XXIII

"Status report?" I ask, looking at each individual located around the room. My mother sits in the corner, tapping her foot on the ground.

"It's a full blown war out there." James calls out from the dining room table. I hold in a breath for a few seconds, feeling my vision blur slightly, and release.

"Did you know Luca was making a move on New York?" One of my cousins ask. "I know now, what are the hotspots?" I question as I look towards the other side of the room, catching sight of James on his phone tapping the screen aggressively.

I stride along the tiled floor and flop down in a congenial chair besides James. He offers me his drink and I instantly accept it. I twirl a large strand of hair in my fingers while taking a large sip of the whiskey.

"The docks are locked down by corrupt cops working for Martínez. The Five Points is on fire." James explains, waiting for someone to elaborate. "That's one of the businesses paying protection." Marco adds. I nod in both of their directions and finish the drink clutched between my hands.

"So if they're burned to the ground, all our payment's compromised." I say, biting down on my lip roughly. "And Marco's casino is being cleared out. These are the hottest epicentres as of now."

"Coordinate the field teams while Marco and I gear up. We'll be out there ASAP." I voice harshly as I feel every muscle in my body going rigid. "Sure thing, boss." James agrees.

"I'll go get my weapons and meet you back in your room in thirty minutes." Marco explains, turning around and fading into the darkness of the hallway.

Once he is out of my vision, I begin walking to the stairwell when David intercepts me. "What the hell are you doing here!?" I ask, fire burning in my loins. "Listen! I can get you out of this" He says desperately trying to hold my attention. I sigh as I look up to the ceiling and turn around in annoyance. "And hows that?" I ask. "I can get you out of the city. Luca will kill you!" He says, raising his voice to emphasise the last few words.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! You think I would abandon the Mafia like that?!" I exclaim in an outraged whisper. David steps closer to me. So close that I could see every single detail of the scar that cuts through his upper lip. "I'm trying to look out for you, Milana. Your father would have wanted you to live!" He suggests. My eyes narrow. "You're wrong, my father would want me to fight for the Mafia." I challenge his words with mine, making him shift back ever so slightly.

I nod at two of my men and they approach. They grab David tightly by the arms, and the man starts squirming. "You're actually going to execute me, Milana?!" He yells in outrage. I head upstairs to my room, ignoring David's screams as he gets dragged away.

When I hear my door creaking, I'm filling my boots with fighting knives. Marco comes in and starts scanning my body up and down. He pushes a gun into my hand. "Take it." He demands, pushing the gun harder into my skin. I attain it from his possession and shove it into my pocket.

He tilts my chin up so that I'm looking straight into his eyes. "It's dangerous out there, are you sure you can handle it?" He asks as an ungodly smile appears on his face. "You know I can." I reply. He smirks and rubs his thumb in circles on my palm, then pulls me tightly to his chest. I linger for a few moments, breathing in his cologne.

"Let's deal with the corrupt police at the docks." I instruct. He nods in agreement and releases me from his grip.

***

As soon as we arrive at the docks, we are greeted by a bunch of policemen waving their badges. "You're not allowed here, police business." One says, lightly pushing me away. He turns his back and starts laughing with his colleagues. On my right side, Marco scoffs with contempt.

I obtain my gun from my pocket and point it straight at the policeman who mocked me. "Get out of here, now. You people have no idea who you're messing with." I threaten, feeling the anger radiating off my body in waves. "Oh, we know who you are." He yells as I push my nails so hard into my palms that they feel like they are about to cut through flesh.

The policeman has no time to react when I hit him behind his head with the barrel of my gun. I shelter the smile on my face with the weapon and watch impassively as each policeman's expression drops into a scowl.

"You killed him!" One of the policemen finally yells as he lunges closer to me. "No, I just knocked him down with half a though. Whose next?" I ask, alternating my gaze between each indignant man. The other policemen glance between Marco, who now have two guns pointed at their heads. They start hurrying off, dragging the injured man between them.

"Fucking assholes." I spit, scrunching up my hair in my hand. Marco raises his head and stares directly at me. "Control your temper, Lana." He demands. My eyes shoot up and lock with his as his expression darkens. "Don't fucking start with me, Marco." I spit, pushing him away with the flat of my palm.

He smiles and shakes his head.

"Come on, lets free the dockworkers." Marco utters. I knock down the locks of the warehouse, and the door flings open. We are met with a bunch of men, their faces filled with gratitude. "How can we repay you for this?" One worker asks, dipping his head so his dark hair masks his eyes. "Finish unloading the docks and then meet us outside Luca Martínez's cafe." Marco instructs.

"You can help us fight those New Jersey scums." I add. The men nod energetically, then they go back to work, leaving me alone with Marco. I put my hands on my hips, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply to enjoy the small win.

"I saw you earlier." Marco announces, breaking the anomalous silence.

"What do you mean?" I ask in confusion. "At your house. With David." He says. My breath hitches and I turn around to a cold set of eyes. "I know you're going to betray me again." He reports. I watch as his expression turns from troubled to angry. "That's not what that was about!" I yell, letting the indignation boiling inside get the best of me.

Marco tilts his head down slightly, almost levelling his eyes with mine, and shows no shame with each word that comes out of his mouth.

"Oh really?" He asks, clearly not convinced and I roll my eyes at his words. "David tried to get me to abandon you, yes. But I told him I wouldn't do that." I explain. "Are you lying?" He asks.

"Are you stupid?" I snap back. I feel tears pooling in my eyes, and don't bother averting my gaze. "I have proven myself to you. Why can't you just fucking trust me for once, Marco?" I question.

"I just can't." He replies. Marco sucks in a breath, then he pulls out a gun. "Which is why I made a deal." He adds, raising his gun and aiming it straight at my head.

"You can't be serious." I yell, hiding the insubstantial fear I have and replacing it with unalloyed resentment. I have to blink long and hard to make sure my vision isn't deceiving me.

When I open my eyes, I'm still at the docks and Marco still has a gun pointed at my head. "You're gonna shoot me!?" I yell, feeling a sense of betrayal. "I'm ending this." He replies. "The mole David warned me about... It was you, wasn't it." I utter.

"Luca tried to get me to turn against you several times" He explains, gripping the gun tighter. "In exchange for what?" I ask. He shifts on his feet so that the gun is closer to me. "Your territories and a partnership to rule New York together. I refused every time without giving it a second thought." He says.

"Until tonight."

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