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The bartender knew me well enough to slide my usual across the sweeping mahogany bar then disappearing out of sight.
Maxim strode over to me, his glare as icy as I’d seen in the past six months.
“You should have allowed me to provide her with necessary punishment before you left town. She was stealing from me,” he said with no emotion. He was irritated I’d pulled her out of his club, never allowing any infraction to go unpunished.
“Then I wouldn’t have much left of the poor girl, now would I?” I took a sip of bourbon, savoring the rich flavor. I remained on edge, wanting to get back to the house and deal with her punishment myself.
“You know as well as I do that certain crimes can’t go unpunished,” he added.
“That may be true, but I need her for other reasons than as a human pincushion.” He didn’t seem to understand my colloquialism, and I wasn’t in the mood to explain. From what I’d heard, the Russians were capable of eating their young without feeling a single ounce of guilt. His family had earned the moniker of the Red Mafia from the amount of blood they spilled on a regular basis.
“You Americans are all alike. You never see the bigger picture.Svin’i kotorykh nuzhno zabit’.”
“Swine who need to be slaughtered,” I repeated, chuckling from seeing the surprise on his face. “I do learn as much as I can about people who should be considered my enemy.”
“Does that mean you’re planning on killing your enemy?” When he crowded my space, I was surprised to see Diego intervening.
“We are a goddamn brotherhood, which is something you drilled into me before you accepted my blood oath. I suggest both of you remember that.”
I waited for a few seconds before glancing at the Colombian. “Diego is right. Our alliance is the reason for the meetings, especially today.”
Maxim huffed than backed away, ordering another scotch, still speaking Russian. His English was fluent but when riled, he always returned to his native language.
Brogan shook his head as he leaned against the bar, still laughing from the different personalities in the room.
“How’s Liam?” I asked, Brogan closer to his brother than to his father. Liam was the oldest, prepared to take over the empire, his diagnosis of leukemia a shock to everyone.
“Hanging in there. He’s still in remission and the doctors are hopeful.”
“Well, I’ll send good thoughts.”
“Please don’t say prayers. I’ve heard far too much of that lately.”
His Catholic upbringing was strong, his mother insisting they remain devout. I found it fascinating that she looked the other way, similar to my mother in that she couldn’t see any wrong in her children.
Suddenly the two doors exploded inward and all of us reached for our weapons.
Phoenix laughed, the son of bitch already enjoying making a grand entrance. “Itchy trigger fingers?” He sidled up to the bar, immediately flirting with the bartender. “Sorry I’m late, boys. I waited for another flight since first class was booked.”
The man had more money than God, but he enjoyed taking commercial flights. “We’ve yet to start.”
“Let me guess what this is about. Fantini Grasso and his group of merry men.” Phoenix grabbed his drink, heading toward the massive windows that overlooked a pristine garden area that was used in the spring for rather unsavory activities, including hunts that most people would frown on.
“They are such pigs,” Maxim said under his breath.
“But they have grown in power,” Diego stated.
I nodded. “That’s the problem. They have their sights set on expanding into Kansas City, but I don’t think that’s the only location. We need to keep an eye on them. However, that’s not the only reason I called the meeting early.”
“Then what is?” Gabriel asked. “The possible retrial of the old case against you?”
It would seem everyone was listening in on conversations that day. “That’s just the beginning. I think we have an unknown power player hiding in the shadows.”
“Who are you talking about?” Maxim snapped.
“I don’t know his name, but he was the reason I was arrested all those years ago.”
“Another syndicate?” Phoenix snorted.
