Page 102 of Chaos Kills

“I’m sure you have a million questions.” I find Lorenzo in front of a mini bar, his back to me as he pours himself a drink. “Can I offer you?—”

“I’m good.”

I impatiently wait as Lorenzo takes his time. Out of my peripheral, I notice Ozzy standing a few feet to my right, blocking the door, and Cairo takes the opposite side of the couch, making sure to keep several arm lengths between us.

Away from any stray bullets.

Nonetheless, I trust Levi’s instincts. He wouldn’t have me come here if he’d be worried out of his mind for my safety.

“I called you here to talk about your position with your father.” Lorenzo pivots and faces me, standing at the head of all of us at his desk. “You know how vital a Titan seat is, I’m sure.”

“Which father?”

“The one that you, unfortunately, share some DNA with. I’m told he wants you to take The Landings seat.”

Ah, so this is what we’re here for.

Levi with South Shore and me possibly holding The Landings. It sounds like Wharf Bay will be lacking allies.

I continue to stare at Lorenzo, pending his next comment, because I have nothing to say on the matter. I don’t even have the headspace to conjure up a lie because I’m not going to be here to see it through.

“I’ve never been enemies with South Shore.”

I hum my indifference because I’m not impressed with him trying to convince me otherwise. “No, but you’ve been sleeping in the same bed as Emilio for decades, haven’t you?”

“To protect my family.” He brings his glass of dark liquid to his lips. “Whether you find that to be cowardly or plain stupid, you’d be half right. I did what was best at the time and played my part until my son was old enough to take over and restart this generation.”

“And you want me to play nice?”

“I was hoping you would. Emilio is so desperate for you to take over and for your affection that something sounds fishy, and I’m not entirely buying it.”

“That would make two of us.”

Lorenzo leans against the edge of his desk. “I know you don’t trust me, and I don’t expect you to. However, as I mentioned before, this isn’t the first time you and I have met. I took you in as a little girl when Roger was separated from your stepmother, Paisley. You lived with me and my wife while I sent my daughters and son away in case Emilio discovered the truth that you were still alive.”

“And why would my father send me away at all?”

Because that makes zero sense.

“Emilio threw a hit on Roger. And The Nameless were still getting on their feet. Your father hadn’t fully developed them. So, in the meantime, I protected his most precious asset while I assisted with beefing up his army.”

Damn, I wish Levi was here.

He’s better at this than I am. All the politics and backstories. I’m still learning everything, and I have nothing else but to trust Lorenzo isn’t feeding me a line of bullshit.

But if Levi knew, so would I.

“You’re telling me that you helped build The Nameless.”

“Some of it,” Lorenzo confirms. “Though, Roger did most of it. I was only there to make sure Emilio didn’t take over South Shore.”

“But you built him the Forsaken Crew.”

“To the naked eye, yes. But I remained in control of it. If I ever had to use it against Emilio, it was always mine to unleash. And now that Cairo has won his Titan seat, Emilio is building The Void. He lacks trust in my son and that he’ll continue to support him.”

I steal a glance at Cairo, who has a leg crossed over his knee. “And why would Emilio not trust you? You’re Torin’s boy.”

“Because I’ve never fed into his line of bullshit about how we’re all brothers and should stick together.” Cairo doesn’t spare me a glance, looking off at the wall. “They are my brothers, yes. But I’ve seen firsthand what the man is capable of.”

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