He gave me a look. “Please. For some reason, it hurts to see her upset. And he’s a decent man. He’s protected her so far… even if he’s an idiot.”
It did hurt to see her upset. I didn’t even know her, and it hurt. This didn’t bode well for my “I’ll think about it”attitude.
My brain was already off on its own, thinking of the code I’d need to run and the patterns I could find while I tracked Volpe through the city. Where had Volpe set up headquarters since the takeover? Where would be the most likely place for him to stash a prisoner?
Wynn’s mouth pulled up into a smirk.
“What?”
“I can just see the gears turning inside your head.”
I might have talked a big game about resting, but it’s not like my brain ever stopped moving anyway.
I stood, rolling my eyes. “Fine, I’ll help track him down, but that’s all I’m agreeing to right now. After that, she has to figure out her next steps on her own.”
“As long as you help with this, that’s fine. I’ll let her know.”
He clasped me on the shoulder as he walked down the hallway. I watched him go, wishing I could follow and see her again.
But I had work to do. The Russians needed their proof. Then, a bodyguard needed saving.
My fingers itched for a keyboard.
25
LEONA
Now that it was light out, I could see the entire penthouse, and it was breathtaking. State-of-the-art kitchen, fuckinghugewindows with a view of the whole city skyline, decor that just screamed wealth. As a mafia princess, I’d grown up in luxury. The Vero estate was built to highlight the prestige of our Family name with deep golds, intricate art, and overstated pieces.
But this? This was modern luxury. This was sleek blacks and grays, styled neutrals, and huge spaces focused on comfort just as much as they highlighted money. I may have spent the whole night crying and barely dozing on their massive, incredibly comfy couch in the living room, but hey, at least I could appreciate my surroundings.
Even Wynn’s bathroom was gorgeous, with a huge waterfall shower with multiple showerheadsanda tub that could fit at least three people. Were all of their rooms like this? The scalding hot shower had helped me relax a minuscule amount, but as soon as I wrapped the towel around my body and stepped back into Wynn’s room, the pit in my stomach returned.
Max still had Cas. The Irish were done helping us. My future was tied to whatever the Shadows decided about helping me.
I paused, gripping the bathroom counter for a few moments.
One breath at a time.
Cas’s voice rumbled in my ear. The words carried his deep, calming tone, his determined attitude. If I listened closely enough, I could almost imagine him murmuring the words to himself to keep him going and to stay strong.
I inhaled deeply. I couldn’t crumble this time. He needed me.
Max wouldn’t kill him. He couldn’t, not when Cas was a direct line to me.
I was the only thing that could challenge Max’s rule. If I had enough firepower to fight back, if our Family knew that I was alive and Iwantedmy father’s throne, there would be a decent chunk of people who might abandon him. Max knew that. The Italian mafia was built on some twisted version of loyalty and honor—something Max had forgotten—but others may remember. My life threw his rule into question.
He couldn’t kill Cas. Not until he killed me.
One breath at a time.
Wynn had laid out some clean clothes for me, but I didn’t have a new pair of underwear. I pulled on the T-shirt and the loose pair of athletic shorts he gave me, ultimately choosing to go commando until I could get these old clothes into the washer.
I sat on the edge of Wynn’s bed, sinking into the incredibly comfy duvet. His room was a mixture of light colors and airy linens, styled to perfection from the chair in the corner to the gauzy drapes to the bed set. It fit him in a strange way: comfortable yet slightly stoic. On his dresser sat dozens of tiny trinkets that looked out of place for the rest of the room, and I smiled at the contradiction. He seemed too controlled to collect things.
Honestly, the colors and the carefully curated focus pieces looked like a neutral Pinterest aesthetic girl’s wet dream, which made my brain briefly wonder how many women he’d had inhere. And then that thought filled me with a flash of hot jealousy, which pissed me off.
I had no idea what I was feeling. I’d barely had time to process it all.
