I didn’t know what I’d choose, or if it even mattered, but now that Cora was gone, I knew what I really wanted, and how far I’d go to get it.
“You have to understand, this is a delicate situation.”
I wanted to shout in his face until he understood, but instead I kept calm, or as calm as I could.
“And you have to understand that whatever I have with Cora is more than just some fake, arranged marriage.”
That made Hedeon pause. “You caught feelings for this girl.”
“Fuck you,” I growled. “This is more than just catching feelings. This isn’t some fucking schoolboy crush bullshit.”
“She was never your wife.” He didn’t smile, didn’t make a move, but I could tell he was tense. “You know that, right? She always belonged to the Leone family.”
“She doesn’t belong to anyone, damn you. And maybe it started out fake, but something happened between us, and now it means way more to me than any of this bullshit.”
He placed the towel down on the counter and took a deep breath. “I can’t have you do anything just yet.”
“What are you going to do about it then?” My hands balled into fists. “Are you going to let her rot or what?”
“I’ll talk to them.”
I barked a laugh. Like that fucking mattered. The Leone family would do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, and they didn’t give a damn what Hedeon thought.
He didn’t see it. He was blinded by his own meteoric rise to power, or maybe by his obsessive desire to hold on to peace in the city, but the Leone family didn’t give a damn about him at all. They weren’t impressed and they certainly weren’t afraid.
But they should be. Hedeon was more dangerous than they realized, not because of Hedeon himself, but because of the men that Hedeon controlled.
Men like me. Men that did violent, reckless things when they felt like they had no other option.
“They’re not going to listen.”
“I know you think that, but I have a good relationship with Vincent. He’s not an unreasonable man. He’ll listen to me.”
I stared at him like he’d gone insane. I couldn’t help but laugh again, shaking my head. “Listen to yourself.”
“Careful, Reid.”
“No, I’m serious. Listen to yourself.” I stepped toward him, grinning at the absurdity of the situation. “You think you have a good relationship with Vincent Leone. Since when did you give a damn about any of that? We came to power through the streets, through blood and sweat and death, we don’t give a shit what the Leones think or want or feel. And here you are, talking about having a good relationship with them?”
It felt like a betrayal, like he was turning away from everything the crew stood for all because he wanted some stability. His face turned red and I knew he was pissed but trying to hold it back.
“We’re in the big league now,” he said, keeping his voice soft and steady. “We can’t play the old game anymore. Now we’re dealing with senators, and congressmen, and judges, and a hundred other fucks with checkbooks and connections, and any one of them can bring this all tumbling down. We have power for the first time, real power that can help our guys, and I’m not about to give that all up because you caught feelings.”
I clenched my jaw and seethed at him for two sharp breaths. “Fuck you, Hedeon.”
“Go ahead and throw a tantrum. You can blame me all you want, but at the end of the day, this is your fault.”
I took a step and I thought I was going to hit him. I saw myself do it, saw my fist smash into his face—but the years of working together, all the thing he’d done for me, given me, it held me back. I couldn’t hit Hedeon even if I wanted to, and even if he deserved it.
“I did what I had to do,” I said, my voice low and harsh. “I took care of a problem. It would’ve been easy if I didn’t have you and half the city breathing down my neck.”
“But you did, and you fucked it up.”
“I did better than anyone in my situation could have.”
“And yet it doesn’t matter.” He shook his head slowly. “Come on, Reid. You know how this goes. You broke the rules and now you’re paying the price.”
I turned my back on him. I felt rage roll through me—but rage tinged with certainty.
“If you’re not going to do something, then I am.”
“Reid—”
“I mean it, Hedeon.” I walked to the kitchen door. “I’m going to do something about this. Tell me right now you’re going to take care of it today.”
“I can’t do that.” His eyes were sharp and narrowed, and I could tell he didn’t believe that I’d walk out on him.