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I shake it off. “Vance was a rat, and he tried to kill me. That doesn’t say much about his loyalty to you.”
Roman sighs. “It’s hard to find good help these days.”
I narrow my eyes. “Is that the only reason I’m here? Wanted to make sure your little boy was alive and kicking?”
Roman fixes me with a glare. “I’ve heard things. Worrying things. I want to believe my source is wrong, but there are people saying that you’ve been talking with the Kovacks.”
Damn.
I hide my reaction, as icy as my father. A mirror of his poker face. “Like you said, good help is hard to find. Someone’s been spinning you bullshit.”
“Is it true?” he demands.
“What benefit would there be to speaking with them?” I say vaguely.
He scowls. “In case you get ideas, we don’t do things that way. There’s them and us. No common ground. That’s how it’s always been. It’s how we keep a stronghold on the city.”
“Times change,” I can’t resist saying. “You ever think we’ll be left in the dust? One of these days, we’ll need to think about what comes next. Getting out of this game.”
Roman’s eyes narrow. “Over my dead body,” he growls. “This is no game, it’s my fucking legacy. And you need to uphold that, or…” he pauses, meeting my eyes in a cool stare.
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll find someone who will.”
* * *
My father’sthreat echoes all the way back to the city.
Is he serious? I don’t know, but I do know that you don’t underestimate Roman fucking Barretti.
Not unless you want to end up with a bullet in the back of your skull.
I think about Vance, and his confused actions. Shopping me to the Feds is one thing—maybe they caught him in a bad rap, and he decided to sell me out, or even just take the cash. But trying to kill me?
That’s a whole different game plan. Clearing the decks at the top of the organization.
Moving power back to my father…
I’m still thinking about it when I stop by the bar and find Chase waiting in my office.
“All good at lockup?” he asks, taking a seat.
I nod. “The usual Roman bullshit, you know how it is.”
And he does. Chase has been my brother-in-arms since we were kids. He knows my father’s tricks better than anyone.
“The old man’s a stubborn bastard, but he knows a few things,” Chase offers. “Maybe he has some perspective on this Kovack situation. I still think they set us up with the Feds. We gotta send a message, make it clear the Barrettis won’t take their shit.”
I sigh. There’s a reason I invited Chase here, and he’s not going to like it.
“ I need to fill you in on a few things.” I start. “Shit’s changing around here, and it’s time you knew about it.”
“What kind of changes?” Chase’s expression shifts, wary.
I pour him a drink. “I’ve been in talks with Igor and Sergei.”
“What the fuck?” Chase pushes the glass I offer away, spilling booze on the floor. He leaps to his feet, but I stand my ground, eye-to-eye. Chase is my closest friend, but if he attacked me, I’d put him in the ground. I won’t be disrespected in that way.
