Planning

We climbed aboard my dad’s quartet of planes, ready to take off for our house to gather more backup. Shay had retreated to the bedroom, closing the door behind her. I decided to leave her be.

She was clearly upset and anxious. With so much on her mind, she needed some alone time.

Conner, Noah, Forest, and I gathered around the conference table in my dad’s private jet—the one he used most often. Papers were strewn all over the table.

“Conner, fill me in. How many times has he been spotted in Venice, Palermo, and Milan? He’s been all over the place, and I need to know what he’s up to.

“We’ll be based in Rome, so he’s practically circling us,” I said, pointing to a map marked with pins indicating his locations.

Conner studied the map, his brows knitted together.

“I have a few contacts in these cities. I’ll see what I can find out, see if they’ve seen him. He’s a known figure. Maybe we can figure out if he’s amassing forces or what exactly he’s doing in these cities.

“The only thing I can think of is he’s meeting with people who owe him favors behind closed doors, and he’s cashing in on them now to attack your dad again. Let me make a few calls and see what they have to say about him.”

With that, he walked off to the front of the plane.

I turned to the other two. “So, what are your thoughts on this?”

Noah glanced down at the map and the papers scattered across the table. “I really don’t know what he’s planning, Boss. We haven’t seen him in years, and for him to resurface now, there has to be a reason.”

I rubbed my face with my hands. “The only thing I can think of is that he’s after my dad’s position again. He’s always claimed my dad doesn’t belong where he is and has been trying to overthrow him since before I was even born.”

“What if he thinks you’re not going to come home to help, so he’s targeting your dad that way? Or is this a trap to get you to come home so he can take care of both of you at once?” Forest asked.

My mind was now racing.

“If he took out Dad and me, that would make sense. He wants to be King, and if we’re out of the way, he’s the next highest-ranking person who would be called on to take over by the lords.

“Shay is to be protected at all costs. If he finds out she’s carrying my child, she’ll be his next target; that way, he wipes out the entire line so no one can claim the position.

“I don’t want her caught in the crossfire. They’re too precious to me, and I can’t afford to lose either of them.”

“What will happen if I lose you?” a voice echoed from the doorway.

I jumped a bit, not having heard the door open.

“You’re talking about how you’d feel if something happens to me, but what about how I’d feel? Do you know how much it would destroy me if I lost you?”

I rose from my chair and walked over to Shay, pulling her into my arms and burying my nose in her hair to breathe in her sweet scent.

“That’s not going to happen, love. I’ve been a target for someone for most of my life. With all these people behind me, my back is covered, so don’t worry about me. They’ll protect me just as fiercely as I’ll protect them.”

Conner walked back in. “Boss, I have some information from a friend I just spoke with.”

Shay went over to the fridge and grabbed a drink, then settled down in my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and rested my head on her back. “What is it?”

As he relayed his findings, I slowly shook my head.

“He’s visiting leaders and enforcers in different cities to build an army. My informant is high up in the ranks of this attack. He has a burner phone that he’ll use to call me when he has more details.

“Right now, all of the high ranks are gathering men to be ready for an attack in a few weeks.”

Forest leaned back in his seat. “How many men is he trying to gather for this attack?”

“About five thousand in all. He knows that Dante doesn’t have that many men, so we think he’s trying to amass a huge army to take over his house and then either kill him or force him to relinquish his position.

“Christian is hoping that Zane will come home to help, so in my mind, it’s a trap to get both of you and take you out in a full-scale war.”

Forest sat forward, drumming his fingers on the table.

“Zane, exactly how many men can you get over there without being detected? I can get around two thousand by putting them on planes under fake names. He might not even know I’m involved with you, so that could be an element of surprise.”

I nodded at his numbers. “If we station them in surrounding towns, they could just act like tourists until we need them. I can get around three thousand from across the nation who I know are trustworthy and loyal to us.

“That would match his five, and then my dad can get at least three thousand more, so we’d outnumber them. Since his house is surrounded by woods, they can hide there and then surround them when they attack.

“It’s time we take Christian out once and for all.”

“I like that line of thinking,” Forest said, grinning. “If we can have the bigger numbers and catch him off guard, it’ll be an easy win for us.”

“If he has eyes on your dad’s house, we can make it look like we’re struggling to get the numbers,” said Noah, tapping the map. “This way, he’ll get bold with his moves.”

“Forest, go ahead and gather your forces. Noah, Conner, call the people we know won’t leak any information. Our most trusted leaders and enforcers.

“Have them gather people, but don’t tell them what this mission is to ensure no one will betray us on this. Each one knows who they can trust. Get our forces together so we can get this started.

“They need to come over in small groups, not buying out planes. If he gets wind of planes full of men coming over all at once, he’ll know what we’re up to.

“Let’s scatter a quarter of them on various flights throughout the day and night. Set them up in cities no more than a half-hour from the house. The main leaders need to be in Rome, but the others can be in the surrounding cities.

“With only about five hundred leaders, it’ll look like we’re in a bit of a bind. Make sure they’re on ‘vacation,’ if you catch my drift.”

“Got it, Boss. I’ll get on it right away. Noah, we’ve got a heap of calls to make.” They headed to the front of the plane with Forest to start dialing numbers.

“Zane,” Shay said, her eyes brimming with sadness as she swiveled around in my lap. “I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I was just upset, shocked, and with my hormones all over the place, I’m not exactly at my best right now.”

I cradled her face in my hands, wiping away a few stray tears that had welled up in her eyes. “It’s okay, baby. If you weren’t worried about me, I’d have to question your love.

“We’ll be okay; this isn’t the first time we’ve faced trouble and, sadly, it won’t be the last. You don’t need to worry about a thing; with Forest on our side, it’ll be easier to manage.

“We need to find the mole in my dad’s ranks, and if we make it seem like we’re struggling with numbers, we should be able to sniff them out.”

“Just promise me one thing.” Shay’s eyes were so filled with sadness that my heart felt like it was cracking.

“What is it, love?” I asked, cupping her face in my hand.

“That we’ll make it out of this alive. I can’t live without you.”

Pulling her into a tight embrace, I murmured, “That’s one promise I won’t break to you. We’ll be safe throughout this, I’ll make sure of it myself.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.