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“Stand up,” she tells the both of us.
Emma’s eyes are on me as she stands up. A hard gaze that silently tells me to listen to Lucky. She knows I hate being ordered around, but my stepsister worked hard for this, and I’m not about to fuck it all up for her.
Lucky is already patting down Emma, checking for weapons, when I finally decide to do what she said. She nods when she doesn’t find anything, then turns to me. It takes her only seconds to find the gun at the back of my jeans. She pulls it away and cocks an eyebrow at me.
“You can have it for now,” I grunt. “But don’t forget to give it back.”
Unimpressed, she tucks it at the back of her midnight blue slacks and turns to nod at her boss.
They both take a seat opposite us, and Vito doesn’t waste any time. He is the definition ofstraight-to-business.
“Look, Emma.” He shifts his hips on his chair and leans back, his eyes on her. “Your name has been on the lips of the men who work for me for months, if not years. Your prowess in helping them whenever they need has been noticed. You can be sure of that. I agreed to meet you because I recognize an important player when I see one.”
He pauses, as if expecting her to thank him for the compliments, but he’s going to wait a while if he is. Emma is not exactly known for being the most grateful person, especially when she feels something is due. She is a fantastic businesswoman and a ruthless being. She didn’t wait in her life for Vito Luciano to point it out to believe it.
Realizing she’s not going to say anything, he keeps going. “I don’t trust small gangs,” he admits. “You’re hungry for power. It makes you volatile.”
Isn’t that the fucking truth.
“I’m not Mateo Bianco. I don’t rush to conquer territories for the sake of having an army behind me. He was delusional, insatiable, and ultimately, that was his downfall. I understand you had a deal with him, however you won’t have that with me right away. I only invest in what makes me money.”
Sliding my hands in the pocket of my hoodie, I play with the cheap plastic lighter in there, rolling the spark wheel backward.
I don’t like this guy. I can feel he’s going to give us a deal that’s bound to have all the risk falling back on us. Something to fuck us over.
I keep silent, waiting for him to get to his point.
“Tell me,” he says as he stares at Emma. “What is it you need?”
“Supplies,” she answers coolly. “Drugs.” She puts her hands in front of her on the table. “We’ve been the number one dealers in Stoneview for years. This is the one last thing we still have over the Kings. If we lose that, we lose everything.”
His gaze comes to me. He doesn’t like me; it’s evident in the way his face drops. “Are you the one in charge of that?”
I nod, not giving him a single word.
“How have you been supplying yourselves after Bianco?”
Emma gives me a look, encouraging me to share our information. “Small-scale suppliers. They only sell small, cut amounts. We have to cut it again on top of that, and our merchandise is becoming of lesser and lesser quality. They’re expensive, meaning we only make a small margin, and they will sell to anyone who offers the most money.” I shrug. “We can’t afford to offer themost moneyanymore.”
“How many dealers do you have?”
“I have five on the North Shore, two in Stoneview, and three on the south bank. I personally take care of Silver Falls University.”
“Eleven in total, including yourself? That’s a modest amount, to say the least.” He leans back against his chair. “I have to give you a minimum amount to make it worth my time. You wouldn’t be able to push what I supply you with.”
“I’ve had to cut half my men on the North Shore since we lost most of its territories. Give us what we need to take them back and there won’t be a problem. In fact,” this time, I’m the one who leans forward. “I can assure you we’ll move twice your minimum. I know my dealers. They’ve been wanting to get back out there. People are hungry for money, and so are you. Every time we make a dollar, you make ten. Why waste time wanting us to court you when all that matters is money?”
He throws his head back, a throaty laugh resonating around us as he slams the table. “You’re one ballsy motherfucker. I’ll give you that.” He turns to Lucky. “Court me? I love this guy.”
Her lips curl, clearly not sharing the sentiment. I give her the equivalent of a middle finger with a simple stare.
“So, territories, huh?” he continues, asking Emma this time. “You want me to go to war for you?”
She shakes her head. “Give us protection from the police. We’ll take care of the rest.”
“I give you drugs, and you make me money. I give you police protection…and what do I get?”
“What do you want?” Emma says a little too quickly, her patience running thin. I catch the mocking smile on Lucky’s lips when she notices my stepsister’s struggle to stay still.
