“No, he’s not, but I can’t think of anyone who’d kill Grey for us. No one owes me a favor that big yet.”
A cold chill slithers down my spine when a name pops into my head. The cogs in my brain whir so fast the room spins along. I clear my throat, rubbing my clammy palms down my black slacks.
“I know someone...”
Ryder’s ears perk up, confusion marring his features for a few beats, but he’s not a tech whizz for nothing. He can solve complex mathematical issues in seconds, so no wonder he catches on to my idea faster than anyone else in the room.
“Fuck... you want to use Anton?” He scratches his chin. “That might actually work.”
“You think his brother will do our dirty work?” Broadway scoffs. “Unlikely.”
“He will,” I insist. “He’s our hitman, Carter... he’s a mindless fucking weapon and only cares about one thing. All we have to do is give him a reason to aim at Octavius.”
Carter stops pacing, my train of thought catching up with him. “You want to use Leilani as bait?”
“No,” I snap immediately. “Nothing like that. We don’t need her. We just need Anton to realize Octavius handed her over to the guy who sells young girls for sex slaves. How do you think he’ll react?”
The room goes quiet, mechanisms spinning in everyone’s brains. Only Dante looks relaxed, approving eyes sweeping the room. “It’s a good idea, but you need to plan it carefully. There are many variables. Timing is key. If Anton storms Octavius’s mansion you risk them joining forces.”
Carter nods, plopping back into the armchair. “It needs to happen somewhere we control the narrative.”
“Before you jump into planning,” Broadway drawls, still skeptical. “I suggest we talk to Leilani. She knows Anton best. She’ll know if Anton killing his brother is even a possibility.”
They all look to me, waiting for... fuck knows what. Permission? Probably. As much as I don’t want her involved, Broadway’s right. Any plan we devise is pointless if he won’t play ball.
“I’ll go get her.”
30
Leilani
Revenge is a peculiar thing. Since leaving Anton’s cage, I haven’t considered it. I’ve been happy to be free of him and his influence, quietly dreaming of the day when the world will finally be rid of him and I can breathe with ease.
Carter promised Anton would die with his brother. Koby promised I’d never be dragged back into that manufactured nightmare. Never again spend my days in frilly little monstrosities, treated like a child frozen in time.
I believe them. I’ve clung to those promises, content with letting them do the dirty work. It didn’t even cross my mind that I could bring about Anton’s downfall myself.
Until this very moment.
I’m sitting in Dante’s dimly lit office, five men watching my every move as the boss of Illinois and the boss of Ohio walk me through their idea.
“Provoking Anton against Octavius gives us a clean execution,” Carter says. “If we attack unprovoked, we risk awar breaking out not just between Octavius’s allies and me, but across the entire country.”
“I’ll have no choice but to step in and support Carter,” Dante adds, “alongside my allies. And that will be the trigger for our enemies to step in.”
My conversation with Violet, Hailey, and Bianca while the men were with Blaze Noretto comes back to me.
“The problem is, everyone wants to see Dante Carrow fall, so if a war starts between Octavius and Carter, most will side with Octavius. Not out of loyalty, but for a chance to take down the king. Everyone knows Dante won’t stay neutral if Carter’s life’s threatened. He owes him for saving Layla.”
“And if Dante joins in... Everyone else will.”
“A war always means casualties...”
My imagination spirals out of control, painting the future. So many dead. So much blood. Broadway gone, leaving his pregnant girlfriend to mourn him.
What if Dante falls?
What if... what if Koby dies?
