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Cane cleared his throat and extended his hand again. “I don’t expect you to like me. Not very many people do…”
“Including me,” Crow said.
“And me,” Pearl added.
Cane rolled his eyes as he kept his hand extended. “But I’ve got your back, Griffin. You have my loyalty and my trust. If you’re ever in a jam, I’ll fight by your side until your enemies are dead. You have my word.”
I didn’t need his pledge of loyalty. I didn’t need anything from him or the rest of the Barsetti clan. But I shook his hand anyway, knowing I needed to move forward instead of live in the past. “I don’t want anything from you. The only thing I want is now mine.” Once the handshake was completed, I dropped my palm.
Cane gave a slight nod. “I respect that. I admire a man who wears his heart on his sleeve.” He turned back to the table.
Now that the greetings were over, we sat down at the large wooden table. The men were drinking scotch, while Pearl enjoyed a glass of wine. I sat on the other side of Conway, leaning back against the wooden backboard of the chair. I remembered how the cool material felt against my skin when I was handcuffed there.
Crow started the conversation. “Griffin told me he’s done work for the Skull Kings before. He has a closer relationship with them than any of us. I think we should have him attempt to establish a meeting with them. None of us is looking for increased hostilities. Even if we have to apologize and pay back everything Conway made, I’m fine with that.”
“If this were thirty years ago, I’d say we take them out,” Cane said. “But you’re right. If these hostilities continue, our kids will be fighting this war long after we’re gone.”
Conway sat in silence, his arms crossed over his chest.
“So how should we do this?” Pearl asked. “Maybe we should try calling instead. Less invasive.”
I shook my head. “No. That’s pussy shit.”
The men turned their gazes on me.
“They don’t respect cowardice,” I continued. “It’ll only agitate them even more.”
“A phone call isn’t cowardly,” Pearl said.
“It is,” I said. “If you really want them to take you seriously, it needs to be face-to-face. If a man is truly powerful, he has no problem walking onto their turf. If you’re too scared to do that, they think they can run you over.”
“We defeated their entire team,” Cane said. “I think we have more credentials than that.”
“You asked for my help,” I snapped. “I’m giving it to you. Don’t be stupid and not take it.”
Cane didn’t take offense to the comment. “Then what do you suggest?”
“I walk into the Underground first and talk to Tony. Tell him you want me to broker a peace treaty. I’ll listen to what he says. If they agree, I’ll call you and you’ll walk in. If they don’t, we’ll need a backup plan. We’ll have to threaten them.”
“No.” Crow set down his glass. “I don’t want to escalate the situation.”
“If they don’t cooperate, you have no other choice.” Showing fear wasn’t an option. “You need to prove that your peace offering is one of convenience. You’re doing it because it’s in your best interest, like you may want to do business with them in the future. If you say you’re just looking for a quiet life in the countryside, they won’t respect that. And if they choose to be hostile, you need to give them a threat that gives them pause. Then they’ll see that peace is more convenient, and they’ll go for it.”
“I’ve been involved with the Skull Kings in the past,” Cane said. “Trust me, you don’t want to threaten them.”
“And if you really know them, then you’ll know that threatening them is the only option,” I countered. “Holding your respect in the conversation is vital. Backing down is just as bad as pulling the trigger.”
After a pause, Cane nodded. “He’s right.”
“What kind of threat?” Crow asked. “Thirty years ago, we could pull off something spectacular, but now, we don’t have many tricks up our sleeve.”
“They care about the auction more than anything else,” Cane said. “It’s their biggest source of income, and it’s easy to manage. If we disturb that convenience, it could hit them where it hurts.”
“Yes,” I said in agreement. “We could threaten to tell their enemies exactly what they’re doing and where to find the girls. If they take a diplomat’s daughter, all we have to do is tell that diplomat and the government where the girl is being held. If we do that enough times, they’ll have more enemies than they can handle. The Italian government won’t be able to look the other way anymore, not when potential war is standing on their doorstep. They could threaten us in return, saying they’ll kill everyone we’ve ever loved, but that threat won’t be fulfilling, not when we’ve disturbed something they care so much about.”
