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“Courtesy of my half-brother,” he states, his anger lapping at the calmness. “But it’s a small price to pay for what I did to him.”
“And what did ye do?”
“I cut off his cock and fed it to him.”
I know he means this in the literal sense. I wonder what he did to deserve that. Whatever it was, it has me liking Alek all the more.
I understand his stance on this, on why he wants me to decide. He is giving me a choice, something which I shared was never given to me. If I go back on my word, I will be seen as untrustworthy. If I turn my back on Belfast, only to change my mind, Alek would see that as a challenge, and there is room for only one leader.
This is how our world works. It doesn’t make sense to most, but if the roles were reversed, I would be doing the same thing.
“My brother, Ethan, he deserves to rule. Not me, for he is Connor’s true son.”
But Alek shakes his head as this seems personal to him. “Blood matters not when it comes to matters of the heart, and you, Puck Kelly, you wear your heart on your sleeve. Take your time to think about my offer.”
“I don’t need time,” I firmly state. “Ye help me publicly shame my father before I kill him, and kill him slow, ensure killin’ Liam Doyle goes down smoothly, and look after the men who were good to me and Connor…then y’ve got yerself a deal. The drugs, everythin’…it’s yers.”
Cami exhales slowly, a sign she wishes I would have at least given Alek’s proposal some thought. But I don’t need time. Sean’s and Liam’s death mean more to me than ruling a kingdom I never wanted.
Alek runs his thumb across his bottom lip, deep in thought. “Will you at least sleep on it?”
“Naw,” I reply, offering my hand over the table. “That won’t be necessary. So, we’ve got a deal? Y’ll help me kill those who deserve it and rule with loyalty and respect to the men who stuck by me through thick and thin?”
Alek simply sits still, contemplating my offering. I’m afraid he’s changed his mind.
“I don’t like many people,” he states frankly. “But I like you, which is why, yes, we have a deal.”
The moment we shake, I know this is the beginning of the end.
Austin stands and makes his way to the bar.
“Grand. The plan still goes ahead then. We allow Liam and Sean to think they’re in control. We don’t intercept Liam’s shipment until the last minute. I want him to be humiliated, and I need Sean to believe I’ve not gone rogue.”
“It wouldn’t be easier just to kill them now?” Alek asks, adjusting his gold cufflink.
“Easier, aye, but where’s the fun in that? I’ve never chosen the easy option. I want them shamed and to suffer in unimaginable ways for all that they’ve done. Just how you did when you fed yer half-brother his cock.”
Alek nods, a pleased smile spreading across his face.
“Sean killed my ma, knowin’ I was watchin’, trapped in a wardrobe, helpless to help her. I was five years old. Then for years, he pretended he had my back when, in reality, he was keepin’ me close, tryin’ to control me. He cared not for me. He only cares for himself.”
“Fucker,” Alek curses under his breath. “Now I understand your need for vengeance. This is very personal to me because my daughter, Irina…she didn’t have the best start to life either. So, I ensured everyone who did wrong by her suffered, and I will do so for the rest of my life.”
“Then ye know why I need to do this. I can’t just kill him. It won’t”—I pause, searching for the right word—“it won’t satisfy this burnin’ rage within me. He needs to suffer for what he’s done. If I simply end his life swiftly, it won’t be enough.
“To know I’m the last person he sees before I kill him, after I have humiliated and taken everythin’ from him, will help me heal. It’s the only way I can live this life without his ghost hauntin’ me until I take my last breath.”
“I understand all too well,???????. I admire your loyalty, no matter the cost.”
Cami gently places her hand on my thigh, a comforting touch to assure me she’s here until the very end.
“You will have everything you need, and rest assured, no harm will come to your loved ones ever again.”
“That’s all I want.”
Austin returns with a tray filled with shots. I take a stab in the dark that they’re vodka. He places them on the table, where Alek slides two across the table for Cami and me.
“Za tvajo zdarovje,” he says, raising his glass in salute.
