Chapter 52 The Reckoning
Thursday came with gray skies and a bitter cold that went straight through to your bones.
Cedric woke up to an empty bed and the smell of coffee coming from downstairs. He lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, trying to make himself move. Every part of his body felt heavy, crushed by the thought of what was coming.
Tonight. It was happening tonight.
He dragged himself up, through the shower, into clothes that felt like armor...dark jeans, a black shirt, the leather jacket Falcone had given him. If he was walking into that meeting, he needed to look like he belonged there. Like he wasn't scared.
Even though he was terrified.
Downstairs, he found Falcone in the kitchen, which was strange. Falcone never used the kitchen...that was Mrs. Kozlov's space. But there he was, leaning against the counter with a coffee mug in his hands, staring at nothing.
"Morning," Cedric said quietly.
Falcone looked up, and the dark circles under his eyes told Cedric he hadn't slept much. "Morning. Coffee's ready."
"Did you sleep at all?"
"A few hours." Falcone watched Cedric pour coffee. "You?"
"Enough." Cedric took a sip and winced at the heat. "What time is the meeting?"
"Eight. At the old warehouse in Red Hook. Neutral ground." Falcone's jaw tightened. "Dante picked the place. Probably so none of my people would have an advantage."
"Smart."
"He's not stupid. Just cruel." Falcone set his mug down hard. "Are you sure about this? About coming with me? Because it's not too late to change your mind. You could stay here, stay safe..."
"We talked about this. I'm going."
"I know. I just..." Falcone ran a hand through his hair, his voice breaking. "I had nightmares all night. About you bleeding. About Dante..." He stopped. "I can't get the images out of my head."
"Then we make sure they stay nightmares." Cedric moved closer, taking Falcone's hand. "We walk in together, we stand together, we walk out together. That's the plan."
"Plans never survive reality."
"Then we figure it out as we go. We're good at that."
Falcone pulled him close, resting his chin on top of Cedric's head. They stood like that for a long moment, just breathing together, trying to pull strength from each other.
"Mr. Falcone?" Mrs. Kozlov's voice came from the doorway, careful and respectful. "I made breakfast. You both need to eat."
"I'm not hungry," Cedric said automatically.
"Neither am I," Falcone agreed.
"I don't care." Mrs. Kozlov's voice was firm. "You will eat. Both of you. You need your strength for tonight." She paused, her voice softening. "Please. Let me take care of you while I still can."
The words hung heavy in the air. Cedric and Falcone looked at each other, then followed her to the dining room where she'd laid out a full breakfast...eggs, toast, bacon, fruit. Way too much food for two people.
They sat across from each other and picked at their plates in silence. After a few minutes, Falcone spoke.
"I've been thinking about what to say. To the family. To Dante."
"And?"
"I'm going to tell them the truth. That I'm in love with you. That I'm not giving you up. That if they can't accept that, they can pick someone else to lead."
Cedric's fork stopped. "You'd step down?"
"If it meant keeping you alive? Yes." Falcone's voice was absolute. "Without question. I'd give up everything before I'd give you up."
"But you love this. The business, the power, all of it. It's who you are."
"No." Falcone met his eyes. "It's who I was raised to be. There's a difference. You've shown me that." He pushed his eggs around his plate. "My father built this empire on fear and blood and old rules. Maybe it's time to let it die with him. Maybe it's time to build something new."
"What would you do? If you stepped down?"
"I don't know." A small smile crossed his face. "Maybe run that animal clinic with you. Learn to be normal. Figure out who Gianni Falcone is when he's not running a crime family."
"That sounds nice. Really nice." Cedric's throat felt tight. "But you know they won't let you just walk away. Dante especially."
"I know. Which is why we have a backup plan."
"We do?"
"Marco and I have been working on it. If things go bad tonight...if Dante comes after us...Marco has orders to get you out. There's a car waiting three blocks from the warehouse. Passport, cash, everything you need to disappear."
"Absolutely not."
"Cedric..."
"I said no. I'm not running while you..." Cedric's voice rose. "We agreed. Together. All of it together."
"That was before I spent all night imagining every way this could end badly." Falcone's voice shook. "I can't walk into that room knowing there's no escape for you. I need to know you'll survive this even if I don't."
"Then you'd better make sure we both survive." Cedric's voice turned to steel. "Because I'm not using that car. I'm not leaving you behind. So whatever plan you and Marco came up with, tell him to cancel it."
Falcone stared at him for a long moment. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Okay. No backup plan. We stand together or we fall together."
"Thank you."
They finished breakfast in silence, neither really tasting the food but both eating because Mrs. Kozlov was watching from the doorway with worried eyes.
After, they went back to Falcone's office. The day stretched ahead of them...eight hours until the meeting...and neither of them knew what to do with it. They tried to work, tried to read, tried to do anything to make the time pass faster. But mostly they just sat in the same space, finding comfort in being close.
Around two, Marco knocked on the door.
"Come in," Falcone called.
Marco entered, his face grim. "We have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"Dante's brought in backup. At least twenty men that we know of. All loyal to him, all armed." Marco's jaw tightened. "He's not planning a meeting. He's planning a war."
Cedric felt cold wash over him. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Falcone said slowly, "that Dante has already decided how this ends. He's not interested in talking."
"So what do we do?"
"We match his numbers." Falcone stood, moving to the phone on his desk. "Marco, call everyone. Everyone who's loyal to me. I want them at that warehouse by seven-thirty."
"Boss, if we show up with an army, this turns into a real war. People will die."
"People are going to die anyway if Dante gets his way." Falcone's voice went cold. "At least this way we have a fighting chance."
"Gianni." Cedric stood too. "Maybe we shouldn't go. If it's a trap..."
"Then we spring it on our own terms." Falcone turned to him. "I'm not letting Dante control how this plays out. If he wants a war, we'll give him one. But we're doing it my way."
"This is crazy."
"This is survival." Falcone moved closer, his hands on Cedric's shoulders. "And you're not going. Not anymore. Not if Dante's planning violence."
"We've been through this..."
"That was before I knew he was bringing an army!" Falcone's voice rose. "I can't protect you in the middle of a fight, Cedric. I can't watch you and watch my own back and manage my people all at once. You need to stay here."
"No."
"For once in your life, stop being stubborn and listen to me..."
"I am listening. And I'm still saying no." Cedric's voice was firm. "You think I'm going to sit here while you walk into what might be a massacre? You think I can just wait and hope you come home? That's not happening."
"Cedric..."
"I'm going. And if you try to stop me, I'll find my own way there. So you can either bring me with you where you can at least try to keep me safe, or I can show up on my own and be a problem you have to worry about. Your choice."
Falcone looked at Marco. "Can you believe this?"
"Actually, sir, I agree with him." Marco's voice was quiet. "If Mr. Santos shows up alone, he's a target. If he's with you, he's under your protection. At least then we can control things."
"I hate both of you right now."
"We love you too," Cedric said.
Despite everything, Falcone laughed...short and bitter but real. "Fine. You can come. But you do exactly what I tell you. You stay behind me at all times. And if shooting starts, you hit the ground and you don't move until I tell you it's safe. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"Marco, make the calls. I want everyone there. Everyone." Falcone's voice turned hard. "And tell them to come armed. If Dante wants to play soldier, we'll show him what a real army looks like."
"Yes, sir." Marco left, already pulling out his phone.
After he was gone, Cedric moved closer to Falcone. "Are you okay?"
"No. I'm terrified and angry and I have no idea how tonight is going to end." Falcone pulled him close. "But I'm done letting Dante control this. I'm done playing by rules that were written by dead men who never had to choose between power and love."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to walk into that warehouse and I'm going to tell my brother that he can either accept us or he can go to hell. And if he chooses hell..." Falcone's voice went cold. "Then I'm sending him there."
"You mean..."
"I mean if Dante forces this into violence, I'm not holding back anymore. Brother or not, he doesn't get to threaten what's mine." Falcone's grip tightened. "I've spent fifteen years trying to be better than him. Trying to prove I can lead without becoming the monster my father raised. But maybe...maybe sometimes you need to be a monster to protect what you love."
"Gianni..."
"I'm not letting him hurt you. I don't care what it costs. I don't care what it makes me. I'm not losing you." Falcone pulled back, his eyes fierce and desperate. "Do you understand? I will burn down everything I've built before I let Dante take you from me."
Cedric should have been scared by the intensity, by the barely controlled rage in Falcone's voice. Instead, he felt something else...something that felt like being chosen, being precious, being worth fighting for.
"Okay," he said quietly. "Okay. We do this your way. But Gianni..."
"Yeah?"
"Don't lose yourself in this. Don't become him." Cedric's hands cupped his face. "Promise me that no matter what happens tonight, you won't let Dante turn you into the thing you've been trying not to be."
"I can't promise that."
"Then promise me you'll try. Promise me you'll remember who you are...who you've become...and that you won't throw that away just to win."
Falcone closed his eyes, leaning into Cedric's touch. "I'll try. That's all I can promise."
"That's enough."