The chief of police smiled. “You passed the final test.”
“What?”James blinked.“Finaltest?That implies there was more than one.”
“Congratulations,” the mayor said.“You are the new leader for the Coalition.”
He glanced at each face, seeing only smiles.“I’m confused.”
“A great leader knows when to accept defeat and when to fight,” Arnold Dane said.“To never back down.To cherish that which he has been given and follow his intuition.”
James glared at his grandfather.“That’s not what you said.”
“It was a test,” David said with a shrug.“Had you killed Kleya, you would have been killed as well.Remember, Landry Sessions failed his test.”
Which meant Landry and his entire family were gone, and Glanville Rogers lost a daughter.Kleya’s grip on his hand tightened.
“Being the leader of the Coalition will weigh heavily upon your shoulders,” the mayor added.“You’ll have to make difficult decisions and rule with a firm hand.Those who wrong us will pay.Those who embrace us will flourish.As leader, it will be your duty to go with your gut instinct, much like you did just now by sparing Kleya’s life.”
He glanced at Timothy Bens.“You tried to bribe me.”
“I was the first test,” he said, grinning.
James frowned.“How many did I have?”
“The kid was the second test,” David added.“And the woman at the gala was the third test.”
“Even me,” Chef Pierre added.
“Then finally your wife was the last,” the major murmured, smiling at Kleya.“All traits of a good leader.Loyal.Trustworthy.Above reproach.Devoted.”
“And love,” David added.“It was the one thing Howard lacked.Love leads to empathy, and he never could understand that.The Coalition is designed to help all of us, but some of Howard’s decisions led to the gangs upheaving our city.They are threatening our stable markets.”
“We’ll take back our city,” James assured.“There are good people who need help.If we lift them up, they’ll fight tooth and nail to hold on to their new futures.This takes power away from the gangs.”
“But that doesn’t make them go away,” the sheriff pointed out.“I’ve been fighting them for a long time.”
“Then we’ll have to be ruthless,” James said without hesitation.“We’ll dismantle them one by one.”
The council nodded, agreeing.In his grandfather’s eyes, he saw pride.
“Take the day to celebrate with your wife,” the mayor said.“Tomorrow we’ll strategize.”
The group of men left the warehouse.James turned to her and cupped the back of her neck, bending so their foreheads touched.
“You did it,” Kleya whispered.“You’re now the head of the Coalition.”
“You stood by my side.”.
“I’ll always be by your side.”
He slammed his mouth down on hers and reveled in the fact that everything he wished for came true.
