairo sends him a withering glower. “I’m not arguing with you about this again. She’ll do what she wants.”
“And sometimes she doesn’t know what’s good for her.”
“You think her having a child she’s more than likely not ready for is the best move? She already hastwosisters and a fucking kingdom under her belt?—”
“With a bunch of fuckheads whoyousaid are super protective over her. She’s terrified. Add in silly-ass Wallace deciding to up and die, and now, she’s lost. Ridding herself of that child isn’t going to make it better.”
