Internal Strife
Aria's POV
Marco's hand connected with Luca's jaw before I could stop them.
"Stay away from her!" Marco growled, slamming his younger brother to the ground.
They crashed into my desk, sending papers flying everywhere. I jumped up from my chair as the two men I trusted most in the world tried to kill each other in my office.
"Stop it!" I shouted, but they weren't listening.
Luca rolled over and punched Marco in the gut. "You don't own her!"
"Neither do you!"
They were fighting over me. Actually fighting. Like I was some prize to be won instead of a person who could make her own choices.
"Enough!" I grabbed a paperweight from my desk and slammed it down hard. The sound echoed through the room like a gunshot.
Both men froze, breathing deeply. Marco had a split lip, and Luca's eye was already growing shut.
"What is wrong with you?" I asked.
"He's trying to undermine me," Marco said, wiping blood from his mouth. "Making decisions behind my back."
"I'm giving her better advice than you are," Luca shot back. "Someone has to think about the long-term consequences."
"Long-term? We might not live the week thanks to that newspaper article, and you're worried about long-term?"
I wanted to scream. The FBI insider story had been out for twelve hours, and already three families had cut ties with us. My own men were getting death threats. And now my closest friends were falling apart.
"This is about the Chicago deal, isn't it?" I said.
Both men looked guilty, which confirmed my assumption.
Isabella Marchetti had offered to help clear my name, but only if I gave her exclusive shipping rights through our area. Marco wanted to accept instantly. Luca thought it was a trick.
"She's using you," Luca said. "Isabella doesn't help anyone without getting something bigger in return."
"And what's your solution?" Marco asked. "Wait until everyone thinks we're federal rats?"
"My solution is to find out who really planted that story and make them pay."
Before I could reply, my office door burst open. Dmitri walked in with blood on his fingers and a satisfied smile on his face.
"Problem solved," he announced happily.
My heart sank. "What problem?"
"The Martinez family was moving drugs through our area without permission. They won't be doing that anymore."
"Dmitri, please tell me you didn't—"
"Kill them? Only two of them. The rest got the message."
I sat down hard in my chair. "You can't just murder people without talking to me first!"
Dmitri's smile faded. "They were taking from us. In my family's custom, thieves die."
"Your family's tradition isn't my family's tradition!"
"It should be. Mercy makes you look weak."
"And random violence makes us look unstable!" Luca added.
"Says the man who's never won a real fight," Dmitri responded.
I could see another argument beginning and held up my hand. "Where's Kai?"
"Conference call with his grandfather," Marco said. "Something about honor codes."
Of course. Kai had been suffering ever since I announced the new business practices. His family followed ancient practices about honor and respect. My changes challenged everything he'd been taught.
As if thinking about him called him, Kai appeared in the doorway. His face was grim.
"We have a problem," he said.
"Another one?" I asked weakly.
"My grandfather is coming to Neo City. He wants to meet with you personally."
The room went quiet. Kai's grandfather was a legend in the criminal world - a man who'd never bent to anyone's will and never forgotten a betrayal.
"Why?" I asked.
"To decide if you're worthy of my loyalty. If he decides you're not..."
Kai didn't finish, but he didn't have to. If his grandfather objected, Kai would have to choose between his family and me.
"When?" Marco asked.
"Three days."
I felt like the walls were closing in. External threats, internal fighting, and now I had to prove myself to another crime family patriarch.
"This is what happens when you try to change everything at once," Luca said softly.
"And this is what happens when you show weakness," Dmitri replied.
"Both of you, shut up," I snapped. "Fighting each other isn't helping anything."
"Then what do you suggest?" Marco asked.
Before I could answer, my phone rang. The caller ID said "Unknown," but I recognized the number from all the mysterious texts.
"Hello?" I replied cautiously.
"Miss Torrino, I think it's time we met face to face."
The voice was electronically distorted, impossible to recognize. "Who is this?"
"A friend. Someone who's been trying to help you manage these dangerous waters."
"Help me? You've been sending me cryptic messages and threats."
"Because direct contact wasn't safe. But circumstances have changed."
"What circumstances?"
"Your uncle Tony has advanced his timeline. The trafficking business you're supposed to shut down? It's growing tonight. If you don't move in the next six hours, dozens of harmless people will disappear forever."
My blood went cold. "Where?"
"Pier 23. Warehouse building. But Aria... be very careful who you trust. The person closest to you isn't who they seem to be."
"What do you mean?"
"One of your four guards is working for someone else. Has been from the beginning."
The line went dead.
I stared at my phone, my hands shaking. One of them was a rogue. Marco, Luca, Dmitri, or Kai - one of the guys I'd grown to love was betraying me.
"Who was that?" Marco asked.
"Wrong number," I lied, watching his face for any sign of deception.
But they all looked concerned and innocent. How was I supposed to tell which one was lying?
"I need some air," I said, standing up. "Can you all just... try not to kill each other while I'm gone?"
As I walked toward the door, Luca caught my arm softly. "Aria, are you okay? You look pale."
"I'm fine," I said, pulling away.
But I wasn't great. How could I be? Someone I trusted fully was working against me. Someone who knew all my goals, all my weaknesses, all my fears.
Someone who could destroy everything I'd built with a single phone call.
I walked out of my office, leaving the four guys who owned my heart behind. One of them was my enemy, and I had no idea which one.
In six hours, I had to raid my uncle's trafficking business. But first, I had to figure out which of my protectors was trying to get me killed.
The elevator doors closed, and I was alone with my doubts and my fears.
How do you fight an enemy who sleeps in your bed and knows all your secrets?