April
12 months to Mancuso’s downfall
Leo eyes me, his gun still raised, and starts to turn toward me. I reposition and stand quickly, pointing my gun at him. We’re at a stalemate.
“If you shoot me, you won’t walk away from it,” he says.
“You’re outnumbered. You may kill me, but I’ll scream before I die. You have a gun trained on the sergeant at arms’s daughter. Do you really think you’ll walk away from that?”
“It seems we have a situation, then.”
“No, I don’t think you want to cause any damage. If you wanted to, you could’ve hurt Mindy and Holly when you kidnapped them. But you didn’t. You could’ve hurt Gloria when you went back to New York asking questions. But you didn’t. And you could have hurt me, but I’m still standing.”
“I didn’t realize how much of their business Forsaken shared with their women.”
I smile, knowing full well this guy’s history with Alex. He’s young and attractive and obviously well built, but he’s got some kind of major damage about women to think it acceptable to barter for one. Mancuso and his men would never willingly share details of their business with the women in their lives. They are to be pretty and seen, but most definitely never heard.
“They don’t.” Feeling brave, I smirk. “A good friend of mine once told me that men will never willingly share their secrets. So I took matters into my own hands.” It’s not like after this the club won’t know anyway.
“Ah, I see you’ve made friends with my princess,” he says.
I shake my head. “She’s not your princess. She’s our Alex.”
“What do you hope to accomplish by pointing the gun at me?”
I’m so tense and terrified in this moment that I’m scarcely able to keep my target in sight. “The same thing you’re hoping for—a means to an end. Now, what do you want with Michael?”
He’s silent, holding out for several long, suffocating moments. His brow line is smooth, his jaw is relaxed, and his eyes seem decided. There is no confusion in this man.
“I belong to an organization that has failed to provide a leader. An ignorant, self-absorbed, bloodthirsty twit has attempted to take over. Michael was sent here by that twit, and as it stands, he is the only person who remains in my family that I can trust.”
“The way I see it is that you could be of use to my family. I’m tired of losing them to this war. If we don’t figure out a way to put an end to it soon, there won’t be any of us left—in my family or yours.”
“You’re not patched, and you never will be. You don’t have the authority to create an alliance with me.”
“No, but I am the only chance you have of getting out of here alive. The only way my father, my boyfriend, and my uncles will leave your heart beating is if I demand it. The way I see it, you don’t have a choice.”
“I need to speak with Michael. Gloria claims your club is treating him well, but I need to see him alive before I make any deal with you.”
Think, Cheyenne. Think. I need something more for Leo to trust me. Crap.
I tilt my head slightly to the right and look to the house. From this angle, I can see the shadow of a man standing watch at the front door. He adjusts his position just slightly and moves into the light enough for me to see his face. It’s Daniel.
“The man at the front door has betrayed my family. His president ditched his ass. Once Rig realized we figured out what they were doing, he ran. He’s either dead or gone by now. Either way, you don’t have them either. Daniel doesn’t have the balls to face what he’s done, so it’s going to be your ass hung out to dry.”
“Yes, I’m aware of Tony’s involvement in forcing your Detroit president’s hand,” Leo says.
“I want your word that if I get you to Michael and promise that I’ll keep you alive at least long enough to have a sit down with the club, you won’t be a threat to us anymore.”
“I can’t promise an alliance, though I can promise an honest attempt at compromise,” he says and lowers his gun slowly. I nod my head and do the same.
“Okay, don’t judge me, but I don’t know what the hell to do now,” I say with a nervous laugh. We’re facing the cabin, and I can’t stop staring at Daniel. I’m not even remotely confident that he’ll have my back, but I’m out of resources. “I’m toast.”