"Now that we’ve established the hierarchy," I say, holstering my gun, "let’s talk business."
I lean forward, placing my hands on the table.
"Nikolai Sokolov is weak. He lost his funding. He lost his pride. He is a wounded animal lashing out. I am going to put him down."
I look at each man in turn.
"I’m offering you a contract. One night. Total war. You hit his distribution centers in Queens. You hit his warehouses in Jersey.You burn his clubs in Brooklyn. You stretch his forces so thin they snap."
"And what do we get?" Diego asks.
"You get the territory," I say. "Whatever you take, you keep. And you get ten million dollars each, transferred to accounts of your choosing, the moment the job is done."
Chen picks up a bundle of cash. He flips through it.
"And Sokolov himself?" Chen asks. "Who gets the head of the snake?"
I look at Ivy. She looks back at me, her eyes burning with a dark promise.
"Nikolai is mine," I say. "He touched my wife. I am going to peel him apart."
Chen nods. He puts the cash down.
"The Triad is in."
"Yardies are in," Marcus King says.
"Latin Kings are in," Diego agrees.
I look at O’Malley. He is rubbing his neck, looking pale.
"O’Malley?" I ask.
He looks at Ivy. He flinches.
"We’re in," he mumbles.
"Good."
I zip up the bag. I slide it across the table to Chen. "Consider this a down payment. The rest follows the fire."
I step back. I offer my arm to Ivy.
"Gentlemen," I say. "Happy hunting."
We walk out of the club and into the cool night air. The adrenaline is humming in my blood, singing a song of violence.
We get into the back of the waiting sedan. Luca gets in the driver’s seat.
As soon as the door closes, I pull Ivy into my lap.
I kiss her. It is rough, possessive, hungry. I taste the victory on her tongue.
"You terrified them," I murmur against her lips. "O’Malley almost pissed himself."
"He needed to learn manners," she says, breathless.
I run my hand down the leather of her dress, gripping her thigh right over the knife sheath.
