The Esposito family knew what Luigi was up to. They’d been my top contender that would try to hit the docks.
“When you wanted to clean things up, when you guided Naomi to where she is, you were no longer welcome at the table. They’d rather you were dead and will take any chance they get to make that happen. And you allow it. My question is the same. Why?”
“It’s not allowed,” Naomi responds, but there is no strength behind her words.
“You don’t want or need to be at the table anymore.” I shift to face Naomi more. “They will never change, but you’re evolving, and sometimes things need to come to an end.”
“Are you suggesting we go to war with everyone?” Eros asks.
“I’m suggesting you stop playing by their rules at all. You make the rules,” I tell Naomi. “You’re the change, and if you want to be the head of the Marino family, things have to change.”
“How do we know that you’re not here to simply cause chaos?” War asks.
“I do want to cause chaos.” I stand, grabbing my bag and pulling out the folders. I drop them down onto War’s desk. “These are only some of what I have pulled together on each family.”
War grabs one of the folders, as does Naomi. “I don’t think you should only go after the Espositos; you should go after all of them. They very much all want to come after you.” We need to cut them off before they try and pull forces together.
“What is all this?” Damon asks.
“It’s the beginning of the end. This is invaluable. The other families will come together. They will come for you. It might not be today or tomorrow, but it will happen. Right now, you very much have the high ground. They believe you’re still in. That you’ll stick to the rules. You need to act before they do. The folders are filled with information on all the families, their dealings, and how they have been laying out the plans to take down the Marinos once and for all,” I tell them.
“And why should we believe all of this? Fuck, how did you even get all this?” Z asks, flipping through the pages.
“Because I was once a part of that plan.” The room goes deadly quiet, the air growing thick. “Or they thought I was. They didn’t think I knew much. I was merely collecting the information. My father wanted you all dead. His plans and theirs are coming together, except they didn’t account for me. I hate them as much as they hate you.”
“The enemy of my enemy,” Damon mutters.
“I acted first. I started a new chain of events when I killed my father.” I tap one of the folders. “And I know how they believe it will play out. How they will respond.”
“You do want war,” Eros says.
“I want to destroy that table.” I have always hated that power they wielded. It started with my father, and as I grew up, I watched it grow and latch on to others. It is a virus that is spreading, and it needs to be wiped out.
Naomi turns towards me, her finger going to my jaw to guide my head her way. “You want to protect me.”
“This is the only way.” They will be gunning for her.
“And you’re sure about this?”
“Yes.” A slow smile takes over her beautiful face.
“And you’re always two steps ahead.”
“When it comes to you, always.” Even if that hadn’t always been the plan.
Chapter Twenty-Two
NAOMI
“Iwas going to try and destroy you all,” he tells me once we’re alone together. This has been so much to take in. Paxton had the rest of his folders and a couple of laptops holding more information handed over to us to go through.
This isn’t a go-to-war-tomorrow plan. It’s much bigger than that. We need to be calculated and precise if we want to be successful in pulling this off. It’s a huge move that will forever change the landscape of how things are done.
“That’s why you started watching us. Watching everyone.” Paxton sits down on the side of the bed next to me. We partly turn to face each other.
I was in awe of him downstairs. The man took over a room in a different way. Where my father and I are more dominant grabbing a forceful control, Paxton bleeds out his understanding with an air of openness, inviting others to engage.
I can see that now. He encourages his way of thinking to guide people along with it. It makes it easier to digest, and you’ll partly think it’s your idea too. You start to envision those possibilities. You feel like a part of it.
