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“Business, huh?” he asked. “We’re usually the ones coming to you, not the other way around.”
“I think you’ll be interested in what I have to say.”
He grinned, like this was all a joke. “You are an interesting man…” He drifted away and spoke to one of his men. They exchanged a few words before the guy disappeared down one of the hallways. He came back to me, the tattoo on his neck more visible when he turned the other way. It was an image of a naked woman in chains, her wrists and ankles bound together. “Rush is finishing up. Be here in a second.”
I leaned my back against the bar and kept up my indifference even though my heart was pounding more than usual. Normally, I didn’t have anything important on the line. Before Vanessa, even my own life didn’t matter. But now, I had to make sure everything went well, that Crow made it back to his family. “Business has been good for you?”
“It’s always good. And it has extra perks…like playing with the goods.” He winked.
I’d paid for sex a lot in my life, but I’d never paid for a slave. A woman submitting of her own will was far sexier than forcing her to. Vanessa wanted me constantly, used me for sex all the time. Seeing the way she needed me was the biggest turn-on in the world. Sometimes I wanted to tie her up, but watching her bounce freely on my dick was the sexiest thing of all.
Rush joined us a moment later and greeted me with an embrace. “It’s been a while, Bones. My bar sales have gone down.”
I gave a sly grin. “Looks like that’s about to change.”
“Good. My bartender missed you too.” Rush was the leader of the Skull Kings at the Underground. Of course, he had a man above him. And that man had someone above him in a different place. The Skull Kings were a widespread group with many different connections. It was why they were so formidable. “So, I hear you have a business proposition for me.”
“I do.” I ordered another drink, getting rounds for all of us first.
Rush grinned before he took a drink of his scotch. “Always the gentleman.”
I leaned against the counter again and looked him straight in the eye, showing the same fearlessness I was known for. “I know you’ve got beef with the Barsettis. You tried to take them out, and it went to shit.”
Rush’s endearing smile immediately faded away, the scar underneath his eye becoming more noticeable. When he frowned, he seemed innately hostile. “We originally called you for the job, but you turned it down.”
“Had other obligations.” They had no idea I was the one who killed most of their men—since there were no survivors to tell the tale. “The Barsettis are pretty formidable. Have a lot of contacts in a lot of places. Their allegiances are unknown, and that’s what makes them unpredictable.”
“What’s your point?” Rush asked, flustered by the compliments I showered his enemy with.
“I’ve done work with Crow Barsetti in the past. Pretty ruthless guy. He was informed of the attack on his son’s life and the bloody massacre that followed. The streets outside the opera house are still stained with blood.”
Rush’s eyes shifted back and forth as he stared at me. Tony did the same.
Having their full attention, I continued. “Crow’s got a business deal going down soon. Doesn’t need any distractions. Contacted me to intervene in the situation. He has a peace offering for you, if you’re willing to hear it.”
“A peace offering?” Rush asked coldly.
“His piece of shit son undermined our operation,” Tony spat. “You think there will be peace when some asshole crosses us?”
“If it’s convenient for both of you,” I said. “And I think it is.”
“We don’t give a shit about convenience.” Rush’s voice lowered, turning sinister. “That asshole undermined us, took a cut of our profits that belong to us exclusively. He may have wiped out our team, but that doesn’t mean the war is over. It just means they won the battle.”
This was worse than I thought. The Skull Kings had a serious vendetta against the Barsettis, because of Conway’s and Carter’s stupidity. It was fortunate they hadn’t struck again in the last few weeks. “What if I told you Crow Barsetti wants to make an offer?”
Rush raised an eyebrow. “What kind of offer?”
“To pay back the money Conway profited. Plus interest.”
When Rush didn’t shoot down the offer right away, I knew there was hope. Tony listened to every word too, not detesting the offer put on the table.
I continued. “It’s money you didn’t have to work for. He’d transfer it into your account right now. In exchange, he wants this issue to vanish. He has a big business venture he’s planning overseas, and he doesn’t have time to address this at the same time. But if you don’t agree, he will switch his focus to the Skull Kings.” I couldn’t tell them the truth, that the Barsettis just wanted to disappear. If I made them seem weak, the Skull Kings would try to take advantage of their exhaustion. The Barsettis had to maintain the front of strength, that they could keep fighting forever.
