Cade dragged his feet into Emilio’s office and shut the door behind him. Papers cluttered the desk and tops of the bureaus. Oak cabinets sat popped open under photos of past ruling Martellis. All Emilio’s personal pictures rested on his desk, angled away from the door—a quirk Cade had once needled him about. He naturally came to the conclusion that he could be worried about those smiling faces might be used against him.

But Emilio had replied with a chuckle and a relaxed calm about him—something he hadn’t really expected in comparison to how Cade’s older brother might respond, despite the two of them being the same age and matching experience. He’d simply said that only a coward would go after his sister and her kid, much like how her ex-husband had beat her. It had been followed by a glint in his eye that told Cade that her ex had gotten off easy.

Emilio casually leaned against the edge of the desk, face-to-face with him, a stance that would’ve been seen as disrespectful to his brother. “Is this a check-up, or a delivery?”

“Just a delivery.” He pulled out an envelope from his jacket, holding it out for him. “Jay said that it was for your eyes only, so I’m just ensuring that no one else sneaks a peek.”

He cautiously took it with a raised brow. “And you didn’t look at it?”

Cade shrugged. “Look, if he wants to tell me, then he’ll tell me. I just do what I’m told so I don’t piss him off.”

Without breaking eye-contact, he grabbed up the letter opener on his desk, cutting the message free. He scanned it while Cade followed the interweaving pattern of the maroon wallpaper to the ceiling along one wall.

“Should I burn this when I’m done, or…?”

“Use your discretion, I guess. Not sure what else to tell you.”

He folded it up and slid it back inside the envelope.

“You good?” Cade asked with a smirk. “Ready to kick me out?”

“You know…” Emilio started, absently tapping the edge of the desk. “Just considering all the times I’ve had just talking to you one-on-one, I feel like if things were different, you’d be able to run things better than Jay.”

Cade guffawed.

“Just hear me out—Your brother is an asshole, and you might act like a dumbass, but you’re smarter than some of these guys give you credit for. I can tell you know how things function versus how they should.”

“Emilio, no one takes me seriously.”

“Because you’re not a threat to anyone, Cade. If you showed people that you’re at least a force to be reckoned with, they’ll change their tune. Hell, maybe they’ll even show you more respect than him because we all know it’s begrudging.”

Cade shook his head. “Please don’t try to start shit.”

“I’m not. I’m being serious.”

“I’m not going to turn on Jay,” he said firmly. “So, if that’s your goal, you can stop now. The two of us clawed our way out of the gutter when no one else bothered to look our way. We cried for help for years. I’m just the way I am out of necessity to survive. We only had each other, so we watched the other’s back. That’s why we strategize the same way, but I decided to play the good cop to his bad.”

“I wouldn’t say that too loud, or else Marco’s going to bust down the door and accuse you of wearing a wire.”

Cade couldn’t help but smirk at that. “Look, Emilio, I get that you don’t like me—”

“Actually, no. I like you. I hate Jay. Admittedly, I hated the both of you in the beginning, but when Jay stopped doing house calls, I realized that you were far more reasonable. Marco may not like you, but Roman and I agreed that if you ever decided to step out of Jay’s shadow that it would benefit us to welcome you into the fold. That is, assuming you’d take us up on the offer.”

Cade rocked back a little on his heels in surprise. Hesitating, he forced out a nervous laugh. “I… appreciate it, but I don’t think I’d really be welcome here, despite what you say. Not to mention that I already told you I won’t turn my back on Jay. He may be an asshole, but I’ve dealt with him my whole life. It’s nothing new to me.”

“Just throwing it out there,” Emilio said with a slight shrug, folding his arms over his chest with a glance at the photo wall. “There’s been rumors going around that power is starting to shift, so I think it’s best if you’re prepared.”

Concern gripped him then. “Shifting how, Emilio?”

“If I knew, I’d tell you. I’m just hearing people talk. Plus, there’s a lot of power changing hands this year. Just remember that it’s possible that Jay won’t always be at the top.”

“Why? Because you want that spot?”

“Not going to say that I don’t want it,” he admitted. “But I don’t think that I have the power to back up that challenge. Not right now, at least.” Things quieted between them, leaving Cade with hesitation to press for whatever might’ve been left unsaid. “I won’t keep you. You should probably continue with the rest of your errands or whatever the hell else you do.”

He waved a dismissive hand, starting past Cade to open the door, and he followed him back out into the hall. When they arrived back at the table, Cade’s eyes went wide at the sight of crumpled bills piled in front of Alyx. She began straightening them out tauntingly, one-by-one with a grin.

“Bitch,” he whispered just as the rest of the table slowly turned toward him.