Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“Sometimes I wonder what the point of being a Dragon actually is.”
“Fear? Respect? Something along those lines.”
“We should have made him come to me.” I close my eyes for a moment. Under other circumstances, that’s exactly what I would have done.
But promises are promises.
“Getting out is good for you,” Lucy says.
“Easy for you to say.”
“When’s the last time you left the Fortress?”
I try to remember. “Two months ago.”
“You need to show yourself from time to time. Make sure everyone knows you’re still around and just as scary as you’ve always been.”
I lean back, a slight smile on my lips. “Is that what I am? Scary?”
“Terrifying.” She looks back, face completely flat. “We’re here.”
The car parks out front of a high-end nightclub. There’s a line out front. Hopeful people wait in the light drizzle. Girls in skimpy dresses and men in expensive suits. Giulio runs a string of the most exclusive and expensive clubs scattered all over the world from LA to Tokyo and back again. This is his latest venture.
We’re immediately allowed inside. Lucy stays by my side. Enzo, the head of my enforcers and primary security, remains around the perimeter with a team of former special forces killers. All of them are obscenely well paid, though I’d bet half would work for me for free, mostly just for the excitement.
I stride into the club, struggling to maintain my composure in the chaos.
People are difficult. They’re complicated and messy. Especially in a place like this. Men and women grind against each other, pouring alcohol down their throats, yelling over the music, laughing and shouting. It’s disgusting and painful. I scan the crowd, searching for a familiar face, jaw tight as we’re led toward a set of stairs.
But I slow and nearly stop. Through the crowd, standing alone at the edge of the bar, is a girl.
She’s small. Pretty. Big brown eyes and thick dark hair. Italian heritage, if I had to guess, but definitely American. Her skin is paler than the women from the slums of Scampia. Her features are delicate, but she holds herself upright, like she’s daring people to approach. She’s not drinking and seems almost bored. Her eyes meet mine and, for a second, she looks right back at me, bold as can be.
Most people shrink from my stare.
But not this girl.
It catches my attention, but only for a moment.
A young man cuts through the crowd and approaches her. They speak and clearly know each other. I watch them a moment longer, the promise I made years back complete once again, before I follow Lucy and Giulio’s men up to a private conference room.
The old club owner shakes my hand for a few seconds too long and talks far too loudly, but at least the room is soundproof and mostly empty.
Negotiations are easy. Lucy did most of the hard work up front. I have to listen to the old man tell stories for a half hour about his glory days, but mostly I get the feeling he’s trying to ingratiate himself to me.
“It’s not often a Dragon visits the city,” Giulio says once we’re finished and the details have been agreed on. “You do me a great honor.”
“I’m glad you appreciate it.”
His smile is insufferable, and I don’t start to feel better until we’re back through the club and out on the sidewalk.
“Painless. Told you it would be easy.” Lucy keeps tapping at her phone. I swear, at this point, it’s like a part of her nervous system.
“Maybe for you.”
Enzo falls in once we’re outside. He’s in his late thirties with dark hair streaked gray and an athletic frame. Ten years ago, he was the best sniper the Navy Seals had ever seen. Now he’s one of my closest allies. “Sir, perimeter is locked down. No problems found.”
“Good. Gather the team. We’re heading to the airport.”
Lucy sighs and looks up. “You should stay the night. Let the New York families come pay their respects.”
“They can pay their respects to you.”
“They already do. It isn’t the same.”
I glare at her. “Bad enough I put myself through that worthless meeting. Now you want me to shake hands and play politics?”
“Yes. I do.”
I turn to Enzo. “Make sure the plane’s ready when we arrive.”
He nods sharply and melts back into the night.
Lucy sighs but doesn’t argue. She knows better than to disagree with me when I’m in this kind of mood.
The truth is I know she’s right. I’ve gotten more and more reclusive over the years. As my power has grown, I’ve been able to keep the world away. Layers and layers of assistants, soldiers, caporegimes, and lawyers act as a buffer between me and the massive web of businesses I keep afloat. When I was officially raised to the position of Dragon five years back, that new level of power and respect only made me fade into the background even more.