Rushed

Rushed
Tatiana

Yakov has finally made a move.

I was kind of expecting him to be a coward and just vanish from the world, start over somewhere where he isn’t known, or any shit like that.

But he didn’t. I have to at least give him credit for not going down without a fight.

As soon as I see Angelo’s text, I call him back.

“Finally,” he blurts as soon as he picks up. “I’m on my way to get you. Tony has requested the merger meeting to happen as soon as possible,” he adds, not allowing me to say anything.

I planned for it to be a bit more organized than this, so I could prepare the Rominas first, but I can’t refuse it. We need to come up with a plan to get to Yakov immediately. I’m quickly learning things don’t always happen the way I want, even as the boss, which leaves me frustrated.

“Inform Guskov and tell them to bring everyone to the address I’m sending you now,” he instructs, hanging up on me right after. I didn’t even have a chance to speak.

I text Guskov the address and ask him to prepare everyone for a meeting with the Saints. I don’t have time to explain anything else other than that.

I rush to put on some clothes and pull my hair up into a ponytail, and my phone buzzes with another message from Angelo.

‘I’m here.’

I grab my purse and head for the door, double-checking if I have everything I need with me. Now that I’m the head of the Romina Empire, I need to bring my gun with me everywhere. I put some knives in my purse as well just as reassurance. Even if I have my men with me, I still need to be able to defend myself if needed.

I’d be lying if I said I’m not at all nervous.

I’m in the dark when it comes to the reaction expected from both the Rominas and the Saints. I don’t think they see any of this coming since Tony and I didn’t have a chance to tell them beforehand. 

I can only hope things will go smoothly. If anything, whoever disagrees with me, can simply walk away. No one is forced to stay here, and this will be their last chance to leave before my leadership with Tony is officially established.

Walking out of the elevator, I stride across the lobby of the building, spotting Angelo’s car by the entrance. I climb inside and give him a quick kiss on the lips.

“What really happened?” I ask as soon as he drives onto the streets. 

“Max and a few other men were ambushed in one of our casinos in Harlem last night. There was another attack at the same time in one of our warehouses in Newark. Several guns were stolen,” he informs me seriously, his jaw clenched and his eyes hard on the road ahead.

“Was anyone hurt?” 

My stomach drops to my feet as I see him grimacing slightly. 

“Max was shot. It wasn’t pretty, but he will survive. He won’t be able to fight for a while, though.”

Shit, Max must be feeling terrible.

“I’m glad he’s alive.” My mind is in overdrive as I try to think of what we can do to get Yakov. “Do we have any idea of where Yakov went or how he caught them by surprise?”

Angelo shakes his head. “He probably had some info on us for a long time. He took the opportunity to attack us, although we should have been prepared. We knew he was on the loose. I don’t know what happened,” he tells me honestly.

I nod, but remain silent, deciding to keep my questions for myself. Maybe Tony will have more information to share.

Angelo takes us to a Saints safehouse in Manhattan. I’m glad we didn’t have to ride to Staten Island, otherwise, I’d be biting my nails the entire way.

This house, different from the one I stayed in, is smaller on the inside, but has a bigger external area, which makes it easy to accommodate everyone in the same place. 

Tony is already waiting for me in the garden, and in front of him, all his men are organized in lines. Guskov and the Rominas arrive at the same time as Angelo and I, and they follow us inside. He sets my men beside Tony’s, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by me the way they all exchange confused glances between themselves.

“Morning,” Tony greets in a loud voice as soon as I join him. “I know most of you are not understanding what we’re doing together, but Tatiana and I have some news to share. It might not be good news for everyone, but I can guarantee you that it is the best thing that’s happened to us.”

He’s being enigmatic, and I appreciate that he’s preparing them for the blow.

“We’re merging both gangs. This might come across as something crazy, delusional even, but I ask you to give us both a vote of confidence, trusting that we’re doing the best thing for the Saints and the Romina Empire,” he carries on, his voice firm while his eyes roam over the army of men standing in front of us. We get murmurs and widened eyes in response, but Tony doesn’t let that stop him from talking.

“As for the Saints, I ask you to treat Tatiana and the Rominas with the respect you’ve always afforded me, since she is now also your boss. I’m sure this will be a successful partnership,” Tony concludes his motivational speech and gestures for me to take the lead.

I thank him and turn my attention to the others, focusing on my guys at first.

“I stand by everything Tony just said. I also ask the Rominas to keep the mutual respect between us, no matter our differences. We’re no longer enemies, and no matter what happened in the past, I’m sure we can all put it behind us so we can focus on our future,” I begin firmly.

“This alliance will grant us all new territories, but most importantly, it will send a message to the mafia world that this city belongs to us. We’re a united front now, and whoever dares to come across us will have to face the Saints and the Romina Empire together. We’ll be unstoppable,” I encourage them. “I reinforce Tony’s plea for your trust in us as we adjust to this new scenario. But most importantly, I want you to know that we’re all going to be a big family now. We should count on each other and make sure we have each other’s backs.”

Shouts and cheers come from the crowd in front of us. Tony and I allow them a moment to express themselves, but when things seem to be getting out of hand, with a few of them getting overly excited and suggesting a celebration in one of the Saints’ bars, Tony gestures for them to be silent again.

“I know you want to celebrate and get to know one another, however, the celebration will have to be postponed. As some of you already know, the Saints were ambushed last night by Yakov Romina. One of ours was hurt, but thankfully, we didn’t have any losses. However, Yakov managed to get his hands on several powerful weapons. We don’t know what his plans are, so we need to prepare for a potential attack,” he informs, his voice cold and angry. 

Angelo is standing on my right, in the back, blending in with the tall trees on the edge of the garden alongside Guskov. They are both watching the scene, but have decided to keep their distance to give us the space we need to address everyone. 

However, when our eyes meet, I can see the spark of pride reflecting in them, and it gives me the strength and incentive that I need to keep going. 

Someone in the middle of the crowd raises his hand. 

“What is the plan?” he shouts.

I don’t recognize him, so I assume he must be one of the Saints, but since I still don’t know all my men, I can’t be sure.

Before Tony or I have the chance to reply, another man rushes toward us and hands me a piece of paper. I thank him with a nod and open it, unsure of what to expect. If he had to deliver whatever message in the middle of our meeting, it must be urgent.

Tony leans over my shoulder to read it with me, and my blood freezes as my eyes scan the words written in a rushed calligraphy.

‘Yakov was spotted near the docks. We think he might be hiding in one of the Rominas’ old warehouses in the port.’

The teams trying to track Yakov have finally found a lead on where he might be.

I lift my gaze up to Tony whose lips have turned into a thin line. His jaw is tense, and his eyes darken as he stares back at me.

“Looks like we finally got the motherfucker,” he muses.

Adrenaline pumps through me, and a grin starts forming on my lips.

“Let’s fucking get him then.”