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Toro blinked. “Huh?”
“Your boy goes by Zander now,” Israel told Toro, who marched over to Zander.
Zander released Vince and Scotty and got to his feet, allowing his friend to pull him into a tight hug.
“Don’t ever fucking disappear on me again,” Toro murmured. “I thought you were dead for real.”
Zander chuckled. “I might be if your people over there get their way.”
“What?” Toro pulled away from the hug but didn’t release Zander as he faced the others. “You aren’t about to put pressure on my guy, are you? This is family right here; he’s off limits.”
“Tell yo family to agree to our contract and we won’t have any problems,” Israel retorted.
“Don’t fuck with him is all I’m saying,” Toro told Israel. He patted Zander on the back as he said, “Let me introduce you to my woman. She’s Israel’s mother, so you know she’s crazy as fuck.” He whispered that last part. “That’s my heart, though.” He tossed a wink at Zander. “Looks like you know all about that. Times two.”
27
It was surreal being in the midst of so many people who he knew for a fact would and could kill him in an instant. Zander didn’t care about that, though. He allowed Toro to introduce him to Seraphina Cook, who looked him dead in the eye, face expressionless, as she shook his hand in a tight grip.
It was a toss-up as to who the biggest threat was in that room and he didn’t like that Vince and Scotty were caught in the middle.
“What’s this about a contract?” Toro asked when he was done eye-fucking his woman as if they hadn’t literally walked in together.
Dima took it upon himself to explain the offer he’d made to Zander and when he was done, Toro pursed his lips.
“It’s not a bad deal.” He held up both hands. “At least, it doesn’t sound that way to me, but I can’t be sure. You know I don’t do the arms thing. I just kill people.” He turned to Seraphina. “What do you think?”
She shrugged. “The offer is well below what I would offer for a haul that size.”
The offer, on its face, was good for sure. Definitely cheaper. But it was what came with the offer that Zander wasn’t fucking with. He didn’t know that he could do business with the people in that room—Toro excluded. He turned to Israel. “You don’t just want my business. What else do you want? And don’t say the fucking casino.” Because he didn’t believe that for a second.
Israel grinned. “We’re expanding. You can be part of that as our partner or we can bulldoze right the fuck over you. Your choice.”
Christ. For a second—just a second—Zander regretted killing his uncle. Murray would be the one dealing with this bullshit right now, likely doing or saying something to get himself killed. But nah, good riddance to that fucker. This was Zander’s time and he had to make the difficult decisions. The fact of the matter was, his organization was large, but it wasn’t Dima Zhirkov and Israel Storm large. He could put up a fight, but this was still early days in his leadership and it wouldn’t be a good look.
Most importantly, he wasn’t going to do anything to put the men he loved in jeopardy.
But that didn’t mean he was about to roll over and offer up his underbelly. Fuck that. “What does being your partner entail? And just know, if you bring me some bullshit I’m gonna take my chances going to war with your asses.”
Dima clapped his hands. “We should get some food up in here.” He pulled out his phone and glanced around. “Anybody else hungry?”
Israel rolled his eyes.
“What? We’re conducting a meeting and this requires food.” Dima turned away, speaking into his phone, and Zander went to Vince and Scotty, kneeling next to them.
“You’re not seriously about to partner with them, are you?” Vince whispered urgently. “Zander.”
“Ssh.” He cupped the back of Vince’s head, tugging him close as he murmured, “This is better than the alternative, you and I know that.” He pressed a kiss to Vince’s temple. “I’m going into business with them, but we’re gonna do it my way.” He sat between them, holding out his hands to Scotty, who climbed into his lap, arms circling him and holding him tight. “How are you holding up?” Zander asked him.
“I’m okay,” Scotty murmured against his neck. “I was scared for a while, but I’m feeling better.”
They needed to take care of Scotty, make sure he knew he had support and knew that it was okay to feel whatever he was feeling. Zander didn’t want his demons to win. “Are you hungry?” he asked. “What do you wanna eat?”
Scotty shrugged. “I’m not picky.”
“How do you feel about going outside?” Zander asked both of them. “Get some fresh air?”
Vince immediately shook his head. “And leave you here alone with them? Fuck that.”
