Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 88114 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88114 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Fucking right I did.”
He groans. “Kellen.”
“That company is mine. I know, I’m a thug. I’m a street gangster. You can’t imagine me in a board room. I don’t give a fuck, you simpering pile of dogshit. It’s all mine.”
“You don’t get it. The family isn’t all yours. There are several captains with real sway that don’t want anything to do with you, and even though a lot of us are staying out of the battle, their opinions carry weight. If you wanna survive this and maintain some power, talk to Hugh. Take his fucking deal. You don’t care about that damn company. You just want to make money and kill your enemies.”
I take a deep breath and slowly release it. Back to this deal again, even though I thought I made myself clear two weeks ago in that cottage when I shot Cormac in the head and murdered my own uncle. I can’t think of a clearer way of saying absolutely fucking not.
Apparently, I need to be clearer.
“Think about it.” Burke finishes his drink. “I’ll stay neutral for a while. I’ll keep a bunch of others neutral too. And if you decide to take the deal and grab power while you can, I’ll back you. I admit that you’d make a very good mafia family leader, if you’re a drunk and a psychopath. But don’t make this last too long because we aren’t patient.” He slips from the booth and nods at me before he ambles away.
I watch him go, seething.
Finn appears in his place. He makes a disgusted face. “Seat’s warm.”
I glare angrily at the whiskey. “Hugh’s still pushing this bullshit split the family garbage.”
“Really? I figured he would’ve dropped that after Cormac.” He mimes getting shot in the head.
“It’s Hugh’s only play. He knows that even with the few captains willing to follow him, he’s outgunned. If he ever wants to go back to work, he needs to find a way to appease me, because I’ll shoot him in the fucking chest in front of the board of directors if I have to.”
“That wouldn’t be great for company morale. I hear he’s been calling into meetings lately from some undisclosed location.” Finn laughs to himself and leans forward on his elbows. I finish off my drink and pour another. “Go easy on that shit.”
“Don’t tell me how much to drink.”
“I need you coherent, you asshole.”
I flip him off, suck down half, and put the glass down. The warmth spreads through my belly and the dull, flat, lifeless hum of the alcohol takes over my brain, slowly shutting down all the little voices that keep nagging and telling me how I’m failing and ruining everything and I’ll never be happy or have a woman half as good as Tara ever again.
I hate those fucking voices. They’re all a bunch of dicks and idiots, and my head’s full of them.
“We need to find Hugh, kill him, and be done with this.”
Finn nods, considering. “We’ve got some ideas. I’m following up on them.”
“I’ll keep talking to the captains. Maybe I can flip a few more. Burke says he’ll stay neutral and convince a few others to stay out as well.”
“That’s a start.”
“But we need Hugh.”
Finn sighs and leans back. He studies me with a frown and I want to tell him to fuck off already, but he’s one of the last friends I have in this world. I think of Rory, dead Rory, and god damn, do I miss him. He’s another reason I keep drinking—him and all the other friends I’ve lost over the years.
Living a violent life with violent associates means they tend to meet sudden and violent ends.
And I am still not used to it. I don’t know if I ever will be.
“I’ve been thinking,” Finn says quietly, head tilted. “You don’t know she did it.”
“Who the fuck are you talking about?” I lean over my drink, smelling it. I can suck this one down, have another two or three, and it’ll be sweet oblivion for the rest of the night. Finn will complain, but he doesn’t understand. That bastard’s never cared about a woman for longer than it took to undress her, fuck her, and come between her legs.
“Tara. You don’t know she did it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your mother.” He sighs, frustrated. “You don’t know—”
“Stop it,” I snarl, glaring at him. “I don’t want to have this conversation.”
“She admitted to your father, that’s fair. But she would’ve had to work with Eunika if she was going to poison your mother, and why the hell would Eunika help Tara? That makes no sense.”
“Money.”
“Tara had no money.”
“Hate. Passion. I don’t know.”
“Kellen, come on. It’s thin.”
“She poisoned my father. Poison is her thing.”
He sighs and rubs his face. “I know that, but she used readily available drugs. It was a crime of opportunity, not something premeditated. Where the fuck do you think she got mercury from?”