Page 33 of Drowning in the Deep

Leo turned to Viktor, and the two of them exchanged a glance I thought might bode well for me. But I wasn’t done. Before my mother had a chance to interrupt again, I continued.

“What’s more, we were able to get the Latvians to confess that it was Ragno La Rosa who was giving them information about our operations.” Again, I paused for reaction.

Everyone at the table absorbed that information. As tempting as it was for me to point out what that meant exactly, that Alexander La Rosa was behind all of it, I kept my mouth shut. Ma wouldn’t appreciate that, and the other capos in the room were intelligent enough to get to that conclusion without me stating the obvious.

“They told you it was Ragno?” Leo clarified. “They actually said that?”

I nodded. “They did. Nico heard them. I’m not sure if any of his men were close enough to hear the confession, but Nico did for certain.”

“But Nico’s dead,” Ma reminded us all again. “So we can’t confirm that, can we?”

“Why the fuck would I make that up?” I asked.

“We all heard it,” Vin said, firing to life at the hint of a conflict. “All of our guys heard it, too.”

Ma shrugged as if it didn’t matter that all of her sons were supporting what I was saying. “Seems awfully convenient to me that the one capo you took along with you to lock in your proof that this theory of yours is substantiated is now laid out in the basement on a concrete slab.”

Morbid images of Nico’s dead body came to mind, but I pushed them away. “It’s not convenient at all, Ma. It’s unfortunate, as I stated. Nico was a good man. He was very important to our operation, and I regret that he lost his life. Nevertheless—”

“Nevertheless, your operation lost us an important part of our organization,” Ma interrupted. “Once again, you’ve gone off half-cocked, not firing on all cylinders, and our syndicate is going to have to pay the consequences for some time to come.” That look of disappointment settled on her face as she slowly shook her head. I’d seen a lot of that expression lately, and it made my blood begin to boil, but I didn’t see the point in bringing that up at the moment. As she continued to chastise me, everything that was happening became crystal clear to me. “Really, Daemon, you’ve just proven that you’re not experienced enough to handle this.”

Anger boiled up inside of me. “Not experienced enough? Ma, that’s bullshit. I know exactly what I’m doing. You all wanted me to show that I can lead the family during a time of war, and not only did I show I can, but I also obliterated the enemy. Wiped them from the face of the fucking earth. We lost one man in the process. Any loss is always painful, but did any of you get into this business thinking you’d be safe? Do any of you have the idea that this business is without risk?”

Of course, no one chimed in with a response to my questions because we all knew we could die at any time. Still, Ma was looking at me the way she used to when I’d get into it with my father and ended up wounded. Like I was a hurt, lost little boy who just needed more of her guidance.

“Daemon, I’m very sorry that you aren’t seeing this for what it is. Perhaps in a few years, when you’ve got more experience under your belt, you’ll understand. But for me, keeping my friends and allies safe is more important than anything else. You’ve failed to do that, again, and now, we will have to sort out how to make up for our loss. Also, while it’s true you’ve eliminated the Latvians, if Ragno La Rosa has gone rogue and is acting outside of orders from Alexander, well, the threat isn’t completely mitigated until you take him out as well. That could be problematic, and I think it’s best if you let me handle it. In fact, I think it’s best if I continue to handle everything. You’re simply not ready.”

“Your mother is right,” Leo said with a sharp nod, not really looking me in the eye. “It’s not just about the Latvian threat. It’s about stability for the entire family, Daemon. We don’t have that now.”

“With Lillian in charge, everyone feels more like things are the way they used to be, back when your father was still in charge. She knows the family. She knows how things are supposed to be handled. It’s in our best interest to leave things be—for now.” Viktor did meet my eyes, and I saw only irritation there.

“That’s settled, then,” Ma said dismissively. “For now, I will remain in charge of the syndicate. Daemon, thank you for your service to the family.” With that, she splayed her pointy red fingernails out on the table and pushed up, rising from her chair.

“But—” Vin began, but I nudged him under the table with my knee. Everything was clear to me now. I saw no point in continuing to sit and chat about something that wasn’t going to change.

I sat there with my brothers as everyone else filed out of the room, talking about grabbing brunch or what they had going on that night. As soon as they left, I slammed my hand down on the table hard enough to send the fish scrambling. “What the fuck?”

“I’m sorry, brother,” Dezzy offered. “I’m not sure what happened.”

“I know exactly what happened,” I told them. “This has never been about the Latvians or me proving what I can do. Mom’s making a power grab, and I have to assume it’s because she wants to hand things over to Alexander La Rosa. Why the fuck she wants to do that, I can’t say, but it’s the only thing that makes any sense.”

“We can’t let that happen.” Mikel’s voice was so quiet, it was difficult for me to hear what he was saying at first. “We’ve worked too fucking hard to get where we are to just let Ma hand everything over to the man that we’ve been fighting for years.”

He was exactly right. I wasn’t going to let it happen. “Get your men ready,” I told them. “Over the next few days, we need to be ready for anything. We need to be on high alert. I’m shaking things up, one way or another. We can’t continue to let La Rosa get his grubby hands on everything we’ve built here. This is our family, our syndicate, our territory, and I’m not going to just roll over and let him have it.”

Vin’s hand came down hard on my shoulder. “We’re with you, brother. No matter what. Until the end.”

I nodded in thanks, looking each of my brothers in the eye before I stood and headed to the door. As I passed the fish tank, I noticed one large fish swallowing a smaller one in one gulp. I was determined to be the big fish in this scenario—not the bastard who just got devoured.

CHAPTER23

ELISA

The sun was beginning to set when Daemon came to pick me up from my apartment after work on Tuesday evening. I’d changed into something a bit more casual than the skirt and shirt I’d had on for work, but I still wanted to look good for him, even if we were just going to check out the properties my father had me working on. It was a bit chilly outside, so I’d decided to wear a tight red sweater and a pair of black pants that hugged me in all the right places.

When I opened the door, Daemon roamed over my body with his eyes but said nothing. I was slightly disappointed because I really wanted him to tell me I was hot. But I had to take small victories where I could, and if that included noticing that he noticed me, I’d take it.

We made our way to the elevator and then the lobby without much conversation. I’d learned to just be happy in his presence and only converse when he started it, unless, of course, I wanted to piss him off—which I never did intentionally.

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