32. Lyssa

A few nights later,when I'm summoned to her bedroom, I'm surprised to see Hadria up and about despite the sling—and the bandages. She's always been a force of nature, but seeing her on her feet so soon after nearly dying sends a mixture of relief and exasperation through me.

"How's that little scrape doing?" I ask.

Hadria grins. "It'll leave a wicked scar."

"You should be resting."

"I'll rest when I'm dead," she scoffs, waving off my concern with her good hand—her shooting hand. Small mercies.

But her cavalier response hits a nerve. "You came too damn close this time, Hades. It was alright for you; you were unconscious through most of it. It was the rest of us who had to deal with the trauma. And you should've known better than to put yourself in the line of fire," I add for good measure. "I don't need you playing martyr for me."

Hadria's grin fades, replaced by a rare moment of vulnerability. "It was too close," she admits. "And I hate that Aurora had to see me like that. But I won't apologize for what I did, Wolf. It was instinct, jumping in like that. And it reminded me what the Syndicate really is—a family. Families sacrifice for each other. Or at least, the good ones do."

We've been through hell and back together, the two of us. From the streets to the top of Chicago's underworld. And she's right, we're family. Dysfunctional as fuck sometimes, but family all the same. "Look, of course I'm grateful," I tell her. "I owe you my life. So—thanks."

She rolls her eyes. "No need for hysterics. But Lyssa…I wish you'd told me earlier about Scarlett. I didn't realize how strongly you felt."

I let out a chuckle. "Neither did I, to be honest. But now that I do…" I trail off, struggling to put it into words. "I can't see anything else but her. If this is even half of what you feel for Aurora, I get it now. I understand why you've done what you've done these past few months."

"Love makes fools of us all, Wolf. Even stone-cold bitches like us."

"Speaking of stone-cold bitches," I say, eager to change the subject before we veer into territory that's too emotional for either of us to handle, "we need to make a new plan to take down Grandmother."

Hadria's eyes harden, that familiar spark of ruthless determination returning. "Actually, I've heard from Johnny again. Grandmother and Giuseppe Imperioli are planning another meeting at Valentino's tonight."

Her use of her father's full name doesn't escape me. I know this Hadria. This is the same Hadria who executed her brother right here on the grounds of Elysium.

She really meant it. She's done playing around. Zepp is a dead man walking. But…

"You can't be involved. Not in your condition," I tell her bluntly.

"This is personal. And it's a matter of honor. I have to be the one to do it, just like you have to be the one to end Grandmother. We started this Syndicate together, and we'll defend it together." I can't argue with that logic. Hadria goes on, "So we'll track them as they come out of Valentino's, and then?—"

"Hold up," I say. "I think it's about time we stopped pretending we're like them. We play by our own rules, Hades. Always have."

She tips her head to the side, intrigued. "What do you have in mind?"

I walk into Valentino's with Scarlett and Sarah flanking me, the familiar scent of garlic and tomato sauce hitting my nostrils. The ma?tre d's eyes widen as he spots us, his face draining of color. I can't help but smirk at his obvious discomfort.

"You—you're not welcome here anymore," he stammers, trying to puff up his chest. "And if you have a problem with that, take it up with the new management."

"Oh, we will. After we're done. Watch the door, will you? We're expecting one more in our party."

Brushing past him, I make straight for the private room at the back. My heart pounds, a mix of anticipation and old anger coursing through my veins. It's been over two decades since I last saw Grandmother—since I slit her throat and escaped her clutches as a child.

And I'm finally about to close that chapter of my life for good.

As we come through the door, my eyes lock onto her face at once. I'd prepared myself for all kinds of emotional responses, but what I feel, actually, is…

Nothing.

She looks older, of course. But she's the kind of woman who spends a lot of money trying to stop time in its tracks, so she doesn't look as frail as I unconsciously expected.

Good. That will make it easier to do what I need to do.

And anyway, those cold, dead eyes are unmistakable.

Valentino's is supposed to be neutral ground, but two of Grandmother's assassins flank her, tensed and ready for action. And for the first time, I take in Zepp Imperioli as well, looking furious to see me again.

"Well, well, what a touching reunion," I drawl. And I see Grandmother's eyes widen, a spark of fear in them as she looks behind me to see Scarlett and Sarah, too. "What big eyes you have, Grandmother. All the better to see me with, right?"

Grandmother sneers, raises a hand. "Kill them." The two women with her step forward. But before they can make another move, Sarah's voice rings out behind me, clear and commanding, quite different from the softer, confused tones I've heard from her during her time at Elysium.

"Stand down."

It's not Sarah Graves making the demand. It's Ariadne, Grandmother's most prized assassin. And as the two women stare past me at her, confusion flickers across their faces. One of them turns to Grandmother, uncertainty in her voice. "I thought…Ariadne was dead?"

"Kill them!" Grandmother shrieks, her composure cracking.

But Sarah isn't finished. She comes forward, addressing the assassins directly. "You know me. You know what I can do. Why sacrifice yourself for this woman?" She gestures dismissively at Grandmother. "We will kill you if we have to, or you can be free—like Scarlett and me. She called me Ariadne. Well, now I'm offering you a way out. A pathway out of her labyrinth of horrors—a pathway to freedom. All you have to do is step outside this room. Now."

I can see the indecision in the assassins' eyes, the hope warring with ingrained, beaten-into-them loyalty. And Grandmother's voice rises again, spewing threats and promises, but it's clear her hold is slipping.

"Well?" Sarah asks, when Grandmother falls silent again.

With a shared glance, the two assassins make their choice. They walk out of the room and close the door behind them, leaving us alone with Grandmother.

She's gone very pale, now. She sees it, I think: Death, coming close. "You can't do this," she hisses, her gaze settling on me.

"She's right, you can't do this here!" Zepp splutters. "This is Valentino's! No blood, no vendettas?—"

"And as I keep telling you and your honorless kind," I spit at him, "I'm not bound by your rules. I make my own."

I hear Scarlett and Sarah moving into position behind me, covering the door in case those assassins change their minds.

Grandmother's eyes narrow now, her old cunning returning. "You won't kill me. You need me. I have information?—"

"Save it," I cut her off. "I don't need anything from you. Not anymore."

Grandmother beckons me closer, her voice a sibilant whisper. "Come closer, child. Let me tell you who your mother really was."

Warily, I lean in, but I catch the glint of metal in her hand a split second later. She lunges, a stiletto switchblade aimed at my throat. I react on pure instinct, twisting her wrist and reversing the blade's trajectory. It sinks into her chest with a sickening thud.

"See? I know all your tricks," I hiss into her ear. "You have nothing more to teach me."

"No," she chokes out, disbelieving. "I…made you…"

"And now I've ended you."

I make sure to watch the life fade from her eyes. And when I glance up at Scarlett and Sarah, I see that they've joined hands, comforting each other as they watch and witness. I gesture them forward and there's relief in their relaxing shoulders as they each look closely at Grandmother to make sure, to confirm the end of their abuser.

No mistakes this time.

"It's done," I say, my voice steadier than I feel. Then I look at Zepp, who is staring, bug-eyed, at Grandmother's corpse, as though he's never even seen a dead body before. "As for you…your daughter would like a word."

I nod at Scarlett, who opens the door to let Hadria enter, her arm still in the sling but her eyes as glacial as I've ever seen them.

"Hello, Papa," she says, raising a gun. "Goodbye."

The silenced shot is done before I can even take my next breath, Zepp's eyes still open as he slumps in his chair with a small red circle in the middle of his forehead that begins to trickle out a rivulet of blood a moment later.

As we move to leave, I cast one last look at Grandmother's body. The monster of my childhood, reduced to a crumpled form on expensive carpet. I feel…

Not triumphant. No. But free.

Finally, truly free.

In the main dining room, Johnny de Luca is drinking at the bar on the far side as the ma?tre d' talks to him in fast, frantic Italian, arms waving around in a very un-Valentino's-like manner. Hadria and I walk over to him, Hadria wearing an apologetic face.

"I'm very sorry if we've made your first night as the new owner a little difficult, Mr. de Luca." She pulls out a check and puts it down on the bar. "This should cover the cost of the cleanup, plus a little extra for your trouble. And, of course, a bonus for the staff here tonight, too."

The ma?tre d' stares at the number of zeroes on the check, his indignation fading into stunned disbelief.

"Not at all, ladies," Johnny says, tipping his glass to us. "Valentino's is a wonderful establishment, but I'm looking forward to making a few changes around here. I'm sure I'll—how did you put it?" He looks at me. "I'll enjoy my new career in the food service industry."

I snort. "I just bet you will."

"And the two ladies who stepped out?" Hadria asks delicately.

"Gone," Johnny says. "You need to track them down?"

"I don't think so," I break in. "I think if they need us…they'll find us. Everyone knows the Styx Syndicate."

"They certainly will now," Johnny says with a grin.

Outside, as we all scatter on our chosen escape paths before word can get out about exactly what transpired in the venerable Valentino's tonight, Scarlett and I duck down a dark alley to take a shortcut back to the car.

"Didn't you want to know?" she asks, as we get in and I start the engine.

"Know what?"

"About…" She shrugs. "Your mother. Who she really was."

I pause, staring straight ahead. "No," I say at last. "Because first of all, I know Grandmother would never have told me, not if she thought it gave her power over me. And it doesn't actually matter to me, Scar. Because I…" I look at her, give a crooked smile. "I already know who my family is. Hadria and Aurora and Mrs. G and the Syndicate…and you, most of all."

She blinks rapidly, and I think I might have made her tear up. "You don't even wonder what your last name was?" she asks.

This is getting way too emotional when we're supposed to be making a quick getaway. "Pfft," I scoff, and I take off from the curb. "Last names are for losers."

"I have a last name," she laughs.

I smile to myself and take the next corner, fast. "Then I'll share yours," I tell her.