Secret Crown

XXIV. Twenty-Four

Scarlett continued.

The Range Rover pulled into an underground parking lot of a fancy two-story bar called Spades. Located a couple blocks after Adrián's building. The street was more familiar now, as I'd pass this place sometimes when I'd need to get something from the mall for the holidays, which was a couple blocks away from here. As we pulled into the parking lot, there were three blacked-out Escalade's already parked in three of the four slots that read Reserved Parking Only, meaning that is where the high-table families parked their cars. A huge wave of hope kicked in, knowing that one of those had to be Adrián's. Luca escorted me out of the car, my arm in a tight grasp.

"Don't get any funny ideas in here, Scarlett." He threatened as we were ushered into the elevator. "If you try anything tonight, I will chop off your fucking legs. You won't need them to give me an heir anyway." He grinned. My father caught word of these threats, and instead of protecting me, he added to Luca's threats, "You should take her arms too. You don't want her mother's temper to show through and embarrass you. Besides, she won't need to be in the public eye for her purpose."

My heart sank into my stomach as tears brimmed in my eyes. We loaded out onto the first floor of the bar, which was an upscale restaurant. The entire place was empty, with only a small crew of waiters and a host waiting for us at the entrance. The tables weren't set, and all the chairs were flipped up onto the tables while someone polished the floors. The host gave me a small apologetic smile as he greeted us, "Good evening and welcome to Spades. I'll be your host for tonight."

"As you know, we are on neutral ground the moment you pass this podium." He explained, "Therefore, before you enter, I must ask that you leave all weapons here." He snapped his finger, and out came a crew with two large black trash bins. "You can have your weapons back after the meeting has concluded. No one is allowed to harm or kill anyone on these sacred grounds. If anyone breaks these rules, then their crimes are punishable with death, or however the high-table families see fit. Do you agree to these terms?" The host raised a brow at my father and Luca.

"Yes," they agreed as they emptied their weapons into the bins. "Very well then, we may proceed to the second floor to the meeting area." He began leading the way through the restaurant to a flight of glass stairs that led to the second floor. To the right was a fully stocked bar and sitting area, and straight ahead were heavy wooden doors that led into a room with a long wooden rectangular table.

As we approached the table, I scanned the six men sitting there, hoping to spot Adrián. But he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I recognized Saint Lombardi, the man I had bumped into at Adrián's place. He was sitting next to an older version of himself, with the same olive skin and gray eyes. They had to be brothers, and the older one was probably Fernando Lombardi, the Don of Chicago. Across from them, a tall, lean man in a navy-blue suit caught my eye. His neck and hands were covered in tattoos, and his dark brown hair was tousled. He fixed his blue gaze on me, as if he knew who I was. He must be Callum Clarke, Adrián's brother-in-law, and the blonde-haired, blue-eyed man next to him looked like his relative. The last two men gave me an eerie feeling. They were the Polish twins that Adrián had mentioned, his cousins. They had contrasting features: one had ocean blue eyes and blonde hair, the other had ice blue eyes and black hair. They were Dominik and Tymon, and they seemed to communicate with each other without words. They smirked when they saw my father and Luca.

My father sat down at the table and said, "Well, well, well, what do we have here? The Serafin, the Clarkes, and the scum of the earth, the Lombardi. But where is the star of this meeting? Where is the so-called Great Adrián De Leon?" He asked, looking around the room. Callum arrogantly responded, "He probably had more important things to do, just like the rest of us here do."