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There was no point mentioning Harold. Amara would insist on charging to my rescue, and then Vlad would find out. But throwing guests out for preferring to talk to my boobs rather than my face was bad for business.
After suffering through a busy dinner, I dragged myself home at midnight. But despite my bone-deep exhaustion, sleep once again evaded me for most of the night.
4
Liam
She smiled at him. Fucking smiled. And she wore a tight dress that showed off all her generous curves. The photo I’d received earlier ran in an endless loop in my head.
She was temptation personified. Not only did she have a great laugh—one I’d committed to memory—but also a body like sin. I required control in all I did, and usually the women I allowed into my bed understood. But I had a feeling Quinn wouldn’t give in so easily. Her fiery personality and was almost impossible to resist. It was also what set her apart.
Only my ironclad self-control stopped me from going to her right now and showing her why I should be the only man in her life. Not some pretty boy with an annoying swagger to his step.
I might not be able to claim her, but the thought of anyone else putting their hands on her killed me.
“Brother, he’s turning purple. I don’t think he should be turning purple.” Gabriel’s voice ripped me out of my murderous thoughts and back to the present. We were in the back room of one of our bars, and I was holding the manager up to the wall. By his neck.
I’d suspected he’d been rather inventive when declaring the bar’s income. And tonight I received proof that he’d taken over a hundred thousand for himself.
I released the traitor, and he crumpled to the floor with a stunted gurgle.
Gabriel hadn’t changed position since we all stepped into the room. He was leaning against the wall, legs and arms crossed, seemingly unimpressed by what he saw.
He acted like everyone’s best friend, when in reality he was the deadliest of us all. Jude was the sniper with a penchant for excess in all things, but Gabriel was the silent assassin whose loyalty to our family was unfaltering.
Where I found myself imagining what my life would be like if I hadn’t been born an Olysses, he reveled in the power our name brought with it. He had all the makings of a psychopath.
The only saving grace was our mother. We were all too scared of her to do anything too damning. And despite her knowledge of the family dealings, she also had an unfailing moral compass and not only taught us manners but also the ability to tell right from wrong.
Then again, none of us ever debated how wrong our actions were.
We had no problem killing but never used excessive force or made executions too public. If we wanted to send a message, we had plenty of ways of doing so without drawing attention to ourselves.
“I’ll never do it again. I’m sorry. So sorry.” The whimpering, sniveling bastard who’d dared steal from us had unfortunately found his voice again.
Gabriel shifted, a manic smile stealing over his face. “Of course you won’t, Ernesto.”
“No… no, please. Don’t kill me. I’ll do anything. Just don’t kill me.”
I needed someone desperate enough to get me intel. We were losing a war that had gotten too close to our family one too many times. And I might have just found my man.
“There’s a way for you to keep your life.”
He threw his hands up before crawling closer. “Anything. I’ll do anything. Please.”
I regarded the weak bastard, wishing I didn’t have to deal with him and could just shoot him instead. But I needed information, and we’d been unsuccessful in getting more than a few rumors. “I heard The Clover is looking for a new manager.”
Gabriel unwound his arms and legs, straightening up. He wasn’t someone you easily surprised. I pushed down the urge to smirk, turning my attention to my new informant. “Get the job and get me information. You have one week.”
Without listening to his sobbed reply, I turned and strode out, Gabriel right behind me. We were silent until we sat in the car.
Gabriel lit a cigar, the familiar smell soothing. “You sure letting him live was the right decision? He’ll turn on us as soon as someone offers him enough money.”
“We’ll keep eyes on him. And we don’t have many options at this stage.”
He grunted, knowing we were running out of moves. Unless we declared war.
For now, everyone mostly stuck to their territories. But our hold on Chicago was slipping as much as my sanity seemed to these days. I just hoped I wouldn’t take everyone down with me.
