“You and your fucking plans,” Ryuji said with a sigh that lacked his usual sass. It sounded more affectionate than usual.
“I know they haven’t always worked out,” I conceded, trying not to let embarrassment turn my shoulders inward. “But I’m not giving up.”
“We’re the Shadows,” Ciel said, his thumb drumming on the pants of his jeans. “We don’t give up.”
“You sound more confident,” Obi said. “As if you have a strategy.”
“Here’s what I’ve been thinking,” I said. “We’re wasting too much time and resources trying to kill Max.”
Cas looked at me like my head popped off, but I needed them to hear me out. Obi’s opinion was what I was most worried about right now. I needed him to agree with this.
“You’d prefer we do something else instead?” Obi asked.
“The direct attack isn’t working.” I leaned back into Cas’s side on the couch. His presence steadied me. I knew this idea would probably make them balk or question what we were doing—they were the best assassins in the world, but we needed to switch tactics. “Max is building allies and acquiring power. He knows we’re coming for him, and he’s going to turtle behind his defenses and his shell. I say we take his shell.”
“What do you mean?” Wynn asked.
“Let’s bleed him. Let’s crumble everythingaroundhim and bring him down that way. Taking him head-on only weakens our resources and makes buildingourempire take longer.”
“You want to undermine him,” Ciel said. He stared ahead, unfocused, like he was already thinking through the variances in this plan. “After we take his support system, we can finish him.”
“Exactly,” I said. “If he’s going after the Tommasos, let’s go after the Sandrinis. Or better yet, let’s sniff out the men who could still be loyal to me if given the right incentive. We can turn his armies against him. He can’t keep dodging and outsmarting us if he has no power at his disposal.”
Obi tilted his head back and rubbed a hand over his trimmed beard.
I knew they’d want to go back and face Max, guns blazing, but with Chiara now in the mix, and knowing he’s gotten the better of us at every turn, we had to stop playing into his hands. Wehad to try something else, and that meant taking away whatever advantages he had.
“Obi,” I began, a surge of anxiety forcing me to sit up straight again. “What do you think?”
He considered my question, but I could see the gears turning inside his head. “Building allies is the same path I was considering to acquire the power we need.”
My entire body flushed at his agreement. I knew we thought alike. Maybe I did have a chance to regain his respect. Show him that we could do this, and I wasn’t just a spoiled princess playing a foolish game.
“We turn his men against him,” Wynn said, crossing his arms over his chest. “How?”
I turned to Cas. “Do you think you could get in touch with Giulio?”
We all saw on the cameras how Giulio let Cas go. Granted, Giulio could have known Max was trying to lay a trap, but I didn’t think so, and I was pretty sure Cas thought the same. It looked more like Giulio washelpingus, and if that were the case, his loyalty to Max was in question.
“Yeah, princess. I think I could.”
I squeeezed his leg. “Think he’d want to meet with us? Talk about his future?”
“It looked to me like he was open to new leadership. And I’d bet that he’s not the only one.”
Iknewthere would still be men loyal to me. I knew they’d see the relationships I was forming and want to take a chance. We just had to get in touch with them, offer them something better than Max ever could. If I could prove I could lead the Family, ournewFamily, they’d accept me in my father’s place.
Under the leadership of our new syndicate, we could fix everything my father did and build a stronger Family than ever.
I’d promised Wynn a New York free from trafficking. I’d promised Ryuji freedom and business. I’d promised Ciel we’d find his parents’ murderers. And I’d promised Obi power.
We could bring strength back to New York, not only making our Family rich—but alsosafe.
I could only deliver on those promises when our syndicate was strong and Max was out of the way.
“Turn his armies against him.” I smiled at the rest of the men. “That’s part one ofOperation Undermine Max.”
“I love it,” Ryuji said, eyes dancing. “Let’s be loud about it.”
