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“Okay.” Syren nodded. “I can let you handle this one, but you’ll owe me.”
Zander reared back with a scowl, arms folded. “How the fuck you figure that?”
“Because I said so.”
“Listen, I don’t know who you think you are, but you are out of your fucking mind. I don’t owe nobody shit.”
“People who move around in certain circles refer to me as Faro,” Syren informed him with a small smile as he got to his feet. “But since we’re practically family because of that one”—he pointed at Vince—“I’ll let you call me Syren.” He plucked something from his pocket, a card, and handed it to Scotty. “Scotty can call me when the deed is done.” He tapped a finger on the tip of Scotty’s nose. “Or anytime he wants.” He winked and brushed a hand down the front of his jacket. “Let’s go, Marshal.” He and Kane headed toward the door.
“Kane.” When Kane glanced over his shoulder, Vince took a deep breath. “I want to apologize to you and Syren for how things went down the last time we saw each other. I wasn’t in a good headspace and I allowed it to color my actions.” He tipped his chin. “I’m glad to see the two of you happy and thriving. You deserve it.” They did. They loved each other, and even back then he’d seen it, felt it, known it. He’d just been too stubborn to accept it.
Kane simply nodded at him, then took his husband’s hand as they made their way to the door.
“Bye, Scotty,” Syren tossed over his shoulder, and then they were gone, the door closing sharply behind them.
“So that’s Faro, huh?”
Vince swung around to Zander. “You know that name?”
“Who in the criminal world hasn’t heard of Faro?” Zander squinted at him. “Kane was the ex you mentioned, right? The one you said you’d lost?”
“Kane is your ex?” Scotty shot to his feet.
“Hey.” Vince went to him, taking his face in his hands. “Are you okay? You’ve been quiet.”
“Because this is not my scene, it’s yours.” He gestured between Zander and Vince. “I just allowed you two to handle it. But you didn’t answer my question. Kane is your ex?”
Vince smiled at the bite of jealousy he heard in Scotty’s voice. “Yes, for a brief moment. But he was in love with Syren the whole time and I wasn’t in a good enough space to accept that. I made a fool of myself and Syren was gracious enough to not make me pay for it with my life.”
“Do you still have feelings for him?”
That was a serious question from Scotty, and Vince matched that tone and intensity when he told him, “I don’t. I wish him happiness, that’s all. He’s where he’s supposed to be with who he’s supposed to be with, and now I can say that I am too.” He glanced from Scotty to Zander. “Now, we’re going back to Jersey tonight.”
Zander’s eyebrows shot up.
“It’s time we got out of Brooklyn.” Before they had any more uninvited guests. “And we need to deal with Russ.”
29
Zander was exhausted, mentally and physically, from everything that had transpired since Israel Storm entered his casino. And he knew if he was feeling that way then so were Vince and Scotty. He wanted to give the two men a break, let them have time to decompress.
But they had to deal with the man who’d sent a killer after Vince.
Derri joined them, quiet and sullen, as they made their way back to Jersey. He drove while Zander sat next to him riding shotgun, Vince and Scotty in the back. Zander didn’t ask his ex, his right-hand, where he’d been while Syren Rua—aka the notorious Faro—had made his way into a condo where Zander and his men were sleeping. He would deal with Derri in due time.
But for now, first things first.
The trip back to Jersey was done in heavy silence, though Zander found himself distracted by Vince and Scotty in the back seat. Scotty’s head was on Vince’s shoulder, his eyes closed. Out of all of them, Scotty needed safety and security the most. Out of all of them, he was the most fragile. And likely needed some kind of treatment for his past drug use. Zander didn’t know the first thing about dealing with that, but he would learn. To ensure Scotty had the best of everything, he would learn.
When Derri finally pulled into the private entrance at the casino, Zander blew out a sigh. It felt like it’d been forever since he’d felt at ease. There was nothing like setting foot in a place where you knew you had the advantage. He’d been out of his element in Brooklyn, a strategic move on his opponent’s part, though he’d done his best to hide it. But yeah, being on familiar ground was a relief.
The vehicle came to a stop, and he took note as some of his men stepped away from the shadows and approached. He’d had them waiting for his arrival. Getting out, he nodded to them in greeting, then opened the back door for Scotty and Vince to get out. “Trem.” He gestured to the bulky motherfucker standing aside. “Take Scotty up to my place and stay with him until Vince and I get there.”
“What? No.” Scotty swung to face him. “I want to come with you.”
“You can’t.” Zander took his face in his hands, brushing a thumb over his jaw. “I need you to sit this one out. You’ve already seen enough.” He lifted his gaze to Vince as he told Scotty, “This won’t take long.”
Scotty made a sound of protest, but Vince came over, stroking a hand over his hair. “Zander is right. You don’t need to be anywhere near this. We’ll join you soon.”
