I quickly put my clothes back on while he went to answer the door.
Zara was the first to walk in. She looked at Lucas' wet, tousled brown hair, then her eyes slid to his bare chest. I heard her make a flirty comment before taking the first seat.
Mark—a tall, dark-skinned boy, probably nineteen—was our newest recruit and the son of John Vandoshk, one of the top mafia lords in the Associates.
Landon, a green-eyed blonde, was considered the black sheep of the Virkov empire. The first son of the Virkov empire, he had been stripped of his title and succeeded by his brother. Blinded by hatred and jealousy, he joined the Tenth to bring his family down.
Kehlani walked in later and announced that the other members would not be able to make it—they weren't done with their mission. Of all the members, I had always been closer to Kehlani. She was like me—we were the same book written in different fonts.
Her father was the founder of the Rosewood Organisation. They sold drugs to elites and laundered money through their many NGOs planted in every corner of the world. The Rosewoods were the life of every high-class party—the socialites who became hosts within the Associates.
It had come to my notice that all members of the Tenth were children of elites and members of the Associates, except for Lucas and Zara. Childhood friends who despised the way the Associates fed on the people, they formed the Tenth and slowly gathered each of us to a common cause.
Ganni Riorson, a former member, died while trying to take out Devin Rosetti. Devin killed him silently, and the cause of his death remained a mystery to everyone in the Associates except us. Only we knew what truly transpired between them, and he was quickly replaced by Mark Vandoshk.
My relationship with Lucas had been private for two years. None of the members of the Tenth were aware of my involvement with him. Lucas advised against relationships within the group—but he always seemed to forget that while he bent me over.
I put on a short pink body-hug dress and sat beside Landon. I could feel the heat of Lucas' promises through his eyes. We weren't done.
"As you are well aware," Lucas began calmly, "I called this meeting to address pressing issues. Lily, Crew, Liam, Sophia, and Alex are absent because I sent them to hijack Scott Harrison's package."
All eyes suddenly turned to me. The irony wasn't lost on me—my father's favorite daughter was involved in such a scheme. I had leaked information about my father's warehouse, the dates of his shipments, the containers of drugs, and the bars he used to launder money. I hadn't held anything back—maybe because I wanted to please Lucas.
"Devin is far smarter than the Associates give him credit for," Landon said. "If we don't stop him before he gains full control of his father's empire, he'll become untouchable… like the Lanchesters.
"Look at the charts. The Lanchesters still sit at the top, and right beneath them are the Rosettis. As of last week, they were sixth. Then his father's health declines and suddenly one hundred and fifty containers disappear? That isn't coincidence. Devin is clawing his way upward. We should let him destroy the Associates from within—it saves us the trouble."
"No," Zara and Lucas said at the same time.
Kehlani chuckled. "You two should really consider becoming a couple. The chemistry is unsettling."
Lucas shot her a glare while Zara leaned forward.
"That defeats the purpose of the Tenth. If Devin tears the Associates apart, he won't just rise—he'll rule. Fear will make him impenetrable. Nothing will cross a border without his blessing. He won't be a participant anymore. He'll be a kingmaker."
"That logic is flawed," I said, already tired of the meeting. "Let the Associates suspect each other. Which family would kneel without a fight? They are starving predators—the moment they sense Devin behind the missing shipments, they will devour him.
"We shouldn't fight him directly. We weaken his allies… and frame him."
Mark nodded slowly. "Then we research his allies at the next gathering. And imagine this—five barrels of narcotics and twenty of MDMA found in his warehouse. The same shipment Harrison was expecting. Suspicion alone would bury him."
"If the Harrisons discover that," Kehlani added, "the Lanchesters will back them. Two empires against one? Devin wouldn't survive the week."
Lucas exhaled once. "No. We are not keeping those drugs. We intercept them… and we burn them. Discussion ends there."
I let out a huff and walked out. One by one, the others left until I was alone with Lucas.
"How many times must I warn you not to contradict me in front of the others?" he said, his hand wrapping around my neck. "Defiance exposes weakness. I am your leader—act like it."
I nodded, struggling for air.
"You are not a tyrant, Lucas," I managed. "Leaders don't rule by fear. What are you really doing with those drugs? Why can't you let them go? Or are you reselling them for—"
The slap came fast enough to steal the rest of my words.
I fell onto the bed as his hand closed around my throat again, tighter this time. Stars burst across my vision.
"Never compare me to your drug-dealing father."
A whimper escaped me. The last time he had been this violent was when I asked if he had anything to do with Zara.
"…I'm sorry," he said quietly.
I said nothing. He sat beside me, brushing away my tears with his palm.
"We could always continue where we left off," he murmured, his hands sliding up my thighs.
I shoved them away. He had just hit me, and he still thought he could touch me.
"Get out, Lucas. I mean it."
He pretended not to hear, reaching for me again. He always did this—hurt me, then try to soothe the damage he caused.
"Please, go!" I shouted.
"You're throwing me out over a small fight?" he asked, gripping my wrist so tightly I could already feel the bruise forming.
My door flew open.
Standing there was Xaden Lanchester.
He wore a black suit. Brown hair, hazel eyes, slightly tanned skin, and a muscular frame. His tie hung loose, his hair tousled—the only signs of disorder in an otherwise precise appearance. He smelled of chocolate and oud, warm and earthy. Attractive would have been an understatement. He had the build of a Greek god.
Before I could fully process his presence, he dropped a file onto the table beside my bed.
"She said get out."