I look to Adriano. He’s working his way down a second bowl of ramen. An outsider would think he was ignoring us. “Adri, you weigh in.”

He shakes his head.

“Don’t be like that. You helped bring her here. What do you want to do?”

“I think,” he says, chewing slowly, “we put her down.”

There’s a beat.

“The fuck, Rossi?” Doc says. “Always with the unfettered fucking murder.”

Bobby points a finger at Adriano. “Do not touch her.”

I hold up a hand. “I asked his opinion. He gave it. He’s as entitled to discuss killing her as either of you are your plans.”

“Fuck that,” Doc snarls. “The girl’s useless as a corpse. Why can’t we at least make money off her?”

“Well? Adriano?” I ask.

“Because she’s a whining bitch.”

Bobby’s jaw tightens.

“She is fairly whiny,” Doc concedes.

Adriano wipes his face with the back of his hand. “She’ll make a terrible wife, a useless stripper, and a worse prisoner.”

“So we kill her?” I ask. “How is that helpful?”

“It’s helpful because it’s practical. We only took the girl to break Parker. And all your bullshit ideas—having her strip, keeping her as a whore, getting her pregnant—you think any of that will have the same effect as me cutting out her heart and sending it to him?”

No one answers because no one can. All of us return to our food. When I’m finished, I look around the table. Bobby is moodily spooning up ramen and letting it splash into the container. Doc has his head down, clearly scheming, and there’s a hard glint in Adriano’s eyes. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration. Instead, we sit here, entirely divided. It’s my fault. I didn’t intend to take the girl for myself. I’m no stranger to pampered princesses and rarely in the mood to play the dutiful prince. Yet I can’t let the others have her. I know from watching fallen bosses that to assume a prize wanted by everyone in your inner circle is to invite distrust. I will make her mine, but it has to look democratic.

The solution comes to me, bright as a bulb. “We should speak to her about this.”

Everyone looks up.

“You mean tell January what each of us wants for her?” Bobby asks.

“Yes.”

Adriano scowls. “You’ll let the girl choose?”

“We’re in a gridlock and it would be useful to understand what she wants.” And January almost came on my dress shoes. There’s no way she won’t choose me.

“I like it,” Doc says.

I look to Bobby and he nods.

“So, we’re in agreement? Tonight, we drink, tomorrow we talk to January.”

Doc smirks. “How’s Adriano gonna pitch her on getting murdered?”

“He doesn’t have to talk to her.”

“I want to,” Adriano says.

“You will not kill her without my permission.”

His green eyes look poisonous and for a second, I think he’s going to tell me to go fuck myself, but then he inclines his head. “Fine.”