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“I think things are in a lull for a reason. You ever count how many of them bastards were taken out? How many were injured? They’re limping Leo. Now is not the time to go weak and back down. Now is the time to advance. Hit them while they’re down and squash them.”
Liam dragged the back of his wrist across his face and sniffed again. A drop of blood drained out of his nose, one reason why I had never touched the shit. This guy took his addiction seriously and if he didn’t start performing better I might be tempted to cut him loose. See how he fared without our protection.
“So you want to draw them out and then step on them?” I didn’t for a second believe that complete annihilation of our enemy was the right step. Anya was correct when she said that both families could operate within Brighton and still have plenty of space and money. Our goal should be to coexist to the best of our ability, not to drive one another to the brink of all-out war.
I leaned forward over my desk, bracing my elbows on the smooth surface and folding my fingers together. The smudge lines on the sheen from Liam’s habit would need polished off, and I had half a mind to use his face to do it. I decided, however, to humor his line of thought.
“Yes, it makes sense. You’ll have all the territory then, all the money. The business owners won’t have to choose between the two families, and with cops like me on the payroll, you’ll be king.” Liam stuck his straw into his inner coat pocket, the leather jacket squeaking as he moved. “Trust me.”
“Trust you?” I chuckled. “I’m supposed to march right into the Russian headquarters and what, nuke them?”
He shook his head. “Nah, you have to be more subtle than that or it will awaken the sleeping giant. We just want them out of this part of the city. We don’t want the mother coming after us.”
I sat back, crossing my arms over my chest and glanced at the clock again. If challenging him didn’t work, then perhaps agreement would show him how stupid his idea was.
“So, this is our plan then. We just create chaos everywhere. Little things like vandalism, theft, arson, kidnapping. We continue to push the envelope on every street corner, at every turn. We take them out little by little, applying pressure on every nerve until the ones who remain are running scared. Then—“
The door burst open and Anya stepped through. Her hurt expression and the tears brimming in her eyes told me she’d heard far more than was needful. Her mouth hung open as if she couldn’t believe what she’d walked in on.
“Leo…”
I stood immediately, knowing I had to explain what was actually happening. I charged over to her, taking her by the elbows as the tears drained down her cheeks. She stammered out a few protests and backed away, holding up a hand to fend off my attempts at comfort.
“Anya, you don’t understand.”
“No!” She pushed my chest, smacking at my arm as she backed up a few steps. “I thought you were different, but you’re just like them.” She waved her hand wildly at Liam, who sat snickering like I was the bad kid in class who was getting scolded by the teacher for being caught passing a note during class.
“It’s over.” Anya turned and stormed out the door, but I followed her, trailing behind her angry rampage through the office. Heads turned my direction as I tried to grab her wrist. She glared at me and jerked away, and as she walked past the reception desk, she swiped her arm across the entire thing, knocking pens, papers, and even the computer monitor to the ground.
“Anya, please.” I stood outside the elevator as she pressed the button to descend. She glared at me through tears.
“No, Leo. You swore you’d never lie to me, and I don’t fuck liars.” The doors closed with a ding, and I turned around to make the walk of shame past all the disrupted employees. Each step heavier than the one before it, my gut started to roil.
By the time I got back to my office and shut the door quietly, Liam had another line cut and his straw out. As I walked past, I slammed his head to the desk, forcing that damn straw up his nose. The blood that poured out afterward was just icing on the cake.
I sat down as he jumped up, cradling his nose. The line on the table was ruined, now clumpy and caked with blood. He screeched and took a tissue from the box perched on the small table across the room.
“What the hell was that for?” Blood dripped from his chin, soiling my carpet, but it was nothing my cleaners couldn’t handle. They’d done jobs way bigger than a nosebleed.
“Sit the fuck down and shut up.” Liam scowled at me, as if he had any leverage between us to stand on. He sat nursing his wound with a tissue when he needed a fucking bath towel.
“We’re not in this game to decimate an entire family. We are civilized businessmen. Got that? And if violence is the only option, we take it.”
“What kinda hold does that bitch have over you? You know who she is right?” Liam shook his head at me, the silent chastisement about to earn him another knock to the head.
“I know exactly who she is, and who I fuck is none of your business.” Calmly, I leaned forward. “Now, call off your dogs or the fun stops here. That bloody line is all you’ll ever get out of me, and not a crystal more.”
Liam scoffed, wiping his nose again, which was now not bleeding as badly. “And if I don’t?”
I chuckled, which turned to an all-out laugh. This man thought he was tough, but he had no clue who he was dealing with. “Maybe you haven’t learned your lesson yet… I own you Desantes. I own your wife, your child, your home, your car, your job.” I pulled out my Beretta, mounted beneath my desk and silenced for just such the occasion. “You do as I say now.”
“Christ, Scarpelli.” He stood, raising both hands. Blood trickled out his left nostril still.
“There is a reason they call me The Lion. I am the apex predator here. You do as I say. Now call off the dogs. Keep the rollers off my streets; stop stirring shit up. Let my boys handle the rest.”
Liam retreated with a few more curse words, leaving his bloody line for me to clean. But my thoughts were already on Anya. I’d have a lot of explaining to do in order to convince her what she heard was not what it seemed.
9
