Page 109 of Savage Throne
The image of Leo flashed in my mind—his calculating eyes, the wicked smirk that never quite reached them, the way he moved through life as though the world were a 3D chessboard, and he was always ten moves ahead.
He’d built the Four Aces but it was more than that. He was the East. His name was whispered with fear, and his presence cast a long shadow over everything it touched.
Leo was a legend.
A monster.
And monsters didn’t die easily.
And his son, Lei knew that better than anyone. My baby carried the burden of those facts on his shoulders. I could see this in the tension of Lei’s jaw when he thought no one was watching.
And it might have been just me, but. . .I didn’t think Lei wanted to kill his father, not truly.
I believed there was a part of Lei that still hoped that the man who had raised him, molded him, could be reasoned with, could be redeemed.
Or. . .maybe his mind has changed since Leo has kidnapped me. . .
My mind surely had changed.
After last night, I wanted Leo dead.
I opened my eyes and flexed my fingers, staring at them again.
These hands that had taken lives. It wasn’t just the act of killing that lingered—it was the understanding. I’d seen something in Leo that terrified me more than his violence or his manipulation.
He wasn’t just dangerous.
It was the fact that he would never relent, never step down, not unless someone forced him.
And that someone had to be Lei.
A chill ran down my spine, but it wasn’t from the air. It was from the knowledge that everything rested on my baby.
On what would happen tonight.
This wasn’t just a fight between a father and son—it was the battle for the soul of the East.
For what the Four Aces would become.
For whether the legacy Leo had built would consume us all.
“Monique.” Song’s voice broke through my thoughts. “You’re thinking too much.”
I turned to him. “Is that a bad thing?”
“It is if it makes you hesitate from doing what needs to be done.”
“And what do I need to do?”
He stood, moved with a predator’s grace, and crossed the room to pour another cup of tea. Steam curled up in front of him. “You’ll need to be clear-headed for Lei.”
I swallowed hard. “He’ll win. He has to.”
Song’s gaze darkened, and for a moment, I saw the man beneath the veneer of control—the soldier, the survivor, the one who had seen more than he ever let on. “Leiwillwin. But it won’t be easy. Leo’s prepared for this. He’s been waiting for it much longer, before Lei ever knew there would be a battle, long before Leo killed Chanel.”
“But Leo is ready to die.”
“I hope so.”
