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The chair in front of me scraping across the floor pulled my thoughts from my wife. My smile fell as I glanced up. Meetings like this were a necessary part of my job. And the thing I hated the most.
Not even the whiskey could wash the sour taste from my mouth as I grasped his hand in greeting. “Aaron.”
“Vander.” His tone was more genuine than mine as he took his seat opposite me.
Within seconds, a waiter was over, bringing him a drink. We were in one of the five restaurants the Kent family owned. Always better to meet on our territory. To let him see our strength.
Not that Aaron McCabe was unaware of who he was dealing with. He had no place in this city. He was still trying to weasel his way in like a ferret. Searching for the tiniest hole to crawl through.
“What is it you have to say?” I saw no point in pretending this was a pleasant lunch with a friend. I didn’t have friends, and if I did, they wouldn’t be a punk like him.
He wore jeans that hung down his ass. A graphic t-shirt that was more expensive than the whiskey I was drinking. And he had a fucking mullet haircut. I was in a suit, looking the part of the crime boss I was.
He didn’t bristle at my tone. Only an arrogant smile on his lips told me he knew I wasn’t on board with this rendezvous. “I just thought we should meet after the unfortunate accident. Clear the air, if you will.”
My fingers tightened on the glass, but that was my only sign of annoyance. I kept the rage from my demeanor. I’d had a lot of practice pretending everything was fine. In my business, it was never a good idea to give away your thoughts.
“Your man tried to kidnap one of my girls; that wasn’t an accident. It was a declaration of war.”
“It was an honest mistake. He didn’t know who she was, and I think you made your point with him.”
My lips pulled into another smile, thinking about what we’d done to him. We’d gotten our pound of flesh. “Fine, we’re even there. But I’ve also heard you’ve used Luminescence as your hunting grounds. The police were sniffing around. We can’t have that.”
“I believe we got the message.” His jaw clenched. “Angelo killed three of my men and left their bodies in a car, then set it on fire in our warehouse parking lot.”
Oh yeah, I’d forgotten about that.
I chuckled. “He’s called the Angel of Death for a reason.”
“Probably because he can’t be killed.” He mumbled.
I straightened in my chair. Awareness shot down my spine. “What was that?”
We’d suspected for a while that Aaron had been involved in the attack at Angelo’s house, but we’d had no proof.
“Just that the rumors appear to be true.” Aaron tipped his head in respect. “You and your cousins have certainly earned your place in Sayton City.”
Empty compliments wouldn’t endear me to him. We’d earned our place in blood. With the death of my uncle. With sacrifice. It wasn’t something to be appreciated. It was survival in a ruthless world.
I glanced at my phone, noting the time and date. “Anything else? I have somewhere to be.”
He studied me across the table. His eyes swept over my expensive suit and watch before looking at my face again. “We’re not that different, you know? Two men working in the same city.” He arched a brow like he was sharing a secret. “Doing a similar job.”
“There’s nothing similar about us.” I heard my teeth grinding together.
I’d been born in this filth and had to make the best of it. The rumors were Aaron had sought it out. Pledged himself to a leader we still didn’t know the identity of. He’d had a choice and decided to be a monster. I’d been beaten into the role. Backed into a corner until giving into the darkness was the only way to survive.
“We could make a deal.” He ignored my words. “Selling is more profitable than loaning.”
Fucking pig. Talking about women like they were cars.
“My cousins refuse to be involved in that business.”
We killed the sex trafficking with my uncle. All of us still had harrowing nightmares of the things we had to do to survive. The people we’d hurt. We would never go there again.
We might be criminals, but we were clawing to hang onto at least a shred of our humanity.
“I’m sure they’d follow your decision if you agreed to join us.”
