Chapter 1

One

Elyah

T he game of kings and queens of the underground realm is a deadly one. And I am not sure we should bring Sapphire into our world. I know she’s not new to our way of life, but having our child and mixing our blood is a crime in the eyes of too many with loaded weapons.

But I can’t move forward in fear. If I want our men to follow our rules, I have to be willing to step out of the shadows and show my face despite the danger.

The cost of our way of life is sometimes blood and most times that is not even enough.

I toss my jacket on a nearby chair as I make my way through the house. I roll up my sleeves. Scars stare back at me. I see them in the mirror every fucking morning and they are a strong reminder I’ve given blood for the Southern Alliance. For my family. And those under me. As have my best friends.

I let myself into my father’s room and find him asleep. His chest rises and falls evenly. The doctor says a few months at best before the sickness takes him from us.

The nurse is resting in a nearby chair. I quietly move to the window and stare out over our city.

People below move about unaware of the shift of power coming to the streets.

People out there would have you think the price is too high to have it all. There are days I believe them. But I know our way of life offers more riches to a man than any white-collar worker will ever earn.

I watched as the man who raised me built a criminal empire in the shadows of Chicago. From my youth through my adult years, I learned from his strengths and his weaknesses. My reward for my full devotion and loyalty to my family is not only my life but the crown. I rule the Southern Alliance now and the change has made people nervous. I don’t share the same beliefs my father has and it’s going to cost me.

Some understand change happens. Others will be unlucky to be on the receiving end of my wrath until they see it my way. They’ll either fall in line with my orders. Or not. The only rule the game of crowns requires is respect.

Step over that line and pawns became expendable. And that is where we are now. Power has shifted and the changes we are making have our men untrusting of our decisions.

Our crew will have to learn to be okay with a lot of things really fast if they want to continue having a place to belong. You don’t get to the top without dropping a few bodies and burying a few secrets. Nothing to brag about. It’s an ugly truth I live with every day of my life. One that has given me the reputation of being cut-throat.

“You’ve been standing there for an hour. It won’t be long now.”

I shake my head in anger. My father’s warm, raspy words draw my attention away from the streets below. I know he only speaks the truth, but that doesn’t make it any less painful to hear.

And it sure as hell doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Anger soaks into my tone and I barely contain the wrath penetrating my soul. “You keep saying that like I can’t wait for you to be dead. You should know better or I would have killed you a long time ago, old man.” I find my father’s gaze in the mellow darkness. Only a couple of lamps chase away the shadows of death. His face is flushed and I note the glassy emptiness that fills his eyes.

Normally, anyone who spoke to the Southern Alliance’s king as I did would have his balls handed to him right after his tongue was placed on a silver platter and I would be the one to do it.

My father cracks a grin. “Always the smart ass.”

“You keep chasing death by inviting him in, he’s going to hear you.”

My father pushes to sit up and the nurse jumps up to fluff his pillow.

He slips into his native tongue with the woman who clicks her tongue at my father’s irritation with accepting help. “Thank you, now. Can you leave my son and me for a while? I promise I won’t run off.”

“ Da .” She mumbles under her breath the whole time she’s heading for the door. I don’t get a cursory glance as she shuts it behind her.

“Did you find someone suitable to share the crown with you and your men?”

I lower myself onto the edge of the bed and offer the ailing man a drink of water. Cancer has stolen his strength so I lend mine.

His weathered hand comes over mine. “Silence cannot be your answer forever, boy. As head of the Alliance, your voice will need to be louder than everyone else’s.”

I replace the water as I hear Lev and Gregor stepping into the room. They are like sons to the man who fathered and raised me. They come closer and get the same treatment as I did.

“Well? Will I meet your soon-to-be-wife anytime soon? I don’t have forever, you know.”

I don’t think I am the only one shocked into silence. Around me, we all three exchange looks.

“It wasn’t me so don’t look at me.” Lev raises both hands.

“Don’t act so shocked. Walls have ears. I might be dying but I am not dead. I know what you three have been up to. A wife to share.” He nods and goes silent a moment before continuing. A habit I’ve picked up over the years. “Good. Keeping up with one each would be a terrible waste of time. Word to the wise, I know you will fail if you do not have the right reasons backing your action. But you seem to know what you want.”

Yes. But in the end, will she want us is the question.

I shrug ready to dance off the topic until I have firmer details.

Gregor has other ideas.

“Yes. She will be moving in with us in two weeks.”

Fuck. The words are out of Gregor’s mouth before I have time to think up an answer that won’t give him hope for something that might not come to be.

I shake my head at him. “Don’t be arrogant, brother. And don’t think our plan will work just because we snap our fingers.”

“You have little faith in our ability to charm.”

We look at each other and he pushes on with more detail. Except giving over the woman’s name. Not once does Lev or Gregor offer up that juicy bit of information as they talk about the blue-eyed beauty.

“You’ll meet her soon, Father.” I cut in when Lev starts veering onto the topic of family bloodlines, heirs, and names.

“We’ll be back in a little while, Father. You should rest before dinner.”

“I was growing tired of your sour face anyway.” I lean over the man who taught me patience and a firm hand with family and a swift kill for anyone who means them or our empire harm.

He pats me on the cheek and we leave my father resting with the nurse watching over him.

“I need a fucking drink.” Lev leads the way to the office on the other side of my penthouse.

“We only have a short time to prepare for Sapphire. The men will not be happy she is with us. We will need to be prepared for retaliation.”

Gregor clamps a heavy hand on my shoulder and I pivot on him with a snarl. “Easy, brother. Fuck. Could you sound any more like a fucking robot?”

He moves to the bar. With practiced motions, he fills three tumblers with vodka. I take mine as does Lev when Gregor passes them around.

“I won’t tolerate anyone standing against Sapphire. If they can’t respect our decision then they don’t belong with us.”

“You can’t just cut the men who have been with us from the start out of their own fucking territory.”

Lev always takes the direct approach but his tactic will start a civil war among our men.

“Both of you are not wrong, but you are not right either. It’s never going to be so cut and dry.”

Lev and I both wave Gregor’s thoughts away. “Better to be prepared than hope everything will pan out. The Southern Alliance has fought for every single inch of ground we have. Men have sided with us. Some of them have lost family to the Constantines. If we bring one in, we will have bloodshed. It will be as cut and dry as we make it. Our way or no way. There are three heads of the Southern Alliance. Everyone else takes orders.”

Lev takes a seat and I move to the window. The city below is growing more congested with evening traffic.

“Elyah,” Gregor starts and I hold a hand up.

“They will see we are right. Do not forget what we are doing here,” I remind them both.

Both of my brothers push their heavy weights up and start pacing the office.

“My father did his best to rule over the Southern Alliance. As did yours. But after what happened to us they all lost parts of themselves. And now mine only has weeks left on his ticket. We have a lot to fix and he wants to know the empire will be here long after he is gone. Sapphire is two birds with one stone.”

Lev drops into a chair and throws an ankle over his knee. “ Da , get her pregnant and forge ties with the men of Genesis. Easy.” He swirls the liquid of his drink as if it will tell his future.

“Not only will our men fight us,” I remind them, “but the Northern Alliance will not just let us take from them. They will come for blood.”

“You just have to make sure to get her pregnant with your child and then we will have the controlling hand.” Gregor throws me a smug look.

We both swallow a mouthful of vodka and consider the weight of what we are about to do.

“Our child, Gregor. Ours,” I correct him moments later. We knew from a young age we would go through this hard life together. I’ve had time to think about this. The suffering we survived was only possible because of the strength of our bond.

“We suffered together. We survived together. We will get through this, too.”

All three of us were kidnapped and tortured in retaliation against our fathers for killing the son of a rival mafia family. Now sleep is a fleeting bitch and Lev thinks I have trust issues.

I do. But I trust the plan we have made.

“I miss him.” Lev refills our glasses. “I think he would like Sapphire.”

“ Da, moy droog. Da. ” Yes, my friend. Yes.

Gregor is quiet. Broody. Fucker gets lost in his mind too often. He won’t say much on the topic but I know he is worried I’ll scare Sapphire away before we have a chance to connect.

Maybe he’s right. But it doesn’t matter. There’s a contract and if there is one thing no one does to the Southern Alliance that is to bail on a contract.

They could have run far away from this life when their fathers died, but Lev and Gregor both opted to stay. Family doesn’t always have to be blood. Even though we were tortured for our fathers’ sins, we all still love each other and respect what has been passed on to us.

Almost every fucker we deal with thinks they know our story. Spoiled brats who have everything handed to them.

They don’t know a damn thing. No one can ever understand the hell we went through for our fathers. We bore the torture and carry the scars because all three of us know the only reason our fathers killed the rival’s son was to save our sisters. Their daughters.

For them and anyone else in our family, I would take that torture again and again. As would Lev and Gregor.

The only way they stayed sane through the torture was by being together and supporting each other through the brutal, ugly aftermath. Lev still wakes with cold sweats and Gregor paces the halls most nights

Lev must be treading on the same thoughts as I am. He falls into a nearby chair and his knee bounces uncontrollably. It’s hard to forget the scars of our past when they are slashed into our flesh.

Two years later and we are still fighting back the demons chasing us into our dreams.

We were lucky. We didn’t all make it out the day Gregor got the upper hand with a guard and we fought tooth and nail to free ourselves. Axel died giving us time to get out when tens of men filled the dank cellar we were locked away in. We owe it to him to try and live. Hard as it might be some days.

“If we do this there is no going back,” I warn them. “Father is growing weaker by the day. The doctors say we don’t have much time.”

Gregor stands, empties his glass, and rolls his wrist around to check his watch. “It’s time.”