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Tristen exhaled then glanced toward the passenger window. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Tristen, you need to be at my father’s house for a meeting in two hours.”
He opened his eyes wide. “I take it your father is pissed.”
Chuckling, I rubbed my hand through my beard. It was time to shave it off. “Likely, but he has limited say in the matter at this point. Have Zane remain with her at all times after you leave.”
“Are you sure about that? He hasn’t been tested enough.”
“He has the right temperament to be with her.”
As he shook his head, I kept my eyes on the bruises on his face. I’d succumbed to my anger at the wrong time. I’d need to rein that in or my rage would also be used against me.
“Maybe you’re right. She is… quite a handful.”
He had no idea just how much.
“Get Ms. Rollins back to the house,” I told them, moving around the SUV and grabbing the Camaro’s keys from Zane’s hand. Before I climbed in, I glanced at the back window. Jade was watching everything I was doing.
She was important to me, but there was a missing piece I needed.
Her real identity.
* * *
The first meeting after Luciano’s death had been bittersweet. Accepting Gabriel into the Brotherhood had been the right thing to do, but since then there’d been far too many inquiries from lesser known syndicates hoping to join.
While there’d been no way to keep the existence of the sacred alliance a secret, I was troubled how many overtures had been made. If I had to guess, I’d say the individuals and their organizations were seeking protection because of our combined numbers. That added a level of concern in the back of my mind.
Was there another entity tossing out threats like spitballs? If so, why?
As I walked into the club, the questions continued to pop up in my mind, far too many of them.
I wasn’t the first one to arrive, which was unusual for me. I was known for being prompt, but I’d had some business to handle, which included having a long discussion with Drago. He’d sworn up and down he’d said nothing to anyone other than he was following my orders. Then I’d visited several of the various soldiers I used as security for several of our commercial businesses. It was an attempt to try to discover who might no longer be loyal while allowing the rest to know what we could be facing.
Not a single man had acted as if they were hiding anything, and I had a knack for reading people.
What the hell was I missing? It appeared I no longer had my finger on the pulse of my own corporation. That couldn’t stand. As I walked into the private room, Gabriel nodded to me first, Diego Fernandez giving me the cold shoulder as always, and Maxim Nikitin acting as if he was already bored. Brogan seemed amused as he tossed the two a look before sauntering over, a drink already in his hand.
“What took you so long?” His Irish brogue continued to amuse me. At times I suspected he used his heritage as an advantage, including when he’d spent time with patients.
“Business. You know how it goes. Where the hell is Phoenix?” Phoenix Diamondis was without a doubt the most powerful man in Philadelphia, and he enjoyed exhibiting his influence anywhere he went. However, the man was trustworthy and garnered respect, which I admired.
“Late as usual,” Maxim piped in, snarling his reply then cursing in Russian. The man was a brooding brute of a man who hated our quarterly meetings. The brief conversation I’d had with him about Jade had given me a hint of his current mood.
“He’s on his way. You did call us in early,” Gabriel said. “Grab a drink. You look like you could use one.”
As he held out his hand, I winced before shaking it, the damn knife wound more irritating than damaging, but the pain had yet to subside.
“Hmmm… Trouble with a certain woman? Did she grow tired of your antics already?” His method of teasing shouldn’t piss me off, but given the attack, I was more on edge than normal.
“He has trouble with Fantini Grasso,” Diego snapped. “Which means we’ll all have trouble with the Italian slime.”
“Be careful,” Brogan commented as he threw Diego an amused glance. “You know how moody Constantine can get.”
Diego shook his head, something obviously on his mind. He’d been the last to join, a request made of Phoenix, their interesting yet caustic relationship the only reason we’d considered his membership. While Luciano, Maxim, and I had gone to the same university, Diego was from a different breed altogether. He kept to himself, never asking for any assistance. That was fine with me given his family had no direct influence on anything that occurred in my operations.
“We’ll wait five minutes then get started,” I told the group before moving to the bar. The club was one my father had joined the day he’d arrived in Kansas City, the by invitation only club catering to the rich and twisted, while posing as a gentlemen’s club complete with a golf course. The location had its perks, including privacy. I’d used it for several business meetings, partaking rarely in what was offered on the bottom floor. I’d heard they’d added auctions to the mix, which was intriguing but risky for everyone.
