Declan casts a possessive look over me, and I have no doubt his logical side is being clouded by a mix of jealousy and whatever alpha male instincts he has that are screaming at him to protect me.
I place my hand on top of his, the one he's had wrapped around my thigh for the entirety of this meal, and give it a gentle squeeze. "Because there's something bigger that I still think we're missing. And Aleksander has been the first person to give us a lead that wasn't a dead end. He's not as attached to what's at stake, so maybe he can tell us what we're missing and look at things with fresh eyes."
Leaning forward, I press my forehead against his. "I love you, but we're both in over our heads now. Aleksander has proven himself to be useful so far. Let's see how much more he can give us."
Declan's eyes shut as he inhales deeply. "Fine. I'll do whatever it takes to protect you."
"As will I."
40
DECLAN
The last time I was in this room, I put a bullet through my uncle's knee for insulting Zahra. Now, I’m sitting next to the entirety of the Irish and Persian inner circle as we plot how to end Lorkan once and for all.
"I just don't understand why you didn't tell us sooner. We could have had thousands of men across the world scouring for Lorkan. His head would have been on a pike in minutes." Cyrus slams his hand on the table in frustration.
Zahra does her best to hide her flinch, but I still catch it. My hand immediately grabs the Glock tucked into my pants. That would be the first and last time he made her upset.
"I'm sure you would have loved to be the one to catch him and put an end to things, Cyrus," Aidan snarls, shooting daggers across the table.
Aidan had started having a lot of uncharacteristic outbursts lately especially where Cyrus was involved. The two were never fond of each other, Cyrus would also complain about my brother being a bratty kid, resulting in Aidanreceiving even more lectures from my disappointed father. The tension between them appears to worsen over time.
My brother put on a front of being carefree and that nothing bothered him, but I knew the truth. For as much evil Lorkan has done, he always tried to shield Aidan from our father's disappointment. When I first declared Lorkan had been exiled from our mafia, Aidan hadn't fully processed the reality. Now that I was calling for our uncle to be brought to us for his execution...I'm sure reality has started to sink in for Aidan.
“We did send a soldier to keep an eye on Lorkan—” I defend.
“A low-level soldier who was compromised. Zahra informed me that you received a package containing his severed head yesterday,” Cyrus spits.
"Arguing among ourselves isn't going to help our cause. We need a united front. Everyone needs to be on the same page," Arman warns, eyeing Cyrus.
"If your family meetings are always this lively, I hope to be invited to more. You can't write a family drama this good." Aleksander snickers from his corner of the room.
To my immense displeasure, Aleksander not only agreed to attend this meeting but also flew in from New York to attend it in person. The only reason why I haven't choked him with my bare hands yet is because Zahra has had entwined our fingers this entire time.
"If you'd like to make it through this meeting, I recommend keeping your comments to a minimum. While we appreciate your allyship, Aleksander, you are here to provide the intel you have gathered thus far about Lorkan's ongoing travels. And nothing more," Zahra warns.
He responds by putting his hands up in mock surrender.
"So, what’s our plan of attack?" Cyrus asks, eyeing Zahra.
"We take a plane to Turkey. At least a hundred soldiers with us, and our generals. There's a thousand already waiting for us in Istanbul. We demand to speak to Don Demir and don't take no for an answer. I'm tired of taking the timid approach to being a boss. If blood needs to be shed, then so be it."
"You're talking about bringing war to one of your biggest allies," Aidan protests.
"I'm talking about bringing war to one ofmy father'sbiggest allies. An ally who has chosen to harbor a man who has tried to kill me multiple times, and nearly killed his own nephew in the process." Zahra gives him a look so lethal that I can see him visibly shake.
Azula speaks in Zahra's defense. "Once we show Don Demir the evidence we've collected against Lorkan, he will either have to hand him over or enter a war with us, which I doubt his inner circle will support. We control nearly all of their trade routes."
"Doesn’t Don Demir have the same tattoo as Lorkan? Which means he’s probably on his side? What makes you think the two won’t come up with some bogus story on how they got matching tattoos in Vegas to cover up their betrayal?” Aidan brings up a good point.
"Zahra’s continued to make progress on Lorkan’s phone. Once she hacks into his phone, there will be an endless pile of evidence that indicates his guilt. Demir will be forced to submit to us, or risk a fight with our mafias." I challenge.
"Phone?" Cyrus inquires, raising an eyebrow at Zahra. "You have Lorkan's phone? Why didn't you mention this?"
She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "Because, despite my best efforts, I still haven't been able to crack it, so it's practically useless. I've wasted enough time already, hoping the phone would provide me with somesort of miracle. But we can't wait any longer. We need to act."
Cyrus looks at me, assessing, as if he's waiting for me to talk Zahra down, waiting for me to speak over her. I do neither. "Zahra has my full support. And the support of my men."
