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Ares’ jaw clenches as his eyes lock with mine and Kratos’.
I clear my throat. “Family meeting.” I growl. “Patio.Now.”
Castle, who was with Ares and Neve when Mike called, stays in the kitchen with the wounded guard. Ares, Neve, and Kratos follow me out onto the glass penthouse’s sprawling patio.
“It’s Gavan.”
Ares looks grim. “We don’tknowthat. It could be—”
“It was a clear shot across the bow, Ares,” I mutter. “A warning shot.”
“Yeah, but Gavan has no reason to—”
“He, uh…” I frown, clearing my throat. “He might.”
My brother’s eyes narrow. “Hades…”
“It wasn’t a big deal. I went to see him the other day about something, and—”
“Something youcompletelyneglected to inform me about?!” Ares snaps.
“It wasn’t family business.”
“Bullshit, Hades,” he growls. “You went to see the head of the fucking Reznikov Bratva—who, by the way, we’re still in a silent fucking bidding war with over the Albanians. I don’t give a fuck if you were popping over to have a fucking book club meeting with Gavan. When you see the head ofthatorganization, believe me, it’s business. And that meansyou tell me about it.”
I grit my teeth. “It mightnotbe him. I’m just saying, things got heated, and Gavan may have interpreted my visit as a threat.”
“Oh, you fuckingthink, Hades?!”
The door to the penthouse slides open. Castle clears his throat as he sticks his head out.
“I just got a call from a buddy of mine from the VA. He works security over at Mt. Sinai, and wanted to let me know that a known member of the Reznikov organization just came in for stitches.” His eyes darken. “Bullet graze, left shoulder, from a thirty-eight snub-nose. Same place Mike winged one of them. Same gun.”
Ares nods stiffly before he turns to me.
“Apparently, someonedidtake your visit as a threat.”
“So what are we going to do about it?” Kratos rumbles.
My lips curl as I glance first at him, then at Castle.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I think it’s getting chilly. I’d love to warm my feet by a campfire tonight.”
Kratos nods his chin, folding his arms over his big chest. Castle grins.
Ares glances at me and nods curtly.
“Do it. Pick something of similar value, and no loss of life, Hades. We’re not trying to start World War Three here. But if Gavan wants to start fucking around, it’s time to send a message of our own back.”
* * *
Two hours later,my feet are gettingplentytoasty next to a fire that’s soaring into the fucking heavens. Gavan’s four men who were guarding this particular Reznikov warehouse are bound, gagged, and blindfolded, tied up on a pier that juts out over the East River.
I glance at Kratos and nod, clinking my beer to his before turning and doing the same to Castle’s.
“You didn’t have to involve yourself in this, you know,” I grunt at him.
He shrugs, sipping his beer as he watches the flames.
