My own thread snaps and suddenly I’m falling into an oblivious wasteland of emotion. Time has no meaning. Life has no meaning. The only things that matter are me, the love of my life, and this blissful ecstasy.
I never want it to end.
FOUR
ALL SET
Friday morning dawns with Ivan banging on my bedroom door way too fucking early, but if he’s here, he’s got important shit to share. I kiss Piper’s neck and mutter for her to “go back to sleep” before tossing on a pair of Versace briefs and my silk robe. As I come up the hall, the smell of fresh-brewed coffee fills my nostrils, drawing me toward the kitchen.
Ivan’s seated at the bar with an open folder in front of him and a cup of too-white coffee in his hand. He lifts his eyes, and he looks like shit. Dark circles line the lower rim of his glasses, and his baby blue are red and tired.
“You look like shit.” I pour a cup of the steaming brew and approach him. “But I take that to mean you have me some fucking answers.”
“Sort of,” he answers, blowing out a heavy breath and shoving four pieces of paper my way. “Two of those are old emails. The first is an exchange about Maddy, her job at the club. The hiring agency is even mentioned under important details about Dark Star, and a picture of her is included. The second is a small exchange where Mimi is briefed on Maddy’s real identity and encouraged to befriend her.” He claws a hand through his messy curls. “But that’s also the problem. I can’t find any future mentions of Maddy or anything relating to this request.”
“What about the other two?” I bark, lifting the next piece of paper and scanning the date and content. “This was the day Mimi died.”
“Exactly,” he concurs with a nod. “It’s a feeler email. Looks like maybe Mimi missed a contact, and they were reaching out. Nothing incriminating, almost like a code sentence.” He grabs the last piece of paper and shoves it into my hands. “But this one, although also a code, definitely reads like her non-answer put something in motion.”
My eyes move from him to the piece of paper, dated two days after Mimi’s death. Vengeance for your loss. The stars will no longer shine.
“There were four days between this email and the shooting at Dark Star,” I murmur, mostly to myself, as I try to work through this cryptic bullshit. “The star reference is a given, but did they really have enough time? And how did we time it perfectly to match their plan?”
“Think, Dante.” Ivan taps his temple. “It was Joseph’s death that set everything in motion. Mimi’s penance, which led to her failure to reply to these emails, and my fear for Maddy’s life, which led to her abandoning Dark Star. I don’t think it’s a very far leap at all to assume we’d need a new manager.” He pauses, tapping his chin in thought. “My only real concern is there’s another conversation somewhere that we don’t have here. Very pertinent information is both eluded to and excluded from this string of conversation.”
My jaw fucking tightens as his words circle around my brain. “Almost like we were meant to gain access to this.”
Ivan shrugs. “Maybe not meant to, per se, but if information ended up being sacrificed, this is what they wanted us to see.”
I rip the sheet to shreds and follow through in my fit of rage by doing the same to the other three pieces. “Fuck this shit!” I yell, slamming my hand onto the bar as tiny pieces of paper flutter to my pristine floors. “They’re trying to guide us by a fucking string, just as Lorenzo suggested. Well, not any-fucking-more.” I get up and start pacing, my fists opening and closing steadily to try to work through some of the tension. “I’ll make my intentions clear in Boston tomorrow, and by Tuesday, Miami will be a problem of the past.”
“You really think it’s going to be that easy?” He gets up and stands before me, delivering a derisive snort. “These fuckers are playing the long game, as has been proven time and again. They’re ready for us, Dante.”
“Then it’ll just be a bloody battle in the streets,” I snarl, disgusted that he has no faith in my skill or the skill of my men. “William and Harold Kent will die, and it’ll be at my hand.”
“My brother, the charging bull,” he spits, literally almost spits. Fucker. “You go do your thing, whatever that may be, and I’ll stay here and make sure both of our women live to see another day, whether you return or not.”
I turn away to keep from slugging him, but he does have a point when it comes down to it. Piper, and I fucking guess Madeline too, will need to be protected while I’m off eliminating the threat. I’m both disappointed that he has so little faith in me and appreciative that he’s thought of them at the same time.
I pace a few rounds to work off the conflicting emotions and turn back to him, grasping his shoulder tightly. “You’re right. Piper will have to be taken care of, and I trust you to do an exemplary job, but make no mistake about it. I will return for her.”
His eyes fill with moisture, and it reminds me so much of when we were kids. This is the Ivan I’ve always known. He’s fucking terrified of what’s to come. “Please do that, brother. I’m not ready to lead this organization.”
“Like I’d ever put you in
