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“Bro, Luca’s wedding preparations are in full force. Simu shows up at every event along with the rest of his family.” I reminded him.
“Then you’ll have to work extra hard to avoid him, won’t you? If he can’t catch you, he can’t start a fight, now, can he?”
“Running away?” I grimaced. “That’s not my style.”
“Your style is confrontation. I’m well aware, thank you. Let me make myself clear. This isn’t a request. It’s an order,” Alex declared.
“Yes, ?ef,” I replied immediately.
What else could I do? It went against my nature, but Alex was right. Avoidance was the best method of handling Cristo, which is why I rarely used it. My MO was usually to encourage him.
“Up until now, you’ve never given me trouble, Nicu,” he continued. It was a point of pride for me, considering what Luca and Tasa had put him through over the years. “Don’t start now.”
I gave him a firm nod of acknowledgment. I wouldn’t let him down.
Alex then turned to Luca. “Moving on… How is the Hagi situation in Cali going?”
“Not great,” he grumbled.
We’d recently expanded our operations to Los Angeles. Luca was spearheading the California expansion, but there was a wrinkle in our plans. A previously unremarkable small clan, the Hagi family, took issue with our presence. In their eyes, we were stepping into their territory. We saw ourselves more like the pioneers of old, forging westward. Right or wrong, it wasn’t in our interest to recognize anyone’s claim on land.
“As you know, last time I was out there, I had meetings with several other ?efs. They were leaning toward supporting us, but I’ve had to back off since my focus is on Cat. Peace treaty or not, I don’t trust the Popescus. I refuse to leave Cat alone, but I don’t think it’s safe enough to bring her along with me either. Without face-to-face meetings, the other clans are backsliding to their former position on the Hagi family, which is effectively to allow themselves to be bullied by them. I can’t maintain the gains I’ve made from afar. I need someone out there to regain what’s been lost,” Luca concluded.
Our eyes naturally turned to Tatum. I wasn’t exactly known for my finesse or negotiating skills, and Sebastian was too green to be able to handle such a monumental task alone. Alex was ?ef, so he wouldn’t show up until every other option had been exhausted. Having Tatum out of the city would work to my advantage. He didn’t know about me and Jewel, but the guy was too smart not to pick up on it soon. This gave me time to pursue her unhindered.
Noticing our stares, he groaned. Tatum was a creature of habit. He didn’t seek out different experiences. The idea of traveling to California to wine and dine a series of clan bosses, with a sprinkle of violence mixed in, was most definitely out of his comfort zone. He preferred working behind the scenes, not being the Lupu poster boy.
“Come on, you’re good at this kind of shit,” I prompted.
“Being good at something and liking it are two entirely different things, and not mutually exclusive,” griped Tatum. Being perfect was a hard burden to carry, especially for a purist like him. When I got obsessed with something, I was only interested in excelling at that one thing, while Tatum strove to be the best at everything he did. It was no wonder he was exhausted from the pressure he placed on himself.
“I’ll come along,” Sebastian suggested, taking a sip of his Turkish coffee. For a man who hadn’t grown up in a Romanian household, he certainly took to our traditions with gusto.
I tossed out my hand toward Tatum and said, “There you go.”
Tatum looked at Sebastian askance, and I knew exactly what was going through his head. Sebastian wasn’t Romanian, and he wasn’t mafie. Alex had researched Sebastian and our half sister, Emma, extensively before vouching for them. He said he was trusting his gut on this one, which was quite an endorsement. But Tatum was a suspicious man. It went hand in hand with his compulsive perfectionism.
“Yeees,” he mused to himself as he eyed Sebastian up and down, calculating his chances of survival by allowing him to tag along.
Leaning back casually into the soft leather cushion, Sebastian was doing surprisingly well under the intense scrutiny. Man-spreading, he looped his arm over the back of the couch, exuding the kind of confidence that came naturally with being an American male. Romanians were confident, but it was a different brand. Toned down and more controlled.
After a few long moments, Sebastian held Tatum’s eyes. “So are we good?”
Despite his relaxed tone and posture, there was a challenge in his look and his words.
A tense moment passed between them. Tatum broke the staring contest by turning toward Alex and replied, “Yeah, we’re good.”
It was a pointed, if silent, statement: I’ll accept you, but ultimately, it’s because of my ?ef. You still need to prove yourself.
And for Sebastian’s sake, I hope he did.
I liked the guy, I did. Besides being sociable, he was quick-witted, even-keeled, and seemed to be loyal. The last had never been tested, so one could only assume, and a made man never made assumptions, especially about something as vital as loyalty. It was one thing to trust a blood relative or a man you’ve been around your entire life, with families who’ve known one another since the old country. Sebastian was a half-breed, with one foot in our world and one foot out. But he could be useful for that very reason.
“So it’s settled,” I concluded with a slap of my knee, grateful I’d gotten out of this chore. “Sebastian goes with Tatum.”
Alex pointed his index finger at me. “And you stay away from Cristo.”
Not a problem, I thought to myself. I’d put him on the back burner for now. I couldn’t pursue Jewel if I was busy fighting Cristo, and there was no doubt the three of us would be present at Luca’s engagement party.
