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People littered the house, filling it with chatter and the clink of dishes. The kitchen counters were covered in casserole dishes and trays of food. Everyone had brought something. My stomach growled at the thought of food. I didn’t want to leave Wolfe or Maddox alone to seek out grub, not until I knew they were all right. Wolfe seemed sad but strong. Maddox felt like a bomb about to go off.
The first thing Maddox did when we arrived was stalk over to the bar in the living room and pour a tall glass of whiskey. I exchanged a glance with Wolfe but neither of us said a word. It was a tough day. Not at all the right time to tell Maddox to lay off the booze.
“Look at those fucking vultures.” Maddox nodded toward a group of men clustered together near the fireplace, speaking quietly amongst themselves. “They all wanted to be the boss. Now they have to answer to a guy half their age. Any takers on which one of them tries to kill me first?”
The men he referred to were Mr. Hale’s closest friends inside the organization. Two of them were enforcers. Another guy handled the books. A few of them acted as advisors. I wasn’t sure about the rest.
“They all knew Dad planned to hand it down to one of us,” Wolfe said, nudging his brother’s arm. “Don’t be paranoid. They work for us now.”
Maddox wasn’t convinced. “Yeah, sure. Watch your back, brother. Trust no one.”
He slid an arm around me, holding me as he rested his head against mine, eyes closed. It was as close to vulnerable as Maddox would ever allow anyone outside our tight knit group to see. I hugged him tight, wishing I could take away his pain.
Ace and Ruthless joined us, both wearing tough to read expressions. Ace munched a sandwich from the kitchen, holding it in one hand while he poured a drink with the other. Ruthless gripped an envelope in one hand. He held it out toward Maddox.
“Have you seen this sympathy card from Donovan Archer?” he asked with a scowl. “No honor or respect whatsoever from that piece of shit.”
Maddox disentangled himself from me and snatched the card. It was your typical sympathy card picked up at any drugstore. The inside conveyed apologies for their loss, but the Archer boss had added a snarky remark about being sorry he couldn’t claim responsibility for Mr. Hale’s death and a promise to try harder to eliminate his sons.
“It’s not worth it,” I said, sensing the rise of Maddox’s temper. “They’re hoping to set you off while you’re not thinking clearly. Just forget the card.”
“Maven’s right,” Wolfe agreed, plucking the card from his brother’s fingertips. “Today we remember Dad. This shit can wait.”
“Like fuck it can. They want a reaction, and they’re going to get one. Let’s see what they have to say when one of their own is dead with this card in his fucking hands.” All fired up, Maddox snatched the card back. Downing his whiskey, he turned back to the bar for another.
Keeping his cool, Wolfe leaned on the bar, eyeing his brother. “We’re not making those decisions right now. Any moves made against Archer needs to be agreed on, Mads. You know that. No going off half-cocked and pissed out of your tree with guns blazing.”
Maddox scoffed, taking a large drink of whiskey. “I’m not anywhere near pissed out of my tree yet. What better way to give Dad a sendoff than by sending one of Archer’s men along with him?”
Looking way too hot in a suit for his own good, Ace shoved a hand through his blond hair and shook his head. “I don’t think we should make a move today. Or tomorrow for that matter. You need to take some time to grieve, Maddox. Approach it later with a clear mind.”
Wolfe and I nodded our agreement. This was no time to make choices driven by grief and anger. Unfortunately, Ruthless didn’t share our opinion.
“Archer won’t be expecting us to make a move today of all days, which makes it the perfect day to do it,” he pointed out, plucking the sandwich from Ace’s hand and helping himself to a bite.
Maddox nodded, encouraged by his best friend’s support. The two of them would have ended up dead ages ago without Wolfe and Ace to balance them out. I was guilty of my own hotheaded, short tempered behavior, especially if a job went wrong. But this? What they discussed could start a full scale war between both syndicates.
“Let’s do it.” Finishing his second drink, Maddox placed the glass on the bar and set off for the front door, expecting us to follow. “Someone else can drive.”
Only Ruthless joined him. The rest of us exchanged uncertain glances. I backed Maddox on a lot of things. This wouldn’t be one of them.
“Maddox, hold up,” Wolfe called after him. “Give it a day. Twenty-four hours. That’s all I’m asking.”
Maddox paused, turning back to offer us a shrug. “Maybe the reason Dad never got any further ahead in this city is because he played it too safe with those fuckers. I say it’s time we take a new approach.”
On his way out he rounded up a few others to accompany them. His mind had been made up. There would be no changing it.
Next to me Wolfe clenched both hands into fists. A vein in his temple throbbed as he watched Maddox disappear into the front entry. I laid a hand on his arm before leaning in to hug him.
“That jackass has a death wish,” Wolfe muttered, stroking a hand through my curled locks. “I’m sure of it. I just wish I knew why.”
I peered up into his hazel eyes, finding the pain of someone grieving his father while worrying about his brother. Wolfe had bent over backwards to keep Maddox out of trouble over the years. I had a bad feeling his job was about to get a lot harder.
“Maybe you should take a break,” I suggested. “From everything. Go for a drive or a hike. Book a vacation or just go to bed. Whatever you feel that you need to do to take care of yourself.”
Wolfe’s jaw twitched, and he glanced toward the front of the house as he considered going after Maddox. Dark haired like his brother, Wolfe shared the same regal nose and sharp jaw. They both looked a lot like their father, although Mads got his blue eyes from their mother. I couldn’t believe she hadn’t called either of them since the death of their father. That had to hurt. It likely had something to do with the edginess Maddox had exhibited all day.
Ace tugged his tie loose and sighed. “Listen to Maven. Go take some time for yourself. You can’t monitor Maddox’s every move, nor should you have to. Fuck it.”
