“Hire one of these companies for the major overhaul,” I say, flicking the paper out for him to take, “and hire a small, independent crew specifically to build the top-secret shit. When the renovations are done, whack ‘em.”
“Sounds like a smart plan to me,” Madeline says, peeking from behind her new workstation. “It’s the only way to be sure.”
As much as Ivan’s changed, Madeline’s followed in his every footstep. She returned silent and broken, still in pain, but within days, she was up and demanding to know more, to be more involved, to become a part of the Outfit. And while it isn’t official, her position among us solidifies more and more each day as Ivan trains her in the ways of technological domination. She has her own space here in their section of Grizzly Armor, which will be walled off from the actual company in the remodel.
“If that’s what it takes,” Ivan agrees with a nod. “I’ll get started on the research. We need to make sure we select the right candidates.”
I should be stunned to hear them both agree so easily to a plan that I was only half offering, but I’m not. This is how complete the turn-around has been. They’ve changed before my very eyes, swapped roles to become Anna and Jospeh 2.0, and for some reason, it doesn’t bother me as much as it should.
“Babe,” Madeline calls. “You have a new message from Ryker Nash.”
I lift a brow at my bother. “You still haven’t removed him from the fucking tit?”
“He’s doing well,” Ivan says, rushing over to read his little love letter. “I’m just making sure he knows we’re here if he needs us.”
I chuckle. “Are we?”
My brother narrows his baby blues my way. “I am.”
“Then we are,” Lorenzo calls, standing and coming over to jab me in the side. “I’m proud of the work you’ve done with them, Ivan. It’ll go a long way as Miami returns to its former strength and we form a profitable business alliance.”
I hide an eye-roll. “A profitable business alliance I can live with.”
Ivan’s fingers fly over the keys, and when he’s done, he kisses Madeline on the cheek. “Want to hit the gym with us?”
“Not today,” she replies. “I’m going to dig deeper into these construction companies. I want to make sure we didn’t miss something important.”
“I’ll stay with Madeline,” Lorenzo offers.
“Are you sure?” my brother asks, a little of the old, less confident Ivan peeking through.
She lifts her eyes and matter-of-factly says, “There’s nothing left to take from me.”
And as cold and hard as I am, a fucking chill races over my skin with her words. “Fuck,” I mutter, stepping closer and laying my hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Madeline. I never wanted that to happen.”
She rubs my hand. “I know, Dante.”
I move across the room to give her and Ivan a few minutes to speak among themselves, and when he’s done, he grabs his gym bag and joins me. This is new for us. My skinny, geeky brother has not only beefed up his outlook on life to include the Outfit twenty-four seven, but he also wants to beef up his bod. Not that I’m a gym nut, but the lengths I’ll go to support him are pretty fucking far.
“What sounds good today?” I ask as we get on the elevator to go down one floor to the gym.
“Eh, let’s hit the treadmill, and we’ll go from there.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re jogging side by side as we shoot the shit, mostly about Outfit stuff. Since Miami, things have been calm overall. Dark Star is open and being run by the temporary manager from before, with the side benefit of legally employing some of the Coyote members as security. I didn’t fucking like it, but this is one of those times where my Underboss and Consigliere felt confident in a certain path, and as the fucking Boss, I trusted them.
“How long do you think this remodel will take?” I ask, not even winded.
“Estimates say eighteen months, but I’m pushing for six.”
“How the fuck you going to manage that?”
He shrugs, slowing his pace. “Have them work around the clock?”
I snort. “Maybe you should hire all three companies.”
“Don’t tempt me.” He gives me a smart-ass side-eye, and this one is definitely in a joking manner. He sighs, shutting off the machine. “I just want it done. I want to feel confident our building is safe for her.”
“Hey,” I say, shutting off my own machine and stepping over beside him. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about, but you can come stay in the penthouse until it’s done. I don’t want either of you feeling insecure.”
“No, thanks.” He holds up his hands, shaking his head. “It’s a nice offer, but with Maddy and me out of the race, the whole family line is depending on you and Piper. I think it’s best we leave you to it in privacy.”
“What?” I ask, feeling lost as I replay his words in my mind. “Wait a fucking minute. You think … no fucking way.” I shake my head adamantly. “Not any time soon, at least. Shit, Van”—I scrub my hand through my hair—“kids have never even crossed my mind.”
“They have now,” he sing-songs as he claps me on the shoulder. “My job here is done.”
TEN
THE END
It takes three more weeks before I get Piper behind the wheel of her BMW. And fuck, when I do, she’s even sexier than I fucking imagined. She’s wearing a skirted business suit, but this is one of those that stops mid-thigh and the two-button suit jacket is the shirt. The pale blue material hugs her every
