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“Let’s worry about one tyrant at a time,” he teased. “Are you going to be okay if I run out to meet Bowie and Carter for a few hours?” he asked.
“I’m sure I can find something to do for a few hours as long as you hurry back,” she said. “Are you sure that you don’t want me tagging along?” she asked. The last thing he wanted was to involve her in his plan to take down his own father. The less she knew the better. He had a feeling that things were going to escalate quickly, and he wouldn’t put it past the guys to push for things to happen today. The rest of the families were ready for a change. If things went down today, he didn’t want Trish anywhere near the chaos that would ensue.
“I’m sure,” he breathed, “I don’t want you involved in this mess.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m kind of already involved,” she reminded. “I mean, I did kidnap you and stop both of our fathers from murdering you.”
He pulled her against his body and gently kissed her lips. “And I’m so happy that you did, honey,” he said. “I owe you my life and the best thing for both of us is to end this mess now. We can’t live in exile for the rest of our lives.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she sassed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I don’t mind hiding away with you, Victor.”
“Good to know, honey,” he breathed. He released her and grabbed his wallet and her keys from the counter. “You’ll lock up once I’m gone, right?” he asked.
“I do know how to take care of myself,” she grumbled, “but, yes, I’ll lock up. Now, you have to promise me that you’ll watch your back and be extra careful,” she insisted.
“Cross my heart,” he said, quickly crossing his heart over his shirt. “I’ll be back before you can even miss me.”
“Too late,” she said. He gave her one last kiss and wondered if he might be making a huge mistake leaving her, but he also had to go to this meeting. His family was depending on him now. He was the Sloth Syndicates’ last hope.
* * *
Victor knew that he was taking a chance by walking back into the Sloth Syndicate building, but he had no choice. If this plan was going to work, he was going to have to convince his father that his old friend had taken out a hit on him. It wasn’t going to be easy to convince his father that old man Gluttony would do such a thing, but he had to try. Bowie and Carter had come up with this plan, and honestly, it was the only one that they had. If it didn’t work, Victor would have been as good as dead.
Gina met him at the main entrance, worry etched on her sweet face. She had been his assistant for a while now, and even though she assured him that she was on his side, he also knew that he couldn’t trust anyone. “Victor,” she whispered, looking around the lobby to make sure that no one else could hear her. “It’s dangerous for you to be here.”
He plastered on his best smile, “I’m aware,” he admitted. “I know about the hit that the Gluttony family has taken out on me, and I know that my father is in on it. But there have been a few new things that have come up that I’m betting my father would like to know about. Do you know if he’s in?” Victor asked. He knew that his father was in his office. He had confirmed his whereabouts with one of his inside guys before he headed over to the office. Victor had a few loyal men that he could call up in a pinch, and he was thankful for that, because today, he might need them all by his side to get through this meeting with his father.
“He is, but I still don’t think that it’s a good idea for you to go in there,” Gina warned.
“I promise to be quick and careful,” Victor said, “but, this has to be done.” He stepped onto the elevator and nodded back at Gina as she watched him through the closing doors. He knew that she was right—this was a dangerous game he was playing. Carter and Bowie had sent him on a fool’s mission, and he was dumb enough to play the fool if it meant keeping Trisha and him safe.
He rode the elevator up to the top floor and when the doors opened, he wasn’t surprised to find a half dozen of his father’s armed guards waiting for him. Victor smiled, trying to play it cool, even though he felt anything but cool about the entire situation. “Gentlemen,” he said, nodding to them. “I’d like a word with my father, please.”
They looked at each other as if trying to decide what to do about his request. “Of for fucks sake, let him in,” his father growled from his office. Victor stepped off the elevator and walked past the guards as if they all didn’t have their guns pointed at his back.
“Father,” he breathed as he walked into the office. “Good to see you,” he lied.
“You too, son,” his father returned. “How can I help you? Have you finally come to your senses and have given up trying to join the other families in their foolish alliance?” He wasn’t going to dignify his father’s question with a response. How could he? If he told his father the truth, that he was there to further his alliance with the other families, he’d have him shot on site. Hell, he wouldn’t even care about the blood that his son’s body would leave behind, staining his precious Persian rug that sat in front of his massive mahogany desk.
“I’ve come to warn you that your friend, Mr. Gluttony, has taken out a hit on you now too,” Victor said. He was hoping that his father would buy his lies and he’d be able to bluff his way through the rest of this conversation.
His father chuckled, sitting back in his seat. “Oh?” he asked. “And why would my old friend take out a hit on me?”
“Because he’s under the assumption that you have joined the alliance with the other families,” Victor said.
“And why would he believe such nonsense?” his father countered.
“Because it’s what the other families have told him. Whether it’s true or not, Damion Pride has let the Gluttony Syndicate know that you have decided to join forces with the other families. Congratulations, Father,” Victor said. “You have just become public enemy number one. I’m no longer the Gluttony family’s number one target, you are.”
“What the fuck have you done?” his father growled.
“I’ve done what needed to be done, Father. You were planning on having me killed. I couldn’t let that happen, and I couldn’t live the rest of my life in hiding. So, I made a little deal with my new friends. They get you out of my seat, and I take over the Sloth family, formally allying with the rest of the syndicate families. It’s a good deal for me. Unfortunately, it’s not a good deal for you, Father.”
“You’ve signed my death certificate,” his father dramatically spat.
“I’ve done no such thing. You have a choice here, Dad. You can run this syndicate with me, just like Rock and Jett Greed do. We could finally be equal partners.”
“I have no desire to be an equal partner with you. You’re not fit to sit in this chair, and you’re certainly not fit to run my syndicate. I’ll just go to Gluttony and tell him about your plan. Hell, I’ll take you with me, and you can tell him all about it. How does that sound?” That sounded like an awful plan and one that Victor couldn’t allow to happen. Gluttony would end up killing both of them and then, where would the Sloth Syndicate be?
