Negotiations are easy. Lucy did most of the hard work up front. I have to listen to the old man tell stories for a half hour about his glory days, but mostly I get the feeling he’s trying to ingratiate himself to me.
“It’s not often a Dragon visits the city,” Giulio says once we’re finished and the details have been agreed on. “You do me a great honor.”
“I’m glad you appreciate it.”
His smile is insufferable, and I don’t start to feel better until we’re back through the club and out on the sidewalk.
“Painless. Told you it would be easy.” Lucy keeps tapping at her phone. I swear, at this point, it’s like a part of her nervous system.
“Maybe for you.”
Enzo falls in once we’re outside. He’s in his late thirties with dark hair streaked gray and an athletic frame. Ten years ago, he was the best sniper the Navy Seals had ever seen. Now he’s one of my closest allies. “Sir, perimeter is locked down. No problems found.”
“Good. Gather the team. We’re heading to the airport.”
Lucy sighs and looks up. “You should stay the night. Let the New York families come pay their respects.”
“They can pay their respects to you.”
“They already do. It isn’t the same.”
I glare at her. “Bad enough I put myself through that worthless meeting. Now you want me to shake hands and play politics?”
“Yes. I do.”
I turn to Enzo. “Make sure the plane’s ready when we arrive.”
He nods sharply and melts back into the night.
Lucy sighs but doesn’t argue. She knows better than to disagree with me when I’m in this kind of mood.
The truth is I know she’s right. I’ve gotten more and more reclusive over the years. As my power has grown, I’ve been able to keep the world away. Layers and layers of assistants, soldiers, caporegimes, and lawyers act as a buffer between me and the massive web of businesses I keep afloat. When I was officially raised to the position of Dragon five years back, that new level of power and respect only made me fade into the background even more.
Lucy’s always saying I need to get out more. Sometimes she even offers to fly women to the Fortress for me. But I always make it clear.
I don’t pay for sex. And I’m not interested in people.
“Makes it hard to find a partner then,” she likes to grumble at me.
Only Lucy gets to talk like that.
We approach my town car limousine and I’m already thinking about home. But before we make it, a voice cuts through the night.
It’s a woman. She sounds frustrated, angry, and a little afraid. I turn to the corner and come to a sudden, fascinated halt.
The girl from the bar earlier is standing near my car. She’s facing the young man, but now she seems angry. Her jaw’s tight and her hands are fists. The young man comes closer, talking softly, but she yanks her arm away.
“—told you already, I don’t want to.”
“What’s wrong with you, Allie?” The young man seems exasperated and drunk. He weaves a little as he snatches at her again. “My place is like ten blocks from here.”
“I’m going home, Thomas. Would you just stop? My Uber’s coming to the corner over there?—”
“You don’t need a fucking Uber. I thought you were into this?”
“We’re friends. Would you stop?”
Thomas reaches for her again. I tilt my head curiously as she slips to the side gracefully. The young man loses his balance and snarls as he swipes at her suddenly, his open hand catching her in the side of the face.
