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It didn’t take long for my brother to figure out the real reason on his own. “Siena forced you?”
“She didn’t force me. She asked me.”
“My god, you’re pussy-whipped so fucking hard.”
I didn’t deny it because it was true. “She made valid points. And she wasn’t going to let it go unless I caved.”
“What valid points?”
“That I should live as long as possible for Martina’s sake. She’s going to be born into a violent world. I’m the only one who can really protect her. Now that I’m having my kid, my priorities are changing. I wouldn’t have made these sacrifices before, but now that there’s something more important than me, it’s easy to make these changes. Maybe one day you’ll understand.”
“I highly doubt that.” He kept smoking. “I’ve been keeping an eye on Micah and Damien. Still nothing.”
“If nothing has been going on this long, maybe they are shutting down the business.”
“I don’t buy that. They’re doing something, and they don’t want anyone to know about it.”
“Isn’t that true for all criminals?”
“But to completely disappear?” He shook his head. “That’s shady.”
“We’re all shady,” I reminded him.
“I’m not gonna drop this, man. I’m telling you, something is up.”
“Maybe something is up,” I said. “But maybe it has nothing to do with us.”
“Everything has to do with us, Cato. We’re the top of the food chain—and everything beneath us is our business.” His eyes drifted away as he continued to enjoy his cigar. He pulled the smoke into his mouth then let it slowly seep out between his lips. “So, one month to go, huh?”
I nodded. “One month.”
“Are you gonna kill her?”
The question surprised me. “I thought we were past this?”
He shrugged. “She still did terrible things that she wasn’t punished for. Damien and Micah might suspect she means a lot to you, which would make her and your daughter primary targets.”
“So killing her is the solution?” I snapped.
“Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe you could just give her a scare. Punish her for everything she did. Prove to your enemies she means nothing to you.”
“So, don’t shoot her?”
“Just go through the motions and make her think it’s happening. That terror will be punishment enough. Then she can really have a blank slate.”
I actually liked that idea. People talked, so the world would know that I’d seriously considered killing her. It would make her look expendable and less valuable as a target.
“She still should be punished for what she did. Just because she has a magic pussy doesn’t make her immune to justice.” He sucked on his cigar again. “That’s my two cents. It will give you the closure you need, and she will forgive you because she’ll know you’re even.”
A part of me felt terrible for considering such a thing, but another part of me felt it was justified. The beginning of our relationship was a complete lie. To top it off, she ran away from me—and took my baby. They were two offenses that both deserved the death penalty. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’ve got a month—so take your time.”
I snuck out of bed at two in the morning and headed back to Florence. Bates met me on the way, and we descended into the Underground where the Skull Kings operated—nearly in plain sight.
The security checked us at the front and made sure we were unarmed. Under my special agreement with various factions throughout the country, I was allowed to bring three armed men anywhere I went. Each one carried an assault rifle that would annihilate everyone in that room before they could draw their pistols.
We took our seats at a round table, and a topless waitress fetched us our drinks.
Bates watched her lean over and set our glasses in front of us, his eyes eating up the sight of her tits. When she walked away, his eyes followed her like he’d never seen anything more beautiful. He took a drink as he continued to watch her.
“They’re just tits, Bates.” I looked at the stage and saw the poor women up for auction. All naked, young, and afraid, they would be auctioned off to the highest bidder for an unspeakable existence. I knew how the Skull Kings made their money, and even though I was opposed to it, I didn’t intervene. Unless a woman explicitly wanted sex, I wasn’t interested. I didn’t get off on the idea of forcing a woman to please me. Sex with an eager partner was so much better. But all the sick fucks in this room didn’t agree with me, and even if I had the power to save the lives of these women, I wouldn’t bother.
“But nice fucking tits. Probably fake but who gives a damn.”
I looked into my glass and took a drink, ignoring the auction that carried on around us. An older man bid on a woman who couldn’t be a day over twenty. Another man raised his paddle and increased the stakes. Back and forth they went until the older man won his prize.
