Ryuji tensed beside Obi as if remembering our conversation in his room. He leaned forward to rest his elbow on his knee. “What do you mean?”
Here it was. The part I needed them all to agree to. I wasn’t sure what else to do if this didn’t work.
“Here’s what I propose: together, the six of us create a new mafia syndicate,” I took a deep breath. “With the Shadow’s financial backing, we build something rivaling Max and the remnants of my father’s organization. We can create something new, something strong that has enough power to take him out and set the rest of us up forever.”
Surprise flashed across Ryuji’s face just as quickly as Wynn’s. But Obi and Ciel remained passive. I assumed that was because Ciel had already guessed my change of plans, but I couldn’t read whether Obi was interested or annoyed.
“Keep going,” Ciel said, gesturing with his glass. I gave him a small smile of thanks.
“In exchange, I can offer something mutually beneficial for each of us, which will allow all of us to further our individual goals.”
Obi smirked. Over the last few days, I’d done my best to take his words to heart, to figure out how to offer them a deal that would help each of them the same way they’d help me.
“Wynn, I can offer you a New York, and greater, free from trafficking.” Wynn watched me through those platinum lashes with his feet crossed at his ankles. “I thought my father would have kept it that way, but we’ve both seen firsthand that is not the case. Under my mafia,ourempire, it will be. My goal is to fix it permanently, starting with the Albanians. And you’ll be on the frontlines, assuring that everywhere within our territory stays that way. It won’t just be you versus the unstoppable flow. We’ll all make a real difference from the ports to the streets. We have all the data my father was using. It’s only a matter of time until we snuff it all out.”
Wynn’s mouth quirked into a smile, and I relaxed slightly. He liked it.
I turned to meet the ice-blue eyes of my quiet hacker friend. “Ciel, I wish I could make you a more substantial promise, but here’s what I have to offer. We’ll find out who killed your parents. I can’t tell you exactly how or how long it’ll take. I can’t promise that it’ll be easy. But with all the available resources I have at my disposal, we’ll find you peace.
“On top of that, I can promise you that you’ll never be alone again,” I continued. “You’ll never be treated as lesser. You’ll always have a seat at our table, no matter what. You deserve it.”
He held my gaze for a moment, eyes careful, but he exhaled an unsteady breath and nodded. I wished I could reach out and grab his hand, but that would have to come after.
“Ryuji,” I turned to face him.
“Here we go,” he muttered under his breath, but by now, I could tell the difference between his teasing and his mean streak. I couldn’t hold back my grin.
“Over the last few days, I’ve learned what’s important to you. I admire how you’ve built your businesses and don’t want to tie you down. I don’t want to take away your freedom. In our partnership, I offer the Shadows fifty percent of the syndicate’s profit. Whatever comes out of that to go into your pockets directly will be between you and Obi.”
He watched me carefully. “Fifty percent of the profits of this new mafia goes to us?”
I nodded. “On top of that, I assure you that I’ll be giving you my loyalty just as much as you’re giving me yours. You’ll never have to do something you don’t want to.”
Ryuji sipped his scotch, locking eyes with me over the rim of his glass. His eyes glimmered with interest.
Then, I turned to Obi, the most complicated and complex. I’d spent four days watching. Asking questions. Trying to understand what it is that drove him. And I thought I found something he’d like.
“Obi, I don’t know you that well.Yet,” I said with a small smile. “But I’ve also been watching you too. You read newspapers in three different languages. You take phone calls at all hours of the day and night. From what I gather, you’re on the speed dial of many of the world’s leaders. You travel constantly, and you inject yourself into the background machinations of dozens of countries worldwide. If I were to guess, I’d say you want to think bigger than what the Shadows can do now.”
His eyes crinkled at the edges. “Explain.”
I nodded. If this didn’t work, if I had guessed poorly, I could mess up this whole proposal right here and now.
“The Shadows work behind the scenes,” I continued. “You have power and influence, but you’re still limited by the checks and balances of all the other criminal organizations around the world. Essentially, you work for hire. But what if you got to call the shots? I think you want more power, just like I do. I’m not sure why, but I think you want to make big changes in your arena. If you agree to my proposal, I can be the catalyst for that change. We can change the world. Together, we can bring about your vision.”
We stared at each other briefly, the air so tense you could cut it with a butter knife. Then, a sound bubbled up from his chest and out his mouth. Obi startedlaughing.
I didn’t feel like he was mocking me. It felt more like he was simply surprised. And maybe a little excited?
“Brilliant,” he murmured once his laughter subsided. His eyes were bright as his thoughts churned behind them. “You have surprised me, as I hoped you would.”
My body felt so tense it might snap.
Did this mean they all liked what they were hearing? That I was closer than ever to achieving this dream? For a moment, I thought I might collapse, but my knees held strong.
“So, how willyoucontribute to this new mafia?” Ryuji asked, eyes shrewd. “I like your offers, but why can’t we do this all ourselves?”
“I’m glad you asked. I have the foundation; all I need is help accessing it. I don’t want to reclaim my father’s empire. But I want to tear it down to its foundations, take the pieces that work, and use them to rebuild. We have the structure: gun manufacturers, drug suppliers, and gambling facilities. It wasn’t the mechanics that were broken; it was the leader who betrayed his organization. So we take it back from Max and fix it to operate asweintend.”
