“Thank you for letting me enjoy my cigar,” he said and leaned back in his chair. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Jace. My boys tell me you’re quite the fighter. Other people say you’re far more than that.”
Grimaldi’s casual disrespect rubbed me the wrong way. He had no right to be at the School, much less to stink up Cruzal’s office with his foul cigar. The gangster looked at all of us like we were beneath him, even though he was little more than an overgrown street rat.
Despite the headmistress’s demands that I mind my manners, I couldn’t hold back the anger that welled up inside me.
“I hope they also told you what happens to people who cross me,” I said. “Let’s skip the pleasantries. Why are you here?”
The thug puffed on his cigar until a wreath of smoke surrounded his head. His eyes, glittering like shards of obsidian, settled on me. The weight of his attention was noticeable, but undisciplined. He tried, again and again, to judge my core. When he realized he couldn’t, he shrugged, tapped his cigar’s ash on the floor next to him, and launched into his tough guy speech.
“Your annex is a problem for me,” he said. “I asked the local administration in Dallas to reimburse me for my troubles. They accepted my offer. Until you showed up, Jace.”
“Mr. Warin,” I corrected him.
“Of course,” Grimaldi said, as if he’d made a simple slip of the tongue and not aimed a direct insult at me. Twice. “You impressed my representatives earlier this year.”
The memory of my trip to Dallas to see Rachel was still vivid. It was impossible to forget the fear I’d seen in Rachel’s eyes, or the joy I’d felt when I sent her tormentors packing. That day must’ve worried Grimaldi, too, or he would’ve responded to what had happened long before now.
“Oh, good,” I said. “I’m glad they delivered my message.”
The mobster froze in the middle of a drag from his cigar. His eyes narrowed and the muscles in his jaw stood out white under his tanned skin. The blazing stars of rage aspects blossomed within his aura. This meeting wasn’t going quite the way he’d planned.
“I did some checking,” he said. “You made a lot of big promises to my boys. Scary stuff. But I don’t think your fists can cash the check your mouth wrote. The once mighty School of Swords and Serpents is on the rocks. You’re safe here, but your annexes...”
The obvious threat hit home and cranked my rage up. If this waste of skin had done anything to Rachel, our meeting would end very, very messily. My stare locked on Grimaldi’s, and I put the weight of my core behind that stare.
“Mr. Grimaldi,” Cruzal interjected. “What is it we can do for you?”
The mobster inhaled smoke. The red glow of his cigar’s ember cast deep shadows that turned his eyes into black pits in his skull. He released a blue-gray cloud in Cruzal’s direction and waited for it to drift over her face before he continued.
“I want to provide the security for your external assets,” he said. “Think of it as insurance.”
Cruzal put a hand on my arm before I could respond. “I was unaware that our presence in Dallas had created any issues. If we’ve inconvenienced you, I’d be happy to look into ways to rectify the situation. Perhaps there is some way we can turn this to both of our advantages.”
Grimaldi stood up from his seat, and Tru and I both took a step forward to block his approach toward Cruzal. The gangster grinned at us and blew smoke in my face.
“Just wanted to stretch my legs,” he said. “You’re all so jumpy.”
“The School is under the protection of the Scaled Council,” Tru said. “You won’t leave here if you attempt to harm anyone within these walls.”
The mobster nodded, but his smile didn’t fade. He looked past us to Cruzal, puffed on his cigar, and cracked his knuckles.
“Three thousand oboli a month,” he said. “Payment due on the first. In return, I promise you nothing will happen to your little school. If you’re late, though, or you don’t agree to my terms, I can’t be responsible for any misfortune that befalls it.”
Ripping Grimaldi’s head off his shoulders seemed like a glorious idea at that moment. That he hadn’t brought any backup, and was so at ease, told me he’d prepared for that event. As much as I wanted to shatter his confidence along with both of his arms, I knew it would be a terrible idea. His men were a lot closer to Rachel than I was. One phone call, or lack of a phone call, and they’d hurt her before I could lift a finger in her defense.
“I’ll need some time to consult with the School’s financial officer,” Cruzal said. “If you leave me your number, I will reach out to you as soon as possible.”
Ashes from the mobster’s cigar drifted to the carpet like dirty snow. His smile tightened into a hard, thin line across his face. Smoke billowed from his nostrils and red light danced in his eyes. When he spoke next, his voice was harsh and strained through his gritted teeth.
“I’ll have the first payment before I leave this office,” he said. “I’m sure you have enough petty cash lying around to take care of that. Because if you don’t—”
The mobster’s hand shot out from his side in a blur. The porcelain vase that had been sitting on the end table next to his seat flew across Cruzal’s room and shattered against the wall. His smile reappeared as if summoned by the sudden act of violence, and the thug crossed his hands in front of him. The cigar clenched in the corner of Grimaldi’s mouth flared, and another cloud of smoke enveloped me.
“I’ll get the money,” Cruzal said.
I’d heard the tone in her voice a hundred times while growing up in
