Cassian stops his mixing and stares at me. “You’re serious?”
I nod, moving past him to the fridge. “Turns out Harris is alive and well and out there somewhere, probably with the rest of the diamonds. I didn’t get to ask her what happened in the house, but given how she’s been since, safe to say that’s where she found out the truth.”
“Holy shit.” Cassian turns to face me and pulls himself up onto the counter. “What are you going to do?”
“I want to kill him.” From the fridge, I pull one of Raven’s pre-made smoothies, certain she won’t mind. “Not just for manipulating things and nearly killing me, but everything that’s happened to her since? Everything that’s still going on plus all the shit with the Irish and the Cartel? I’m…” The fridge closes softly behind me. “I’m fucking pissed and I have nowhere to put it right now.”
“Direct it at the Irish,” says Valentina as she enters the kitchen. Placing her tablet down on the island counter, she slides it toward me.
“The Irish?” Catching it, I set down the smoothie and tap the screen. “What am I looking at?”
“Chris and Dex Campbell, the two Irish ‘cops’ that tried to kill you and Frank.”
“Those tattoos were real?”
“Mmhmm. Damian’s clan as well.”
“Motherfucker.” I skim through the morgue picture and enlarge the tattoos with a few taps. “He actually tried it. Is he fucking with me? Does he really think he can threaten me? Try to kill my driver?” As much as I fight it, my voice lifts enough for Cassian to raise his brows with a smirk.
“Didn’t know you had that in you, Boss.”
Tossing the tablet down on the counter, I step back and run both hands through my hair. “Fuck.”
“Want me to kill him?” Valentina leans on the counter with one elbow and turns her palm up to rest her chin. “Just nip him in the bud right now.”
“You know we can’t do that,” I mutter. “As much as I want to. We’re supposed to be better.”
“Yeah, and it never gets personal.” Valentina scoffs. “Maybe he’s just trying to scare us. Not that it worked, but Damian’s a desperate man.”
“Desperate or not, no one pulls a gun on my driver and fucking walks away.” Forcing a deep, calming breath, I wrestle with myself. If Damian is this desperate, then he’s a real problem that needs to be dealt with immediately, but Zira needs me too, and tracking down Harris is key to everything.
“What’s he so desperate about, anyway?” Cassian asks, bringing his salad bowl into his lap. “This deal was his own doing and it’s his own fault if it falls through, right?”
“It would be that simple, but there are countless families underneath him. Letting the Cartel topple him would be like kicking the leg out from a three-legged table.” Valentina groans. “He’s important, and for good reason, but he’s so fucking stupid.I mean, the way these amateurs robbed the docks in the first place?”
“The stupidity of it is why it worked,” I cut in. “Men like Damian prepare for high-end criminals, not dumb thieves chancing something stupid.”
“True.” Valentina pushes up from the counter. “So, what’s the plan?”
The plan.
My mind weaves countless plans together, but no matter how good they seem, I’m stuck on one thing. Zira. She’s the key to finding Harris, I’m sure of it, but until she’s feeling better, she’ll be of little help.
“Alright. Valentina, I need you to touch base with Damian. Make it very clear that we killed his men and any kind of threat will not be tolerated. We’ll deal with his retribution later. Keep an eye on the diamonds but watch him like a hawk. I want to know everything he’s doing and see if there’s a way to appease the Cartel with the half we have.”
“Sure thing. Raven’s busy cataloging the ones we have right now. Should help in easing the Cartel’s worries that Damian’s trying to screw them over.” She pops her lips and wiggles her fingers at Cassian, then bounces from the kitchen.
“You need my help?” Cassian asks, nibbling from his bowl.
“I dunno. I need to get this to Zira before she loses her will to eat.”
“Sure.” Cassian looks me up and down as I pick up the smoothie. “You’re taking care of yourself, though, right?”
“Of course I am.”
Back out in the hall, the walk back to Zira gives me time to think. We have a lot riding on these diamonds. The second the Cartel gets impatient, we risk blood spilling on the streets, which creates an insane headache for the rest of us. The only reason the Suit works is because everyone walks away with a piece of the pie, the government included, but when someone who refuses to acknowledge our power gets involved, it gets messy.
Really fucking messy.
