Nicolai

I wait outside Sutton's building for a few minutes, and when I don't hear from her, I assume she's all right. I don't want to take a chance and text her so soon, so I tell the driver to take me to O'Malley's where Dom is supposed to be waiting for me.

My stomach is knots, wondering what information she has for me. The fact that she wanted to meet in person and not even give me a hint of what's going on over the phone was not a good sign.

I want to know what's happening, but I'm also scared to death that it's something that is putting Sutton in terrible danger. And I'll be forced to do something she won't be happy about.

The limo comes to a stop and I give the driver a final thank you and tip, letting him know I'll find another way home. When I get inside the bar, it's loud and rowdy, which is honestly best for this type of conversation. No one will hear us, and if they did, they'd probably be too drunk to give a shit.

I spot Dom in the back corner booth, and she waves me back indicating that she already got me a drink. I sigh in relief and push through the crowd, dropping into the booth across from her.

"Hey, Dom," I practically yell across the table. "Thanks for the beer." I hold it up and she clinks her glass against it as we both take a sip of our drinks.

She swallows and says, "No problem. You're gonna need it for this conversation."

I tuck my lips between my teeth and lean back against the cushioned seat. "So tell me. What did you find out about Anthony?"

"Well, I do have info about Anthony, but get ready because it's about more than just him."

My heart thumps in my chest and I take another swig of my beer. "Fuck. I have a feeling I know what you're going to tell me, but let's go ahead and get it over with."

"I assume you know what happened to Ezra," she says, her voice gentle.

I nod. "I know he's dead. I know the circumstances are suspicious. I also know that he was on his way to tell me and Sutton something really important at his cousin's beach house, but then instead of Ezra, Jason showed up at the door. And took Sutton away from me." I take a deep breath and calm my rising temper. "And I just feel like that has to be connected."

Dom looks at the table and back up at me, and I swear her eyes are shining with unshed tears. Fuck. I could count on one hand the number of times I've seen this woman cry.

"Your gut is rarely wrong, Nicolai," she says, swirling the whiskey around the bottom of her glass before shooting the rest and setting the glass on the table with a thud. "Jason had Ezra killed."

My heart sinks while my blood pressure simultaneously skyrockets, making me feel lightheaded. I grip the edge of the table and steady my breathing before finally saying through gritted teeth, "You know this for certain?"

She nods. "110%."

"How?"

"That's where Anthony comes in."

"You talked to him?" I ask, my eyes widening. "The guard at his building told me he moved out of the city."

"He did. But for some reason, he answered my phone call. I still don't know why. I think he's gotten a new number by now, but I guess my insistence paid off because he met with me before he left town."

"Holy shit," I mutter.

"Yeah. He didn't tell me details because he didn't want me to end up implicated, but he told me that Jason knew that Ezra had figured out the shady shit he was doing. And that he was going to tell you...which means Sutton would find out. And he couldn't have that. So he had someone follow him, and when he headed to Jersey... he ran him off the road, which I know you know that much."

"Who did it? Who killed him?"

With a shrug, she shakes her head. "He wouldn't tell me. But he did confirm it was Jason who put out the hit."

"How did he find out where Ezra was going so fast?"

"Apparently, he had been watching Ezra for a while. He knew that he was telling you things. Jason knew that you and Sutton had something going on longer than he let on, and this was the 'excuse' Jason needed to get rid of who he considered to be your informant," she says, her voice laced with anger.

I clench my fist and glare at the wall over Dom's shoulder. "That man is the fucking bane of my existence."

"Yours and mine both," she mutters. "So of course that mess got cleaned up and covered up, and now Jason is still getting what he wants."

"Sutton."

"Exactly."

"How much money does Xavier owe the Ring, anyway?" I ask.

Dom shakes her head. "I'm not sure of the exact amount but Anthony said Jason told him it's more than 10 million."

Fuck. There goes my idea of paying them off myself just to get her out of this. I may have a lot of money stashed away in savings, but I don't have 10 million dollars. I'm not a member of the family anyway, and according to Jason, that's the only way to get him out...which is why he needs Sutton.

Something about that seems fishy though. Why would they give a fuck where the money comes from as long as they get it? But I have to admit, the Gospodari has some pretty asinine rules too, so who am I to judge?

"Fuck me. And Jason has that much money to pay them off?"

"Supposedly, yeah, and he's willing to part with it all just to get Sutton under his thumb and in his bed," she mutters.

My anger flares and I grip the edge of the table as I lean forward. "What do we need to do to stop this?"

"I don't know if we can. You know how Sutton is about her dad. He's the only one who's stayed by her side through everything, the only family member she has left that she can trust. She's not going to let him down if she can help it. Even at her own detriment."

"I know, I just...if this wedding happens, I don't know how she'll be able to—" I pause, unable to even get the words out.

Luckily, Dom seems to know what I mean. "I know. Hold him off. He'll see it as his right."

I can't allow myself to think about that right now because I will find the nearest cab, take it directly to his apartment, and beat the shit out of him at this very moment.

"What else did you have to tell me? You said there was more than just Anthony."

"Part of it was Ezra, but the other part...I don't think Jason is running a weapons ring. Isn't that what you and Ezra were thinking?"

"That's what it sounded like the night we eavesdropped on their little meeting." A flash of me on Ezra's shoulders pops into my head, and I almost laugh despite myself.

"Yeah, no, that's not what Anthony said. He said it's something much more sinister than that. He wouldn't tell me what it was, said it was too dangerous for me to know the details."

"Did he give you any indication at all of what it might be?"

"He said whatever it was is lethal. That it ruins lives, and it didn't even require pulling a trigger."

"It has to be drugs. Right?" I say, leaning forward on my elbows, lowering my voice so no one else hears.

"Well, I thought that too, but that's not out of the ordinary for people in our business. The way he spoke about it...it made it sound more—I don't know—seedy."

"What else could it be? Do you think he's actually harming people?"

Dom makes a disgusted face and looks at the ceiling before meeting my gaze. "God, I hope not. Fuck, it's all just such a mess. And poor Sutton is in the middle when she did nothing wrong. Nothing to deserve it."

"Not for long," I say, downing the last of my beer. "Whatever it is, I'm going to figure it out. I only have a week to do it, but there is no way in hell I will let that motherfucker marry my Sutton. Over my dead fucking body."

"I'll see what else I can find out too and keep you informed. Does Sutton know there's anything weird going on?"

"Yeah, she's already noticed something in the books. She found a note written in code in one of the ledgers, and we deciphered some of it."

I write down the note for Dom, who is just as clueless as we are on who G could be, but she promises to try and figure it out.

By the time we get back to my brownstone, my sense of determination is set in stone. I'm going to figure out what Jason is up to, stop him, and make sure Sutton doesn't have to marry that son of a bitch if it's the last thing I do.