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The last thing I wanted was to put my family into the limelight any more than it already was. There were few people who could be trusted.
“Can I talk to you for a few minutes outside?” Barrett asked as he leaned over my shoulder.
“Yes. But make it quick.” I had a golfing event to attend and I refused to allow Thorn business to interfere with my only day off in a solid month.
Barrett didn’t waste any time heading out of my office, already pacing when I closed the door behind me. Given it was a Sunday, there was no one else in the expansive office, but he kept his voice low, as if fearful Gabriel would overhear him.
“Are you certain you want to associate with Gabriel Giordano? It’s not in your best interest, or your father’s for that matter. He’s an enemy and you’re providing ammunition he could use against us.”
“Us?” I growled.
He turned red, realizing he’d crossed the line. “You know what I mean.”
Barrett had known about my friendship with Luciano years before. What he didn’t or refused to understand was that he and I had built a formidable association as sophomores in college that we’d called the Brotherhood. Once we had, there hadn’t been an end to our power.
Or our brutal methods.
Times had changed, additional members indoctrinated, but our point of existence remained the same.
Exterminating those considered enemies outside our organization.
Six powerful and very dangerous families had been brought together in order to keep the peace, lowering the bloodshed between crime syndicates spanning the entire continent. For over ten years, our round table of heirs to various thrones had worked, preventing countless deaths.
We were all monsters whether we chose to believe it or not. Whether in suits or plain clothes, our goals weren’t entirely different than those of our fathers, our methods of brutality securing our places as leaders. Our idea had been successful enough there were several men and a few women who were vying for a seat.
That only came with death.
Which was the only reason Gabriel was standing in my office today.
If the Grassos believed that by getting a seat they’d gain more power, I’d hand the head of the organization over on a silver platter to prove a point. However, I knew Grasso had made overtures with several of the other members as well, vying for a place for his son Cataldo. That didn’t set well with me as the chair. Going behind my back wasn’t in his best interest.
“I suggest you learn your place, Barrett,” I told him after crowding his space. He was trusted. He was my father’s friend. But he was riding a fine line of disrespect that wouldn’t be tolerated. “Gabriel is a trusted member of the Brotherhood.”
“Who will use your weakness against you!”
I wrapped my hand around his throat, slamming him against the wall. “As I said, I suggest you learn your place.” I squeezed for a few seconds until I noticed conciliation in his eyes. The Brotherhood had rules that all members were required to follow, including not fucking with another’s territory. To date, no one had breached the oath taken in blood. When I released my hold, I swirled the black onyx ring with the serpent inscription several times, remembering the day Luciano had proposed the idea. It had been during a particularly violent year for our fathers’ organizations, both New York and Kansas City experiencing bloody street wars. Within a year, the violence had ceased.
Much to the chagrin of our respective dads.
However, if a single member crossed the line, he would be terminated.
Barrett immediately lowered his head, nodding several times as he coughed. “Very well, Constantine. However, if you trust anyone, you’ll be a fool.”
It took all I had not to snap his neck.
I didn’t wait to hear another call for action regarding the list, returning to the office instead. But he followed.
“I need to tell you something else. It’s very important.”
Sighing, I moved toward the bar located in the corner of my office, grabbing a rocks glass and lifting it toward Gabriel. He grinned as he nodded, obviously amused with the task I was avoiding. My father’s commitment to marrying both my brother and me off within the year was enough to make me drink far too early in the day. “What is it, Barrett? We have a tee time that’s fast approaching.”
Golf was one mindless joy I allowed myself, but only every so often.
“It would appear the new prosecutor is determined to retry you for the murder of Dominick Montoya. From what I’ve learned, this has been in the works for some time.”
“Where did you hear this?”
“Unfortunately, from one of my colleagues. From what Mark told me, the prosecutor has already bloviated his intentions to everyone he knows, which means your enemies likely got wind of the vulnerable state you’re in.”
