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“Yeah, and I was the one who told you that, remember?” Chris smacked me on the chest mildly with his fist. “I told you because I thought you should know, and if it was any of my men who did it, trust me, I would tell you that too. I would be the first one to deal with them before I handed them over to you. So, believe me when I say they’re not involved in this. But one thing you don’t do is barge into the middle of a meeting and start throwing orders around.” Chase shook his head. “Can’t you see it undermines me when you do that?”
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. Technically, according to The Brotherhood’s rules, I should be the one in Chase’s position, leading those miscreants. I was the firstborn son, after all.
But I wanted no part in the bullshit, so I handed it to Chase, who seemed all too happy with the role.
I thought, after years of being in charge, he would get rid of that damn inferior complex of his, but it seemed not.
“Look, I don’t give a shit about your power struggles,” I said. “I didn’t come here to fling my dick around like an asshole. I came here to figure out who the fuck screwed up and screwed me over.”
Chase sighed. “I think you might be exaggerating.”
“I’m not fucking exaggerating. You know the police have been on my ass ever since they busted the laundromat for the smuggling operation you hosted there.”
I noticed my brother’s face reddening at the reference. It was one of his biggest goof-ups.
I’d been against it from the beginning, feeling that using the laundromat as a front was a little close to home, but Chase had been adamant that his guy on the force had everything under control and would alert them in case of a police raid. Well, his guy on the force had been too busy nailing a hooker at the time of the raid, and while I didn’t necessarily get arrested due to plausible deniability, it raised a whole lot of mess for me.
Since it was a high-profile case, the cops had been itching at my ass ever since, looking for something like a big arrest to settle the public down. I was the supposed target, but so far, I've managed to stay extremely cautious until now.
“This is another thing they’ll use to build their case against me,” I said, my frustration evident. “You know they just have that warrant marinating in some drawer somewhere.”
Chris let out a heavy sigh, running his hand over his face. “Fuck, what a mess. Listen, I’m sorry, alright? I’ll keep my eyes and ears everywhere. I’ll work double time. If I find out anything, you’ll know.”
I nodded, giving him a grateful pat on the back. Chase had always been there for me when it counted. He’d never let me down.
But the truth remained that I needed to escape from this family.I'd felt that way for years, but now more than ever, their grip was tightening around my neck. The law was closing in, and as devoted as The Brotherhood appeared, I knew those old men would let me fall to save their own necks.
I had to get out.
At first, I thought Dom would be my ticket. We started a business together, with me as a silent, well-hidden investor. Dom acted as the front man, and with my guidance, the business grew exponentially.
But then, according to the lawyer that facilitated his will, the dumb bastard sold most of his shares to fucking business tycoons and had the audacity to die, leaving me with only a sliver of control in the company.
I couldn’t even come forward and claim my shares. Revealing my involvement would draw the elders' attention, and they'd exploit the business as yet another front for their operations.
My plan had been to keep Dom’s company off the police's radar and let him remain the owner, while he’d give me a percentage of the profits every month, as per our agreement.
Then, I would use the money to disappear, and retire to some distant island where they couldn’t find me. I had it all mapped out—a perfect escape.
But that dream was shattered. Dom didn't sell everything; he left some shares to his daughter, Emily.
“I left Emily some of it,” Dom confessed to me one drunken night. “At least I was a shitty father in life, not in death. She deserves to enjoy it.”
“She won’t be able to hold on to it,” I retorted, still irritated by his decision to sell most of the shares.“Those vultures will go after her next and force her to sell the rest. She'll give in.
“Then it’s your job to make sure she doesn’t,” Dom said, his face solemn. “I have a letter that’s supposed to be sent to her by my lawyer when I die. It contains all this information.”
But even after the letter was sent, no one knew what happened to Emily. She never showed up for the will reading, and according to the lawyer, Mansen, she was nowhere to be found.
Until now.
I hadn’t informed Emily about her father’s company yet, as I didn’t know how she’d react. I couldn’t risk her making the wrong decision and selling her shares, leaving me with next to nothing.
Now, more than ever, I needed to use those shares to make my escape.
This was my last chance, and time was running out. The war was approaching, and I had to find a way to leverage the information I had to ensure Emily would be on my side.
5
