Chapter 95

Chapter 95
Diego

I end the call and sit there for a moment, the words echoing in my mind: You’re good to go. Simple. Final. A quiet confirmation that Antonio is no longer alive.

A sharp, unexpected pain cuts through me—quick, precise, like someone plucking a nerve I didn’t know was exposed. My comrade-in-arms, my right hand for years, is gone by my order. Because he chose betrayal over loyalty. Because he forced my hand.

The ache isn’t for the man he became, but for the man he once was. For the nights we strategized together, the battles we fought side by side, the trust that once felt unbreakable. What’s left now is only the bitter aftertaste of what used to be. Bitter for me, maybe. But far more bitter for him.

Even with all the coldness I’ve cultivated, all the ruthlessness I’ve earned, I’m still human. And humans bleed on the inside when something cuts deep enough.

My hand drifts to my chest, rubbing absently at the tightness there, as if pressure alone could ease the sting. It doesn’t. But the gesture is instinctive—an old habit from a time before power hardened me, before betrayal became familiar.

For a moment, I let myself feel it. The loss. The disappointment. The quiet grief of a bond severed beyond repair.

Then I inhale slowly, steadying myself. The chapter is closed. The consequences have been delivered. And the world keeps moving.

My surroundings sharpen as the sting of old memories fades, the ache settling back into the place I keep it buried. I’m in my home office—the familiar scent of leather and cedar, the low hum of the air system, the quiet that only this house ever gives me. Somewhere inside these walls, Landon moves. I can feel him the way I feel my own pulse, a presence that settles the air around me even when he’s not in the room.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and read Victor’s message:

Been keeping an eye on Earl like you said, boss. He hasn’t been doing too much. Only strange thing is he’s been buying up buildings in our part of Texas.

Hmm. That is strange.

I type back quickly:

Stop any further deals he has going on. Buy them out from under him. Make it so he can’t buy anything else in these parts again.

I knew Earl would be a slick bastard the moment he hesitated in that meeting. He’s cut from the same cloth as Leo—greedy, insecure, always trying to prove something. All he had to do was stay on his own turf. But men like him never know how to stay in their lane.

I sense Landon before I see him. His presence fills the doorway like a shift in the air pressure. When I look up, he’s standing there, studying me with those perceptive eyes that see more than I ever say out loud.

“Is everything okay?” he asks softly.

I nod and set my phone on the desk. “Yeah. It’s just Earl. I knew he was going to be an issue. Now he’s buying up buildings in South Texas.”

Landon steps into the room slowly, his gaze drifting over the office as if he’s assessing the situation from every angle. He always does that—thinks before he speaks, weighs the variables like he’s been doing this his whole life.

“Do you think we should have another meeting with the heads,” he asks, “to address it full-on? Or do you want to wait and see what he does?”

He’s calm, but there’s a sharpness beneath the surface—protective, strategic, attuned to the way power shifts like weather patterns. And the fact that he asks we instead of you settles something warm and solid in my chest.

“We can wait a little while,” I say, leaning back in my chair as the plan settles into place. “I’ll schedule a meeting with the heads for a month from now. That should give me enough time to observe Earl’s moves—see if he’s planning on doing some other sneaky shit.”

Landon nods, shifting to lean against the side of my desk, arms folded loosely, eyes sharp. “Yeah. It’s best we have evidence to present if we need it. We’re not holding out for any aggressive moves. We strike first before it gets to that. No more waiting for them to do something drastic. The moment we see them slithering through the grass like a snake, we cut off their head.”

I look at him—really look at him—and pride swells in my chest. He speaks with the ease of someone born into this world, someone who understands the weight of power and the necessity of decisive action. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nowhere else he was ever meant to be but right here, at my side.

I reach out and take his hand, grounding us both. “Spoken like a true leader. Yes, that’s exactly what we’ll do. We won’t let ourselves be put in a position where we’re forced to fight back. If Earl wants a war, we’ll bring it to him first.”

Landon nods again, firmer this time, his resolve settling like stone. “We’ll take this month to watch his moves. If he shows any signs of trying to take over our territory, we’ll present it at the meeting. And if we can’t come to a favorable compromise…” His jaw tightens. “He’ll be dealt with then. No second chances.”

We’re interrupted when my phone rings. I glance at the screen—Dante. I lift a finger toward Landon, a silent request for a moment, before answering.

Dante’s voice comes through immediately, low and clipped. “Boss, we’ve got a small problem. One of the men who walked out on the family has been running his mouth. What’s the move?”

I exhale slowly, shaking my head. They never know when to quit. I would’ve forgotten about him—truly—if he’d just kept quiet and moved on with his life. But some men can’t resist poking the beast they fear.

“Snatch him up,” I say, my voice steady, cold. “Take him to the warehouse.”

“Got it, boss.” The line clicks off.

I lean back in my chair, letting the phone rest on the desk. When I look up, Landon is watching me, his expression calm but alert—always reading me, always ready.

“One of the men who opted out of being part of this family because of my sexuality has been running his mouth,” I explain. “About me. About my family’s dealings.”

Landon’s jaw tightens, but his voice is steady when he speaks. “Then we deal with him. No one gets a second chance to hurt this family.”

There’s no hesitation in him. No fear. No doubt. Just conviction—sharp, unwavering, protective. It hits me in the chest, the way he says this family like it’s something sacred, something worth defending with everything he has.

And in that moment, I know he means every word. In that moment, I see not just my partner, but the future I’ve been building toward—someone who understands the stakes, the strategy, and the cost.

Someone who stands with me, not behind me.

From the moment I met Landon, he struck me right in the Achilles heel. I felt it instantly—that quiet, devastating truth that he would always be the softest part of me, the one place I could never harden or guard. I knew he’d be my greatest weakness long before I ever admitted it out loud.

But what I didn’t expect was how that same softness would become the source of every ounce of strength I carry now.

For ten years, I ran this family alone. Ten years of silence, strategy, and survival. Ten years of trusting no one, relying on no one, building walls so high even I forgot what was on the other side of them.

And then Landon walked into my life and leveled those walls without even trying.

I thought he’d be the crack in my armor. Instead, he became the steel reinforcing it. My equal—in instinct, in resolve, in the things that matter when the world turns dangerous.
He doesn’t just stand beside me. He steadies me. Sharpens me. Reminds me what all of this is for.

Now, no matter what comes, no matter who rises against us or what storms we face, I know Landon will always be my strength.