Do I really have to wear this to go after them? Grace ran her hands down the sleek black dress. It's easy enough to move in... but shouldn't I wear pants or something?

  "Knock, knock, I'm coming in." Zain opened the door to her room. He whistled when he saw her. "Someone's looking hot."

  "Why don't you actually knock and wait to be told to enter?"

  "If you want that, then lock your door."

  "Oh..."

  "Something wrong?"

  "Why are they insisting I wear this dress to make a stand at the Marinis? Shouldn't I wear a suit or something like you guys always do?"

  Zain took off his jacket and draped it on her shoulders. "You know what? It's a little big, but it works for you. Just need your gun and a hat, and you're good to go, Mafia Queen." Zain cupped her cheeks in his hands and gave her a kiss. "Let's go show them what happens when you mess with the Bertolottiss."

  "What are the chances this escalates from a show of power to an actual war?"

  "With a group our size? Not likely, but some of them are a bit crazy, so a random one or two might charge at us. Don't worry; I'll take'em out before they can come close to you."

  Grace rolled her eyes.

  "What? The boss doesn't have to go running in." Although he knew Ray had a habit of it.

  "I'm not suited to staying behind in the safe area, either. I do run into battles."

  "I know; I've seen you do it. I'd rather you didn't, but at the same time, I admire that you do. It's a bit different, though; you tend to run into danger to save people, not kill them." Not that saving someone couldn't end up leaving someone else dead.

  "What do you expect? I'm a cop—"

  "Former cop; you could manage both if you were a regular member, but not as the next boss."

  "Well, being a cop is in my blood. I may have changed a bit—"

  "A lot; you were super moral to start... Shutting up now." Zain looked away, avoiding the glare she was giving him.

  "Circumstances change people; we know that. I will let more things slide than I used to, but my ultimate goal is still the same. I want to make our city a better, safer place for all."

  "Sounds weird coming from a Mafia Queen, but I suppose I should welcome you to the grey area in life. I can take care of the things that are too much for you if you want."

  Grace reached up and adjusted his tie. "Thank you, Zain; I'm going to need you beside me for the foreseeable future."

  He smiled and leaned in close. "Now that is something I can definitely do for you, Miss Bertolottis." He gave her a slow, soft kiss. "I wonder how long until I become Mr. Bertolottis."

  "Are you okay giving up your last name?"

  "I may have been born a Kuros, but I've really been a part of the Bertolottis family for a long time. At least now I can officially have the name."

  "Were you always hoping my grandpa would adopt you?"

  Zain shook his head. "No; him treating me like a son is enough, but I can't help but admit my younger self pined after a last name that didn't haunt Boss."

  "I suppose it still makes it a dream come true for you. I hope that wasn't the real reason you wanted me."

  "Of course not." He picked her up in a bear hug. "It's a nice bonus, but I want to marry you because I love you. I don't even mind that you're going to be the next boss instead of me."

  Somehow, that part doesn't surprise me.

  Knock, knock.

  "Are you ready, Gracey?" Ray asked.

  "Yes, grandpa." Grace rushed over to open the door.

  Ray eyed her and then whistled. "You definitely look like a mafia boss now." Ray took his fedora off and put it on her. "Instead of waiting, how about we go in as co-bosses right now?"

  "Wait, what?" Grace froze. "I thought... I needed training or something."

  "Between your time in the field as a cop and your time here, I'd say you have enough experience to co-lead. This is the best way to learn how to command our family; with me supporting you at your side." He held his elbow out to her. "Let's go wreck some havoc."

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  A fleet of cars full of men from the Bertolottis and Moretti families flooded the streets as they headed to the Marini estate. It wasn't anywhere near their full forces, since they didn't want to leave their homes unguarded, but it was more than enough for the Marinis.

  They surrounded the Marini estate, and Ray, Grace, Zain, Vincent, and Roger approached the front gate together.

  The guards who were aiming at them from the entrance froze when they saw the army of mobsters, and Ray in the front. Almost all mafia members in the area – no matter what family they came from – knew about Ray and could recognize him.

  "What are you doing here?" One of their upper members came out armed and with their own men behind them.

  They tried to be intimidating with their guns ready, but they all looked around, and knew they were outgunned.

  Grace stepped forward. "The Marinis have been putting their noses in places they don't belong and trying to take over the wrong territory."

  "Who... Who says you can rule over so much?!"

  "Pretty sure it's been ours for a long time." Grace glanced back at Ray, who nodded. "And if you disagree, we can take it out on them." Grace pulled her phone out of her pocket and showed them a video of their leader tied to a chair.

  The men gasped and chattered amongst themselves. "Shut up!" their commander yelled at them. "Don't be intimidated. Haven't you heard? The Bertolottiss have gone soft; they won't do anything to the boss."

  "You heard them," Grace said to their man on the other side. She had to stop herself from flinching from the scream he let out when he was tortured with a hammer to the shin. The men yelled, and as soon as one of them stepped towards Grace, Zain shot at their feet, and they jumped back.

  I'm not good for this part of it! Why couldn't they just cave right away?

  Grace narrowed her eyes and gave her best sly smile. "Since that's not enough, we can just steamroll over your place and completely irradiate you through sheer force." Grace shrugged and waved her hand, signalling for all the Bertolottiss and Morettis to be ready to attack.

  "It's not worth it!" One of the men on the other side threw their gun and took off running.

  A couple of their men followed suit, running away, but more of them dropped their guns and raised their hands.

  "What are you guys doing? We can't back down!" he yelled at them.

  "Our boss has been captured—"

  "Who cares?!"

  Even more of them dropped their guns.

  "We don't like the way things have been going, anyway."

  "I don't know why the boss was trying to throw us into Bertolottis territory."

  "Didn't you hear about the one they sent after the woman? It's a horror story now."

  The Marini family argued amongst themselves.

  "What do we want to do with them?" Grace asked Ray.

  "I mostly wanted to scare them, but they look on the brink of disbanding." Ray stroked his chin. "I really didn't expect them to start fleeing and turning on each other so quickly. I guess there was turmoil before we got here."

  "Can we pick a new leader? And how about we expand our area a little bit, since they were trying to take over part of our area?"

  Ray nodded. "I like it. You're thinking like a real mafia boss now."

  "How to pick? Hmm..." Grace stepped closer – much to Zain's chagrin – and she pulled her gun out, pointing it at the man who was trying to lead them. "You're not suited to lead." She shot at his feet and everybody stopped. Even Zain and Ray were surprised by her.

  Roger knew her too well. It was all an act. He was about to step forward as backup, when Vincent grabbed his shoulder.

  "Leave her be," Vincent whispered. "This might very well solidify her future as the leader."

  "Who here is a close relative to the current boss?" Grace asked them, her gun still pointed at them. "Or is it only this man?"

  Another younger man stood out from the crowd. He was still baby faced, and she couldn't tell if he was a teenager or an adult. "Who are you? State your name."

  "Alex Marini, son of the man you captured."

  "Willing to abide by my requests?"

  Alex nodded. "Considering what we've done, it's generous, but will you release my father?"

  "In due time... though I'm not the one who decides the timeline." She nudged her head back towards Ray. "You two, step forward." She pointed at Alex and the man who was trying to lead them.

  "Tch." The other man glared at her as he followed her command.

  "These two are your candidates for your new boss," Grace spoke to the entire Marini family. "And we're going to do a vote right now. Who votes for Alex?"

  Two-thirds raised their hand and Grace nodded.

  "And just to make sure. Who votes for this man?" She pointed her gun at him again.

  The veins in his head bulged as he clenched his teeth. It looked like less than one-third voted for him.

  "There you have it. Your new boss is Alex. Now, we'll contact you about our new territory in a few weeks while you settle into your new position."

  "You can't do this!" the other man yelled.

  "Pretty sure I just did." Grace smirked.

  The man lunged at her.

  Zain cursed under his breath, wishing he had stayed right beside her.

  Grace side-stepped, grabbed the man's wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. On the ground, she twisted his arm back and pointed the gun at the back of his head.

  She leaned in close. "That wasn't smart. Do you know how many times I could've killed you by now?" Grace whispered. "What does attacking me accomplish?"

  "Shut up!"

  Grace tightened her grip and slammed his head into the ground.

  "Ah!"

  "Anyone else looking to do something stupid?"

  Everyone other than Alex in the Marini family backed away. "I'm sorry about him. Can we deal with him ourselves?"

  Grace eyed him for a moment until a shadow loomed over them.

  "I'd like to deal with him." Zain cracked his knuckles, and Grace could feel the man shudder under her. "But fine; this can be a show of good faith." He held a card out to Alex. "Generally, we'll contact you, but if you find you can't deal with him, I'd be happy to take him off your hands."

  Alex nodded and took the business card.

  Zain held his hand out to Grace. "I think we're done here, don't you?"

  "Yeah." Grace let go of the man and took Zain's hand. "We're done. I'll be in touch, Mr. Marini." Grace gave him a tiny wave and wrapped her arm around Zain's as they headed back to the others.

  Alex smiled as he watched Grace and commanded a few men to take their former stand-in leader into the house.

  "That was epic, Grace." Roger smiled and resisted the urge to hug her. Instead, he held his hand up, and she high-fived him as they walked by. "I definitely feel like I don't have a chance," Roger grumbled.

  "We talked about this." Vincent rested his hand on Roger's shoulder. "Even if they get married, things may change later. In case you're open for your heart to change, how about I set you up with someone to get your mind off her? At least for now?"

  "I don't know if I can ever get her off my mind."

  "You won't know if you don't try. I know a couple of women who might be a good match for you. How about I introduce you to them?"

  Roger hesitated as he thought about Grace, and nodded, anyway.

  "Good." Vincent smirked. "Because we have a party to go to soon."