Castellano leans in to whisper to his underboss. The Yee brothers come in together, same as always. The Irish are murmuring to each other too.
Nobody likes Yuri at that table.
He knows it and he’s here anyway.
I watch him in my peripheral vision. Either Mikhail sent him here, or he has too much gumption for his own good.
He works the room well. I’ll give him that. I don’t underestimate men just because I want them dead. Yuri blends fast. Fast enough to make people forget he hasn’t earned the seat yet. The right handshake for each man. Every name memorized. Fluent Italian when he turns to Castellano. He moves like he already belongs here.
He doesn’t.
He’s not here to observe. He’s here to plant a flag. Every man in the room sees the same thing now. Mikhail’s proxy. A man trying to sit in the chair before it’s his.
Sofia has never been to one of these meetings.
What matters now is whether she knew this one was happening.
She should have. If she’s taking over—and everything I’ve seen says she is—then she should know the meeting was today. She should know her father’s seat wouldn’t sit empty. She should either be here herself or have made a deliberate choice not to be.
That choice I could respect. There’s value in letting the underground underestimate you while you build real position elsewhere. Stay in the background. Let them assume the legitimate businesses are all you touch. The minute she is named heir, she becomes a target.
That version has logic.
It is not the one I believe.
She doesn’t know.
That is a problem. The fact that I know exactly how she’d react if she did is another.
Kirill is at my back. Just Kirill and me. My men are outside. If it comes to that, they’ll get me out.
Yuri didn't arrive in this city without a plan. His plan is easy to guess. But Mikhail’s plan is less clear.
If Mikhail is making his own moves, testing the waters with a different heir while Sofia has no idea, then his motive is either to protect her or protect the empire he’s built by betting on a male instead of his own daughter. I don’t like how she will probably respond to either option.
I clear my throat. It’s enough to stop the whispers. I feel Yuri’s cold blue eyes on me. There’s a challenge behind his smooth facade. A challenge that could become dangerous fast.
The meeting begins. I run it, same as I have the last several. Territorial disputes. Port matters. Money to keep law enforcement happy and off our asses. Controlled. No shouting. No posturing.
I close the meeting and the usual side conversations start up. Deals. Trades. Minor disputes handled with no bloodshed.
I get to my feet.
“Car’s waiting,” Kirill says.
“Tell them to hold.”
He nods. I don’t move yet. I want to see who Yuri talks to. What deals he tries to make. This is our routine. We pretend to be talking business while we listen to the room. Read body language. Wait for men to show their hand.
“Incoming,” Kirill says.
"Sokolov."
I slowly turn to find Yuri wearing a smile I’d love to wipe off his face.
“Yuri.”
“I wanted to introduce myself. I know we’re technically competitors, but I believe in maintaining good relationships.”