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“Alright, motherfucker,” he says, an edge of annoyance to his voice. “You tell me what the hell you’ve achieved in the past twenty-five years. Wait. Don’t answer that. I already know. It’s a whole lot of nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing,” I say, blowing a ring of smoke toward him. “I was making plans.”
“For what?”
“For how I was going to make a comeback, and I was already well into executing them when your little minion Bartek led me astray.”
He laughs, and I hear myself in his voice. “You weren’t doing anything, brother. I led you here, and I’m going to help you get back on your feet. I’m assuming you need money and a place to stay. I have both.”
“Already taken care of,” I reply with a smug look. “Don’t need a dime.”
“Mooching off that woman? What’s her name?”
He must be talking about Kimberly, but I want him far away from her. One word about her appearance, her body, her smile, or anything else and I’m going to rip his fucking head off. Family or not, I won’t tolerate anything bad said about my woman.
“Kimberly is my girlfriend, and I have more than enough money to take care of her. She’s not giving me anything but her time and her affection,” I say, my lips tight over my cigar as I speak.
“Touchy subject,” he says, cocking his head to the side curiously. “She must be special.”
I shrug. “We’ll see.”
“Well, Avraam, if you don’t need anything from me, I’m not sure what to say. I’ve offered you the world and you’ve turned it down.”
I shake my head. “You haven’t offered me anything but the basics. What I need is the crown, and if you’re the one running this broke little town, then I’m probably better off elsewhere.”
“Not so fast,” he snaps. “I have connections everywhere. I could set you up.”
“Don’t need the help,” I grumble.
He scoffs. “You’re a real piece of work, man. Are you still bitter about what happened when we were kids?”
“Mom told us to stick together, and you refused to do that,” I reply, feeling a surge of resentment for him. We were brothers, and now look at us. Arguing like we’re sixteen again. It’s sad, and I’m not sure I have the heart to continue.
“You want an apology or something?” he asks, waving his cigar around the air in front of him. “Because you’re not going to get one. I did what I thought was best, and it didn’t work out. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Sounds like you were waiting for me to get locked up, and then you took what I had,” I growl.
He jumps up from the couch, throwing his cigar onto the floor and raising his fists. “What do you want to do, then? Fight it out?”
I’m tempted to jump up and throw fists with him until I remember what mom said. Stick together. Fighting with Damien will only drive us further apart.
I sigh, standing up slowly. “I’m not going to fight you, man. I just want to go home. Thanks for bringing me here, but I don’t think we have any business together.”
“Seriously? You’re just going to walk away like that? Like you did before?”
Although his words hurt, I won’t allow him to manipulate me into staying. I didn’t come to Montana to reunite with my brother. I came to reclaim my title as the most notorious Bratva boss in the country, and his antics aren’t going to stop me.
“You know what, fuck you, Avraam!” he yells after me as I walk toward the exit.
One more reason not to speak to him again. He hasn’t changed, and I doubt he ever will.
16
Kimberly
I’m still coming to terms with who I’m dating, but I’m not going to let his past get in the way of our future. It’s not my place to judge someone. Avraam was in prison since I was three years old, so it’s not like I can even begin to wrap my head around what he’s been through.
And I doubt he’s going to be willing to jump into an explanation of what it was like. He’s a man of few words and a whole lot of action, and I prefer it that way. It’s a lot better than the opposite, which I’ve seen from plenty of people.
