“He called me not long ago,” I tell Andre . “Said he wanted me to talk to you about getting the families together. That there was a threat to everyone. He said to stay away from women we don’t know.”My cousin’s lips pull back in distaste as he adjusts himself. “Yeah, I’m not interested in anything the Lewis have to say. They’re the fuckin’ enemy.”I stare at him long and hard. “Perhaps youshouldbe. If what he said is true, we could all be in danger.”“Of what?”It grates my nerves that I can’t answer his question because I also didn’t listen to Thomson . Not really. If I had done as I promised, we’d have more information on whoever this Ferryman is.“Is that all you came to tell me? That Thomson was taken out?” I ask with annoyance.“No. I wanted to give you these.” From inside his gray coat, he tugs out two photographs. “Lou’s Carrick . He’s Randy ’s pimp.”I glance at them. “Who’s Randy ?”“The whore you saw on theLucky Lady. She’s been spyin’ on him for me. He’s selling more than
She smiles weakly as she dabs a tear that slips down her cheek. Reaching for the hand I have on the stick shift, she squeezes and says, “Can you take me home?”“Of course.” I drive her to the house and park in the long driveway. “I can stay if you’d like.”“You should go. Ramdels needs the support of family. I’ll be fine.”I leave her, feeling as if I’m abandoning her at a time when I should be her support. But I do as she says and am glad for it.When I reach the yacht, Ramdels is standing on the bow, giving what he surely believes is a riveting speech. The buttons of his shirt are undone down to his waist, exposing his puffed-out chest and the gold chains around his neck.“My brother was a good leader. The best Don, surpassing even our father in success.”Narrowing my gaze, I move closer to the crowd, listening with halfhearted interest. The best Don? Better than Gustavo ? No one in their right mind would ever agree with those statements. There was no one better than Gustavo .But R
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean,if I succeed? I will fuckin’ succeed, with or without your backing. And if I don’t got your backing, you better run, because you’ll be the first one I take out.” He shoves his chest upward and his lip curls.I tilt my head down to him and smile. “Clearly, you’re not ready to have a conversation with me. When you are, let me know. In the meantime, good fucking luck.”“Where are you goin’, bitch?” he calls out when I turn and start to leave. “Nathan , you cunt. You don’t leave unless I tell—”Slamming the door behind me, I cut him off before I change my mind and challenge him for the position of king. And if I do that, there is no doubt of who the heir to the Robertsons throne would really be.One day later, I’m being summoned to Ramdels ’s house in Newark. Gustavo ’s house. It pains me to answer the request to join him for lunch, but a sense of obligation to thefamigliahas me driving there midday.When I arrive at the guarded two-story my uncle b
Now it’s the definition of disorder and chaos and it has me edgy and agitated. Military and science fiction novels are stacked high in a corner. Papers and folders litter the massive cherrywood desk, along with dishes with crusted-on food, and dust bunnies roll across the wooden floor.One wall has been covered with Ramdels ’s collection of swords and tactical knives and other weapons that are utterly useless in the hands of a useless man.Ramdels drops loudly into the chair behind the desk, calling my attention to him.He tilts his head and steeples his fingers beneath his bearded chin. “You were loyal to my father and brother. I need to know you’ll stand behind me now that I’m taking over the Family.”It takes me a while to say anything. I stare at him, scrutinizing him. Finding him as lacking as his older brother. Just as inept, if not more so. A piece of shit that has to beat a woman much weaker than himself, a woman already drugged out of her mind, to feel like he’s worth somethi
He takes a sip of his coffee and leans back in his chair behind his desk at the station. “If I had to guess who did it”—he takes the picture and narrows his gaze on it—“I’d say it was the same fuck that got Andre .”“Yes, it would seem that way.”Wilshere nods. “The pennies and evidence that he was with someone shortly before he was killed are dead giveaways.”Randy had been with a woman. Randy. But the prostitute left way before I did. Besides, I can’t imagine that she’d have returned after the beating he gave her.Fuck me. If I hadn’t instructed the two guards flanking his door to leave and destroyed the camera, I’d be able to see who came in after I did. Then again, the police would be able to see that I was there.But I left, confident that the guards wouldn’t come back and would never rat me out.I left the body where it lay. It hadn’t been a clean kill. I’d lost my temper, something I rarely do, because when it happens, shit gets messy. After I left, I sent the order to our Clea
That’s all I’ve been thinking about for days. The need to reorganize myfamiglia, making it what it was by selecting men who will strengthen it. Reappointing a consigliere, an underboss, and capos. Do whatever it takes to ensure the future of the Robertson .The throne is open for the taking. Question is, am I going to be the man to do it?“Yes,” I say.“Do not do it yet, Nathan . Trust me on this. I have information you must see before you do anything.”“You have my attention.”“We’re meeting at Briar House in Todt Hill.” He lets out a long breath. “My brother discovered something he thought was a big enough threat that he wanted to bring the families together. I’m honoring that wish now.”“I’ll be there,” I say, because I promised Tony we’d listen. And because I need the information Colwill has and to find out just who the hell The Ferryman is and why he took credit for Randy ’s death.Briar House is an old, creepy Victorian house in the exclusive community of Todt Hill in New York.
Brilliant-blue eyes flash through my mind and I feel my lips tug upward. The wait is finally over.“Ladies,” Gunn says as he enters, followed by Colwill and an older gentleman. We all turn to him. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Gunn Sinclair, and this is Colwill Lewis and his uncle, Jack .”Colwill stands at one end of the table while the other two move to find seats. “Before we begin, I want to thank each of you for your presence today. And as a show of gratitude, I’m going to offer you something that may save your lives.”He places a stack of papers in front of Gabriel Jesus , who takes one and passes it down to the next person. We do this until we’ve all got a packet of copied documents stapled“Guat is thees?” Joselu Cebalos asks in his heavily accented voice. “Why is my uncle on thees list?”I read the “list” Ward was referring to on the first page. Gustavo Robertson i, Rodri Jesus , Scott Trippier , Gonzales Rico , Joelenton Ward , James Madison.“Those are the names
I peer at the names again. Colwill ’s “evidence” that we’re in the crosshairs of a man hell-bent on revenge. According to this, Robbert Kroos has purchased land or buildings near everyone involved. But not in New York.He’s right. Whatever was done to Robbert , the Lewis weren’t a part of it.But my uncle was.Having known him as well as I did, worked for him, pledged my loyalty to him, I can say without a doubt that he was not a man who would have ever forged an alliance with the enemy. Yet if what Luca is telling us is true, which all evidence points to, Gustavo did.“How do we know this isn’t all some made-up bullshit?” Arnold asks. “I never heard of a Ferryman.”“Exacly,” Joselu Cebalos , Rico’s nephew, pipes in. “How do I know jou aren’t the guan behin oll thees. I never heard of a Ferymen.”“I’m not behind anything,” Colwill snarls. “My own brother was killed by this asshole. His bitch attacked Jack’s place and nearly took out Gunn.”Gunn’s head snaps up. “She didn’t come o
“You’re here!” I say, heading toward it but stop when it’s Katy who appears.“You!” she hisses. “I knew something was off. He didn’t kill you!”Before I can answer, she’s on me like a rabid cat. She claws at me, slapping every part of me she can make contact with.Startled, I raise my hands protectively over my face, afraid to hit her back and severely hurt her. As it is, Nathan already hates me for any part I might have played in the death of his father.The woman may be older and weaker, but her strikes are impactful. She shoves against me, slapping her palms against my shoulders and chest, driving me toward the rear of the deck. It all happens so fast that I don’t realize I’m so close to the glass rail until it hits my lower back.“You have to calm down!” I plead.“Why did he have to want you? You look nothing like me! But Leo always liked them younger. Tell me, did you like how he fucked you?”“What? You think I slept with your husb—” Another whack, this time right across the chin
But he saved my life. He risked himself to keep me alive. And fuck it all, I love him! I can’t just sit back and let him die.A chair is pushed and the sound of footsteps come my way. Before they reach the doors, I bolt out the entrance and am already across the street when I hear, “Natalia !”But I don’t stop. Don’t look back. My mission now is to save Nathan Natalia Irun like the Devil is at my heels, not bothering to glance back over my shoulder, because even that simple action could cost me precious seconds.For blocks, I maintain that speed, my lungs burning and the stitch on my side threatening to bring me down.When I’m far enough that I feel anyone following would have lost sight of me, I tuck myself into an alley and wait. After several minutes, I tug my cell phone out and dial Nathan , but it goes straight to voicemail.“Pick up, dammit!” I dial again, but like before, it goes to his mail.“Nathan . You have to leave your house. A man named Steven Kroos is coming. He’s bri
“The hell it is. Do you have any idea the worry you put me through? No calls or texts the last couple of—” His eyes bulge from his skull as he takes in the blood on my shirt. “You’re hurt.” “No, Dad. It’s not my blood. I’m not hurt.” He digs his fingertips into the corners of his eyes as if he’s trying to keep from crying. “I thought I would lose my mind when I found out exactly who you were with. His name isn’t Nathan Manguire . It’s Nathan Carlos .” I rear back in shock that he knows. “What?” “My gut was right, Em. He’s a fucking criminal. The worst kind.” “How do you know that?” From the study, the handsome man who visited the gallery to meet with Dad steps out. Steven Kroos . His icy-blue stare roves over me, and he smiles. “I’m glad to see you’re home safe. Especially after being in the Robertson den.” “Mr. Kroos is the one who tracked down information on Carlos . Nathan is their new godfather.” His eyes narrow on me. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?” Looking betwee
He tilts his head, his eyes raking over my face, searching. “What makes you think that?” “It was in the way he looked at me,” I say. “It’s the same wayyoulook at me. I know you said he loved your stepmother, but I swear it’s true.” “I saidsheloved him. I never said he loved her back.” He glances out the windshield, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. “Is that why you killed him? You didn’t appreciate his attentions?” “He came to the house when my father wasn’t there. I’m not even sure how he got in. But he followed me from room to room and begged me to give him a chance. I asked him to leave, told him that he was scaring me. He decided to grab me and try to kiss me. “I got out of his hold and ran to the desk drawer my father keeps his Glock in and threatened him. He still refused to leave. The moment he took a step toward me, I shot. It was meant to scare him, nothing more. I could never kill anyone. The bullet grazed his arm, but he was alive.” “You didn’t follow him out?
“You cut yourself,” I say. “It wouldn’t have been believable otherwise.” “Why did you do it, Nathan ? Why did you spare my life?” He pulls over several blocks from my house. We sit there in silence for what seems like forever, the only sound the pitter-patter of scattered rain against the windshield. “Why did you save me?” I repeat the question that’s been burning in my mind. “Your mother wants me dead, but you saved me.” Without turning to me, he replies, “Iwanted you dead.” His response is another blow to my already battered heart. But he deserves the truth. “I didn’t kill your father, Nathan . It wasn’t me.” Now he does turn to me and I almost wish he hadn’t. The shadows I’ve wondered about from the start have emerged and they’re darker and more terrifying than I could have imagined. They’re blackened with Nathan ’s fury, hate, grief, and confusion. They tear at my chest, splaying it open. Raw pain fills me at the sight of those beautiful golden eyes looking so tortured, spa
My gaze flicks from her to the elevator and to the rooftop access door, wondering if I could somehow reach either of them. And if I did, are they unlocked? As if from out of thin air, Nathan produces a piece of rope. When he tries to take one of my wrists, I make to get up again, but I’m slammed into the damned chair again. It doesn’t matter how much I fight, he easily pulls my hands behind me and ties them. “You wanted her, there she is,” he says to her, and I notice with at least a bit of satisfaction that he’s panting. I guess I wasn’t that easy to subdue. Nathan ’s stepmother comes toward me, her hips swaying. She sips her wine as she studies me. “You killed my husband.” I don’t bother to respond to her comment. She doesn’t care what I have to say. If she did, she would have asked me if I did it. And if so, why. All she cares about is revenge. The who, what, and why of it doesn’t matter to her. Turning to Nathan , I realize he’s not once asked me either. They’re the same. Part
“Mmm. Is it that or that you have Natalia Kane in your bed?”I stiffen, feeling my heart leap into my throat. She knows my name?“Who I have in my bed is none of your concern,” Nathan says.“It is when that whore killed your father! That’s right,” she adds, “I know it was her.”My heart isn’t just in my throat anymore. It seems to have stopped. Suddenly, my blood pressure drops and every pore in my body releases sweat.“John ” I hear Nathan murmur just as I pull away.There’s walking, the sound of heels clacking against the wood floors. “John was loyal to Gustavo and Leo . Of course he would be loyal to me as well.”“Then he’s useless to me,” he says.“You’ve known it was her for days and have done nothing about it!” she shouts.“It is at my discretion to decide what and when I will do something, Katy .”“The godfather only has power so long as the men respect him. How do you think they will react when they find out that instead of killing her, you’ve been fucking her?”My mind racin
Or maybe I’ll just fuck you until we both die.” Her eyes fly open, and for a moment, there are no walls between us. The pain, betrayal, and lust are bared fully. “Then fuck me,” she finally says. “And maybe we’ll die together.” My mouth is on hers then. I slide my fingers from her cunt and we both work savagely at getting rid of my clothes. All the while, we kiss with a passion that only the dying know. The instant I’m naked, I’m inside her, thrusting, burying my dick all the way to the balls, pulling back out, and slamming home again. Natalia is wrapped around me, arms and legs holding me tightly against her as she lifts her hips up, meeting each of my thrusts. We fuck like we’re drowning and these are our last gasping breaths. Deep and desperate. She fits me like a fucking glove, her pussy tight around my dick, her body molding to mine perfectly. The way she tastes, smells, feels… It all fits me like no one else ever has, and for the briefest of moments, I almost wish I’d neve
I flip it open and freeze, focused intensely on the drawing of a pair of eyes.Myeyes. Only, they’re not the way I’m accustomed to seeing them. They have the same shape, same dark spots on the irises. There’s a deep crease between them. But in the drawing, they’re slightly upturned and crinkled at the edges, and there’s a slight gleam to them, as if I’m smiling.Because I was.Several times, she called my name, grinning so widely when I looked at her that I couldn’t help but smile. She captured those moments.Does light penetrate shadows, or do the shadows drown out the light?I asked that question not long ago. The answer is both. She’s managed to light up my eyes while I’ve filled hers with darkness.Blowing out a breath full of exhaustion, I set the sketch aside. Tired, I shut my lids and must drift off instantly, because a bolt of lightning that rumbles even through the sound barriers I’ve erected around the loft wakes me. Instantly, I glance at the door.Though she has access to w