Or what I won’t.
We’re all here tonight, except Reeves. He’s half a world away, fighting someone else’s war. Rhodes got word to him as soon as we knew. He’d be here if he could.
I map the room before I sit, taking in the brothers who made it. No one asked questions. Everyone showed up.
Wells stands by the window, grinding out a cigarette in the ashtray. His fingers tap against the glass, restless, his mind already working angles I haven’t asked him for yet. Too many hours behind a screen, too many vices to keep pace with the things he sees coming.
A chair scrapes softly behind me.
Cain dropped in from New York less than an hour ago. The sharp cut of his suit can’t hide the fatigue in his eyes. He’s used to problems he can charm or outrun. This isn’t one of them.
Rhodes sits off to the side, quiet, watching everything. He’s always been observant, even when he was too young to understand what he was seeing. Of all of us, he’s been spared the worst of this life.
I’m not sure that will last much longer.
Someone clears their throat, but no one speaks. They’re waiting for me.
Keller leans against the far wall, arms crossed, expression unreadable. He says nothing, just watches. He always does. Managing high-stakes risk taught him early that the loudest man in the room is rarely the most dangerous.
I clear my throat.
“I know it took time to get everyone here,” I say. “But now that we are, we need to decide what happens next.”
No one interrupts.
They’re all looking at me.
And for the first time, my father’s presence at the head of the table doesn’t anchor us. If I don’t step up with authority, we will fall hard and fast.
Cain leans back in his chair, his voice calm but firm. “I came straight from JFK, didn’t even go by Dad’s first. When I got the call, I didn’t think twice.”
“Thank you for being here, Cain,” I say, mustering every bit of goodwill I can. Cain is the kind of guy who needs that extra praise. That isn’t my nature, but if I’m going to be the leader of this family, I have to lead in a way that motivates everyone.
“We need you back. It’s time for all of us to step up now. We can only do this together. Are you here for the long haul?”
Cain adjusts his cufflinks, a subtle reminder of the world he’s been living in, one far removed from New Orleans but still tied to the family.
“Here as long as you need me this time, but I have to go back to close up my affairs. But, yeah, I’m selling the place in Manhattan. It’s time. New York’s been good to me, but it’s not home. Not like this. Once that closes, I’ll be back for good.”
Wells leans forward with his sharp expression. “I’ve still got my setup in Lafayette, but I’ll be here as much as I’m needed. This is where the fight is. But as you all know, I can do my work from anywhere.”
I nod, grateful for his unwavering commitment. “We’re all in, no half-measures. This doesn’t work unless we move as one.”
Keller, quiet until now, speaks up. His voice is calm but cutting. “We’ve all got the same question. What’s the plan, Ridge? All signs point to Boudreaux. We can’t sit on our hands.”
I take a steadying breath, letting their focus settle on me. “We apply pressure where he can’t ignore it. His reputation and leverage. We impede his ability to operatewithout interference. And we start with the one variable he can’t compartmentalize—his daughter.”
“Why would he go that far?” Cain asks. “Labor disputes don’t usually end in murder.”
“Your father had started standardizing sign-offs and access at the terminals,” Vin pipes in. “Less flexibility and discretion. If someone was profiting from the old way, that pressure would’ve felt personal.”
“Makes sense, I guess. They wanted us out of the way so they could make more money,” Cain answers.
Rhodes’s brow arches, his tone skeptical but intrigued. “The daughter? What does she have to do with this?”
“She’s his Achilles heel,” I explain, harkening back to what Vin said. “Laurent Boudreaux has one weakness, and it’s her. He’s built an empire that doesn’t flinch at losing men, money, or favors. But his daughter is the one thing we think he won’t let go.”
Wells leans back with his cigarette balanced between his fingers. “If we take her, it forces his hand. He’ll come to us, desperate and sloppy. That’s when we dismantle what he’s built and make sure he can’t touch us again.”
