24. Lyssa

Hadriaand I ride through the streets of Chicago until the Imperioli estate looms ahead. I've never been in there before, but over the years Hadria has described it so well that it feels familiar. She pulls up to the gate, and I catch a glimpse of movement in the shadows. Guards, armed and ready.

We dismount and Hadria walks up to the intercom and presses the button. "I want to send in an envoy to see my father."

There's a moment of static, then a gruff voice: "The Boss ain't seeing anyone."

"Tell him he needs to hear a message from his daughter. I'll bring the whole Syndicate down here to deliver it, too, if he doesn't open the gate."

It's a bluff, of course. But Zepp doesn't know that. There's a long pause, then the gates creak open.

"No killing," Hadria says. "And no dying, either."

I grin at that, and then I walk up the driveway to the main house, where I'm greeted by a sea of suits and guns.

There's a lot of posturing and bullshit, and I hand over my weapons, but in the end I'm allowed through to see the man himself in a conservatory stuffed full of plants—and bodyguards.

Zepp himself sits in a high-backed chair, his face lined with age and cruelty. He looks at me, his lip curling. "Tell me, what does a mercenary want from a man of honor?"

"Honor?" I smile. "We must have different definitions. I have been sent by Hadria Imperioli to ask whether you are working with the woman known as Grandmother."

"Grandmother? What Grandmother?"

I say nothing, just watching his face. I see the scorn there—and the fear. "So you are," I say at last.

Zepp scoffs, leaning back in his chair. "And if I am? What business is it of yours?"

I drop my voice so he's the only one who can hear me. "Dumb move, old man. Real dumb. Cut her off, or the next Syndicate face you see will be Hadria's—and you know what that means."

I back out of the room as Zepp Imperioli gradually turns a shade of puce that I don't think is healthy in a man his age. But he doesn't try to stop me. Doesn't send anyone after me.

At least, not until I get back to the main doors, and then I hear a whole lot of clumping boots coming down the hall after me.

But Hadria, bless her, has come up the driveway after me and is waiting right there outside the door, sitting on the bike and looking bored.

She stands when she sees the Imperioli men crowding out behind me and spreads her arms as though for a hug. "Quite the welcoming party. Are you all willing to die for the man you serve, I wonder?"

And all of them hesitate as I turn around and face them down as well. Alone, they think they might be able to take either one of us. But when we stand together, they think twice.

There's a lesson in that.

"Come on, Wolf," Hadria says in a contemptuous voice, throwing me the helmet. She addresses the men again: "You're all fools to stay with him. I can offer you twice what he's paying, and I won't ask you to compromise your honor, either." She pauses, letting her words sink in. "Or if it's blood that means something to you, I share his, and I am the rightful heir to this Family, even though I've given up my claim. Think about that."

With that, she slings her leg over the bike and I jump on too. As we ride off, I give them the finger, bracing for a bullet in the back.

It never comes. We make it out, the gates clanging shut behind us, and then a few blocks away, Hadria pulls over, gets off the bike, and lets out a scream like I've never heard.

"Jesus," I say, startled. "I think only your old man can make you this mad."

Fuming, she demands to know what he said. I relay my impressions, and she shakes her head grimly. But I have something else I'm wondering about. "Did you mean what you said to those men? About not asking them to compromise their honor?"

"Of course."

I take a breath. "Well, if that's true, you need to accept that Scarlett is under my protection."

Hadria's laugh is bitter. "It's not the same, Lyssa. Honor demands that she die for what she's done."

I feel my own anger rising, hot and fierce. "She didn't have the full picture, and she killed the wrong people—just like you and I killed Sarah's boyfriend."

"It's different and you know it."

We glare at each other. Then Hadria sighs, running a hand through her hair. "Look, the last thing we should do is have this out in the middle of Old Town."

"Agreed."

She starts to wheel the bike down toward the cross street, and I walk with her.

"Your father and the Imperiolis aren't what we should be focusing on," I go on. "Grandmother is the real threat here. We need to take her down."

"Then will you finally accept a team's help? Because Sarah is very anxious to tell us everything she knows."

"You trust her?"

Hadria considers. "Not trust. Not exactly. She is…not well. But she is anxious to share information, as I said. And her hatred for Grandmother is real enough."

Even if she's sending us into a trap, I'm confident enough in my own abilities—and Scarlett's—that we'll be able to get out of it. And a handpicked team… "Yeah. We could use her knowledge," I say, "and get together a team from the Syndicate as backup. But Scarlett comes too, Hades. She has the right to be there when I kill the old woman."

Hadria stops to look at me. "I'll tolerate her help," she says at last. "But after Grandmother is dead…so is she."

I smile. "You can try."

Hadria's eyes narrow. "Are you really going to betray the Syndicate for her? Betray me?"

The accusation stings, but I stay calm. "It's not betrayal. It's…" I cast around for a way to make her understand. "Look, if you could only save one person in a split-second, would you choose Aurora or me?"

Hadria doesn't hesitate. "Aurora. Because I know you can take care of yourself. You're indestructible."

I nod. "It's the same with me and Scarlett. I choose her, because I know you'll be fine."

Hadria snorts. "That sneaky little bitch can definitely take care of herself. She's proven that."

"You don't understand. She's...fragile. She has the skills of an assassin, but her mind, Hades—sometimes it's so close to shattering. She's been through a lot, just like Sarah Graves. And I need to—to protect her from that."

Something flickers in Hadria's eyes. Understanding? Maybe just pity. She looks away, down the street to where the busier roads lie. Then she says, "Come to Elysium tomorrow night. Bring Scarlett. We'll plan our attack on Grandmother."

I blink, surprised. "You'll make Scarlett welcome in Elysium?"

"Welcome is not the term I would use." Hadria's smile is grim. "But keep your friends close and your enemies closer, isn't that what they say?" She swings her leg over her bike and takes the helmet I hold out to her. "I swear no harm will come to her while we work together. But afterward…you need to accept what's coming, Lyssa."

She puts on the helmet, starts her engine, and speeds off into the night. I watch her go, my heart heavy.

Because I know she's right. I know that, in the end, I'll have to choose. The Syndicate, my family, my life at Elysium…

Or Scarlett.

And right now, it's not even a question for me. But that doesn't mean I'll grieve the loss of the only family I've ever known.

For now, I push those thoughts away. I have a job to do. We have a job to do. Grandmother has to be stopped, no matter the cost.

I think of Scarlett, waiting for me. I think of her haunted eyes, her gentle touch, the way she makes me feel alive in a way I never knew was possible.

Tomorrow, we go to war.

But tonight…tonight, I go to her.