“Don’t fuck around, Reid.”
I took a deep breath and had the urge to hang up. “I tried talking to you already.”
“You went behind my back. Do you have any idea how angry Vincent is right now?”
“You know I don’t care.”
“Damn it, Reid.” Hedeon’s voice took on a raw edge. “It’s not all about what you want.”
“I know that,” I said, keeping myself in check. “But you can’t just do what you want and expect nobody to push back.”
Hedeon grunted in exasperation. “Come talk this through with me. You owe me that much at least.”
“Somewhere neutral.”
He barked a laugh. “Now you don’t trust me?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Damn. That actually hurts, you know?”
“You’ve shown that you care more about staying close to the Leone family than you do about your own men, and I’m not stupid enough to put that to the test.”
A long pause on his end. I wondered if I’d gotten through to him—but knew that wasn’t likely.
“Rittenhouse then,” he said. “In the park.”
“Two hours?”
“Fine. I’ll find you.” He hung up the phone.
I put mine back down on the counter and squeezed my eyes shut.
It was clear how this would go down. Hedeon couldn’t let me walk away from this unpunished, not if he wanted to avoid going to war with Vincent. He’d have to disavow me completely, and that meant I’d be cut loose and made fair game for the entire Leone family. There was no way I could stay in the city after that.
But I had to make one last desperate attempt—if not for me, then for Enrico and Aldrik.
I turned back toward the living room and spotted Cora standing in the kitchen doorway, arms around herself. I nodded once, head tilted. “How much did you hear?”
“Most of it.” She took a step toward me. “Are you really going?”
“I think I have to.”
She lingered like she wasn’t sure what to do—so I closed the space between us and kissed her. She seemed to melt into that kiss and it felt like everything I wanted from her, all the feelings we’d talked about, the future we thought was right—that kiss confirmed it all.
She smiled up at me as I pulled away. “You better be careful.”
“We’ll meet in public and I’ll bring Aldrik and Enrico. They’ll watch my back.”
“Think Hedeon will forgive you?” I must’ve flinched because she reached up and touched my cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“It isn’t your fault.” I took her hand and squeezed. “Hedeon needs to do what’s best for the city.”
“And for himself.”
I hated to admit it, but she was right about that. “In his mind, the two things are one and the same.”
“Of course.” She laughed a little ruefully. “I’ve lived my whole life with men like that and they can always find a justification for anything they do.”
“We’ll settle this.” I leaned down, kissed her again. “I promise.”
She nodded and said nothing. We stayed like that for a few more seconds, and I felt intensely aware of her body like I’d never been before—maybe because I knew something bad might happen during this meeting with Hedeon, and I’d better get my fill of her.
I made some more calls and when I was finished, I dragged her up into bed with me again. She protested—but not very much.
“I’ve got some time to kill,” I purred, kissing her neck, “and I know exactly how I want to spend it.”
“I’m sure you do.” Her smile told me everything, and we tumbled underneath the sheets together, forgetting about what anyone else wanted from us.* * *Enrico sat in the passenger side seat and Aldrik stretched out in the back. They looked tired, but I bet they hadn’t slept much the night before. Enrico’s scowl told me that he was already starting to regret his role in what had happened, though Aldrik looked like his normal chipper self.
“Here’s the deal,” I said, parking a couple blocks from Rittenhouse. “Hedeon’s pissed. He’s not going to forgive me—doesn’t matter what I say.”
“Ah, come on, boss,” Aldrik said, “you’ve been a good earner for him for a long time. You’re a loyal soldier. You really think he’ll fuck you like that?”
“I think he’ll do whatever he needs to do.”
Enrico grunted and nodded, looking out the windshield at nothing in particular. The sunlight slanted through the trees and glinted off nearby shop windows as people walked past, some pushing strollers, some dragging bikes, some with dogs—all the myriad shapes and forms of the city, the city I loved, the city I might leave very soon.
“What do you need from us?” Enrico asked.
“Cover me, that’s all. Stay out of sight, but stay ready just in case. Otherwise, don’t get involved, no matter what.”
Enrico snorted. “That’s all? Shit, if Hedeon decides to take you down, not much we can do about it.”
“I’ve got a few tricks left,” Aldrik grunted.