After what Johnny and Claire went through and how many times the guys almost lost June, I can't be too careful with Cora. The only problem is, she's not mine to protect, at least not yet. Maybe one day she will be. And tomorrow will be the first stepping stone in making that happen. She thinks I want to meet her about business, about the interior design in the unit she's in charge of decorating...when what I really want is to take her on a date, to court her, to see if she'd be willing to take a chance on me.
I've tried so hard to withstand and disregard my feelings for her. I heeded Simon's warning and heard Magnus out when he said he was just trying to protect Cora, but they have no idea how I feel. They got the girl. I didn't. How are they okay calling the shots about my love life when they involved an outsider and everything worked out fine for them?
And hell, there's four of them sharingonegirl. I'd build a whole army if it meant I could have Cora in my life.
I press on the brakes in front of The Manor and pull behind that obnoxious Bentley parked out front and roll my eyes.
Ricardo Gardella. Literal scum of the earth, piece of shit.
I don't know a single fucking person that doesn't want him dead, and yet, here he is, alive and well, plaguing us all with his presence.
If putting a bullet between his eyes wouldn't end with me dying, too, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But he's got this weird kind of old-school-been-around-forever power that was passed on from his father and the next. It's a generational thing and despite him having next to no business sense and absolutely no tact, he holds a great deal of power. Enough to keep him aligned with just the right people and far out of everyone's reach.
I hop out of the seat and slam the door shut behind me, clicking the button on the key fob to lock it.
The valet walks toward me, but I don't stop. "Come get me if it needs to be moved." I slide a hundred into his hand on the way by and continue past everyone standing around the area smoking and chatting.
I'm not even through the revolving door when Ricardo spots me.
"Miller, son, it's great to see you." He hacks as he approaches and wipes his hand on his chest.
It would be great if the universe would do us a solid and take him out from natural causes instead of torturing us with his continued existence.
"Listen, Ric, I'm in rather a hurry." I point through the lobby in hopes that will be enough to get him off my tail.
"I won't keep ya, son. I just wanted to tell you, if you needed any help with yourproblemthat I'd be more than happy to provide my assistance. For a price, obviously."
I exhale and turn toward him. "What problem?"
"I think you and I both know what the problem is. That's why you're here, isn't it?" He coughs again, and I wish I was farther away, so I didn't have to smell the stench of his breath. "You're meeting with Dominic and Hayes?"
I step a bit closer to him and square my shoulders. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
Ricardo throws both hands palm up toward me. "Okay. But don't say I didn't warn you. If you don't get this taken care of soon, it's not a good look for the east or west coast sectors. Maybe merging together wasn't the best idea after all."
"I'll keep it in mind. Now, if you'll excuse me." I don't bother letting him get another word in. I turn on my heel and march down the corridor to the private area Dom usually has us meet in when we're here.
This might be a criminal hotel with plenty of influential people, but with Dominic in charge of the West Coast sector and me running the East Coast, we're the most powerful people in this building. Sure, different people have different ranks or pull or influence, but if there was a war, Dom and I would come out on top,especiallynow that we've aligned.
I knock on the door twice, pause, and add another solid knock. It's silly, but it's effective.
The door opens a second later, Coen Hayes greeting me on the other side. His face is in its usual manner. Serious, stoic, and a bit like he has a stick up his ass. He's a strangely pretty man, like in a very beautiful kind of way, but damn is he the grumpiest and most bitter dude I have ever met. The only time I have ever seen him soft is with June, and according to the stories I've been told, even that took some time.
Apparently, June's the reason he turned into a major grump ass in the first place. They were childhood friends and were tragically separated. He was in love with her then, and the relationship ending fucked them both up badly. June turned into a stone-cold bitch and Coen, well, he turned into a murderous psychopath. Who knew fate would bring them back together ten years later when she was sleeping with his two closest confidants? Luckily it seems to have worked out, but I can't imagine how difficult it was to get to where they are today.
And even though he's gotten the love of his life back, he's still a royal dick. But damn is he good at his job.
"You're late," he groans.
"Traffic," I lie andstep into the decently sized room.
"Thanks for meeting us." Dominic stands from his seat, his suit jacket folded neatly and laid over the chair next to him. His shirt cuffs are rolled up his forearms and his hair seems a bit disheveled. Still, he's properly put together, a hell of a lot more than Coen and I are, just not his typical over-the-top perfect Dominic.
It's sort of terrifying how orderly he is on a normal basis. Usually not a hair is out of place, nor is a wrinkle in sight on a single piece of his wardrobe.
Dominic has probably been in the life as long, if not longer than Ricardo, but the difference between the two is that Dominic earned every bit of his success and Ricardo had his handed to him. Dominic is a self-made man and did it through nothing short of sheer determination and a fuck ton of grit.
He might be an asshole to deal with on occasion, but I respect him entirely and truly admire his business ethic.
