Lorance looked scared.“Did your father know?About our plans I mean, did he know?”
Lily scoffed as if he were stupid.“Vamos...Of course, he knew.I had him watch the whole conversation.He wasn’t stupid either.”
Lorance looked at Bredan and trembled.“We’re dead men then.”
Bredan scoffed.“No brother, Eduardo is dead and Riccardo are dead, there’s no one left to come after us.”
It was Canto who scoffed then, “Ay caramba...You two really are stupid, aren’t you?You think the family is gone now because my father and uncle are dead?There are many more familia waiting to take over and they are all the same as the three men who died this morning.”
Bredan paled and had to swallow hard just to clear his throat.
Lorance looked afraid as well as he stepped back from his brother.
No one else spoke for a long moment.
Boomer now asked the top question, “And just who might be moving in on your father’s empire?”
“That would be our great Uncle Tomas and his crew,” Lilly answered the question.“Tomas is our grandfather’s brother.Yeah, he’s older but he’s just as ruthless as my father ever was.He passed on the opportunity to lead the family before but once he hears about Eduardo and Riccardo being killed, he’ll step up to take over for them.”
“Sweet Jesus.”Titus shook his head.
Crank finally stepped out of the clubhouse.
Now his brothers finally noticed him.Bredan screamed out his name, “Nolan, you have to help us.”
Crank walked over and studied his younger brothers.“Why are you asking me for help?Didn’t Dad teach you everything he knew?Didn’t he tell you not to go back on your word?Didn’t he teach you anything about how to do business?”
Bredan glared at him.“You know exactly what he taught us.”
Crank shook his head.“Actually no, I don’t.I left home twenty-five years ago, remember?But I know he raised you to be just like him.Well brothers, each of us get up every morning and we all have choices to make.One of those choices is do you think for yourself or do you think like the man training you to think like him?Do you follow in the footsteps of your father or do you make your own way in life?”
“When you left, you left us behind, remember?”Bredan snarled.“We didn’t have a choice.”
Crank shook his head.“You had a choice, brother.Same as I did.I walked away to avoid living a life of embezzlement and crime and you could have done the same.You chose to stay.He didn’t hold a gun to your head.He just showed you how to get the green and most of what he showed you was illegal and it was illegal for a reason.You never saw that part of his business or maybe you did and just didn’t fucking care.”He turned and began to walk away.Then he stopped, turning around to face his brothers, he added, “And by the way, I found my woman again and this time I married her.I also put her name on the trust in case something happened to me.The money Dad came here to get?It’s gone.It goes to my wife and daughter now.So you will never get your hands on it.”
Lily leaned her head back and laughed.
Boomer looked annoyed and asked her, “What’s so funny, young lady?”
Lily turned her head and spoke clearly, “Oh senor, this is funny indeed.You see, Ricco had to record Todd’s loan into the books.The fact that he is no longer alive will make no difference in the long run.My father’s books will be passed to Tomas and he will collect any and all debts.And as long as Todd is dead that debt falls to his next of kin.But it won’t pass to Nolan as he did not cosign.It will fall to Bredan and Lorance.They had to sign the loan as well.My uncle Tomas will come after them and I think they will not be able to pay, will they?”She shrugged.“I’m sure by now the Marshals have frozen their accounts, along with their father’s accounts.”She shook her head and said, “And Uncle Tomas is not a man who suffers fools gladly.”
