He kicked us out and told me to explore.
Which means if anyone stops to ask me why I’m wandering around looking for the solarium, I have a built-in excuse.
This is perfect.
Now I just need to go meet whoever wrote that note and find out if I’m ever going to get out of this place.
MASS
“Did you enjoy your little date?” Lucy saunters into my private area without bothering to ask. She flops down into a chair and lowers her phone.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You do realize this place isn’t soundproof, right?”
I gaze at her coolly. “Here I was, assuming that your fear of me guaranteed you wouldn’t be listening.”
“Oh, they’re absolutely terrified.” She waves a hand toward my other employees. I can’t remember their names right now. The girls who work for me rotate through here so fast I never bother getting to know them. Not that I’d want to either way. “But I know better.”
“What do you want?”
“Just checking in.” Her eyebrows raise, and she smiles tightly. “Assuming you’re not busy daydreaming about your new pretty wife?”
I glare at her and don’t respond right away.
Inviting Allie here was a mistake.
It was supposed to accomplish two goals. First, I wanted to give her something to do. Second, I wanted to keep her close.
I thought helping her stay busy might make her transition to this new life a little bit easier. But mostly, I hate the idea of spending all day in this fucking office without seeing her.
Allie brightens this place. I despise it, but I also can’t stop thinking about her. She hates me right now, but when she’s not busy acting like she wants to stab me in the dick, she’s a startling ray of sunshine.
I loathe the sun. But she’s perfection all the same.
“Unless you have a report to give, you’re dismissed.” I don’t let Lucy’s mocking grin get under my skin. No, not even a little bit.
“Actually, there’s news.” She sits up and raises her phone again. I swear that thing is like another appendage at this point. “I’ve been hearing some talk about unrest and fighting in southeastern Turkey around some of our family enclaves. Gunfire broke out a few hours ago and there are casualties on both sides.”
“Who would dare strike us so openly?”
“You know who.”
I grind my teeth and look away. “He’s getting too brazen.”
“This is what happened last time.” Lucy’s tone takes on a harder edge. “He nearly won. He would have if it hadn’t been for you.”
“Medved is a problem, but he’s not our end.”
“You’re damn right he isn’t. But if the Turkish clans are bogged down, that means no heroin’s going to move into the ports around Iskenderun. If we don’t have ships moving, our operations will stall. That doesn’t reflect well on you. The whole point of a Dragon?—”
“Don’t you tell me what my purpose is.” I clench my fists and resist the urge to break something. Throwing a tantrum won’t help. “Dragons keep the world turning. If I can’t do that, I’ll lose support from the smaller families. I’m aware of the stakes.”
“Good. Then do something.”
I consider my options. None of them are good. Increased arms and funding to the local clans will help to a point. Turkish law enforcement is notoriously porous and happy to take bribes, but even they can’t ignore an all-out gang fight in a major city. We could shift operations over the border into Syria, but the instability in that region is even worse. There’s Beirut and even Cyprus, but running would make me seem weak.
“I’ll travel to Turkey and sort it myself.”
