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“I put the last bullet in him, but Manny reacted in self-defense to begin with.”

“I have a feeling that the soldier was not there to kill Manny, Thiago. I know that you took him from his home and his father shot you. Criminals are no better than old ladies when it comes to gossip, so I’d appreciate not being lied to.”

“Fine. He killed him to protect me.”

Odin’s gaze drifted to Manny and he smiled. “Impressive. You don’t look like the type to put a bullet in another man.”

Manny sat up straighter, soft eyes hardening. “I’d do anything for Thio. He saved me from my father.”

“Manny is mine, Odin. It’s as simple as that. We came here immediately to tell you what happened because, as you said, this is your city. I understand the importance of respect.”

“Or you want my connections in your smuggling operation, and you’re trying to kiss my ass.” Odin raised his hand and grinned when I opened my mouth. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Reyes. Fenrir told me why you want a meeting. He might be your cousin, but I have his loyalty.”

“Why is that? What did you do for him that he chose you over our familia?”

“He didn’t choose me over you. This isn’t a Norse Lords or Reyes Cartel issue. You will always be his cousin.” Odin sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring at me a little longer than was comfortable before he continued. “Santi respects you, Thiago. He loves you, so he told me I should go into business with you. Help you distribute around parts of America that Killough hasn’t touched.”

“We could undermine Killough. Take over his territory.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Now that would be idiotic. You may hate him, and you may not respect him, but I am the opposite. Sloan Killough is not a man to piss off.” He glanced at Manny and back to me. “Are we going to talk business with your lover in the room?”

“Yes. Manny’s learning his way around the cartel.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

“I trust him.”

“That’s your choice. But if he betrays you in any way, he’ll be betraying me, and I will kill him if you don’t.”

I smiled as dangerously as I could. “While I understand where you’re coming from, don’t threaten Manny again. One thing you can trust about me is that I keep my men in line, and my business partners can rest assured that none of my men would ever have the balls to spill their guts to the cops. I’d do it for them first.”

“Glad to hear it. Let’s talk about your drugs, shall we? Get your second-in-command in here. I’m sure Rafael will want to hear the details.”

After an hourof negotiations that left a clear picture of why Odin was in charge, I felt better knowing he’d helped deal with Felix’s body, and that we had come to an arrangement of distribution. Santi was right, though. Odin was a tough negotiator, and he always got what he wanted, but at least we did too. He’d help us get to parts of America where Killough wouldn’t think of selling, and in return he’d get a hefty percentage of anything he helped sell, especially in Pleasant Beach. All the risk came down to us, however, as it was our job to get coke and heroin across the border and past the authorities. He did mention one stipulation: that none of our connected business was to overstep the boundaries with Killough. He didn’t want to make the Irish mafia boss an enemy.

“You mentioned that you wanted alone time with your lover,” Odin said after we’d concluded our meeting and we’d all stood. “We’re having a party tonight to celebrate a brother’s birthday. You should join us.”

“That would defeat the purpose of alone time.” I dragged Manny against my side and held his hip.

“It won’t start until late. Eleven tonight. In the meantime we have a private beach and a firepit with some seats. You and Manny can enjoy it by yourselves. I’ll make sure you’re not interrupted.”

Manny leaned closer to me and smiled. “That sounds nice. A private beach?”

Odin winked. “The rewards of living in a house like this.”

We walked out of the office together and into the spacious foyer just as the front door opened. I stopped, grabbing Manny’s wrist to make him stay at my side, and glared at the men in suits who walked through the door, or rather, one in particular—Sloan fucking Killough.

Killough raised his eyebrows when he saw me, smirking. Beside him stood his prized possession—the one thing all of Killough’s enemies knew as his weakness—his pet, also known as Conall Morrissey. While it was easy to figure out who Killough’s weakness was, it was a lot harder to get to him. Some simple scouting of the situation had confirmed for me months ago that Killough had his men guarding Morrissey, even when his pet had no idea.

A tall Black man was leading them in, his Norse Lords MC patch attached to the right side of his leather jacket. He sighed when he saw us come out of Odin’s office, like he’d been trying to time it so we didn’t run into each other.

“Killough,” I said stiffly, tightening my hold on Manny’s wrist.

Killough crossed his arms over his strong chest, eyeing Manny carefully, probably assessing how much he meant to me. “Reyes. What a surprise.”

I turned to glare at Odin, who leaned against the wall as he watched us. “Is there a reason he’s here?”

Odin shrugged. “Business, like you. Mr. Killough had a meeting arranged with me today. You weren’t until next week. You were never supposed to run into each other.”