Page 29 of Thrown into the Mob

“I saw what Flint's people stocked. It's an insult to food." Grandpa was opening cabinets and assessing the equipment.

“I know who you are,” Conrad told Rudy.

“Of course you do. You had a file on all of us.”

Rudy shrugged and wasn’t put off by that information. But he’d been the son-in-law of an Alpha, the mate of another Alpha, and now the father of one. He understood the way the world worked.

“You also know that I've got every reason to be suspicious of you.” Rudy sat on a stool at the island.

“That’s fair.” Conrad’s expression didn’t change, and he didn’t clench his fists. He also understood how mafia flights and packs worked.

“So I’m hoping to find out who you are underneath the name.” Rudy sipped the sparkling water Grandpa had served everyone.

Rudy would have to get in line because I needed to discover that before he did, and I wasn’t up for sharing the experience.

I sat beside Conrad at the counter. Our shoulders were almost touching, and I glanced down at his hands in his lap. He inched one as if in slow motion and found mine. He didn’t hold it and our fingers were barely touching. But we were connected.

Rudy babbled on about how each of his sons had kidnapped their fated mate before marking them. He flapped a hand as he told Conrad that Flint had considered killing his mate.

“But that was sorted out easily.”

How I wished Conrad’s and my situation could be as smooth.

FIFTEEN

CONRAD

I hated this, and I stared out the window at the rundown buildings. Madd was next to me, and the tension inside the car was almost visible.

Flint had made the final decision after consulting with me and the rest of the pack because Father had sent word he wanted to negotiate, but on neutral ground.

We were to meet in a warehouse on the border of the territories between families who'd been circling each other for decades. Flint had chosen the location. My father had agreed to it, which suggested he was willing to negotiate. That meant the escape had cost him more than I'd estimated. The damaged compound was inconsequential. That I was missing he didn’t give a damn about, but I’d taken Madd with me, so I’d disrupted his strategy.

Compromise wasn’t part of my father’s vocabulary, so he had an angle. I had to figure out what it was.

Madd stood beside me, and I scented not just him but also his wolf. Like my dragon, he was anticipating trouble. But it was Madd himself who captured my attention. Since we’d met, he’d been the captive, the accomplice, part of a powerful but loving family, and the mate I was getting to know.

Now he appeared as the mafia guy he was. The one who went undercover and risked his life every second he was someone else. The guy who made toast jokes and panicked when I mentioned dragon fire near a kitchen appliance was hidden away behind the tough-guy mask.

Members of Flint's La Luna Noir pack filled the left half of the warehouse. Ranger was positioned near the back wall where he could see both entrances. Flint stood at the front with three pack members flanking him.

The right half belonged to my father.

He arrived with twelve dragons. His enforcer Vasik was there, the one who'd searched for us from the air, and two senior lieutenants. They arranged themselves behind my father.

Evander stood at my father's right side.

I hadn't seen my brother since the night I'd torn through the compound. It’d only been days, but I'd assumed he’d be different because of what had happened. Instead, he sported a neutral expression and didn’t look at me, though he’d never paid me much attention.

I knew every inch of his face because it was mine. It’d never been weird faced with an exact replica of myself, but strangers were often taken aback at being confronted by the Alpha’s sons times two.

My father sat behind a table that had been brought in for the occasion. Even in a warehouse, he required a desk between himself and the rest of the world.

“Flint Durand.” My father addressed the Alpha without standing. “Thank you for agreeing to meet.”

Flint strode toward the table and pulled out a chair. These were two men who refused to stand for each other.

“The situation has changed since my original proposal.” My father folded his hands on the table top.