Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 61942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
The silence continued.
“Unless you have another place in mind?”
He never answered the question. “All my assets are here in France. I’ll have to travel from time to time to manage my businesses.”
“Oh…” I hadn’t thought of that.
“As long as that’s acceptable to you, then that’s fine with me.”
“Really?”
“There’s nothing else to keep me here.”
“There’s Benton.”
“I’ll see him when I stop by. He’s also busy with his family, as I’ll be.”
He continued to watch me, seeing the thoughts move across my mind.
“What?”
“I’m waiting for further demands.”
“They aren’t demands, Bartholomew. They’re compromises.”
“Is there anything else?”
“When are you going to leave the Chasseurs?”
He turned quiet again. “I’ll need a week. It’s not something I can just walk away from without explanation.”
“I understand.”
We stared at each other.
“It’ll be weird…when you’re awake during the day.”
That subtle smile was there again. “We’re having a baby, sweetheart. I think I’ll be up all night as usual.”
28
BARTHOLOMEW
I sat on the throne made of skulls, the men talking around me, the air stale this deep underground. Ten years of my life had been spent there. Only one friendship had been made, but a lifetime of loyalty had been forged with many.
Without it…I wasn’t sure who I was anymore.
Just a man.
A father.
A husband…someday.
I couldn’t lie and pretend this was easy, to forsake my entire identity, all I’d ever known. But it was the price I had to pay to have what I wanted, to keep my family safe.
I waited at the bar.
He walked inside, fifteen minutes late.
When I noticed the stain on his shirt, I assumed his newborn had stalled him.
That was going to be me soon enough.
Benton sat beside me, ordered his drink, and then looked at me.
“We’re moving to Florence.”
“What’s in Florence?”
“A life away from this.”
He gave a slight nod. “It’s probably for the best.”
“It’s a little warm for my taste.”
“Guess you won’t be able to wear black all the time.”
I grinned slightly.
“Have you resigned?”
“Not yet. I can’t do that until I find someone to replace me.”
“I’m not sure if you can be replaced, Bartholomew.”
With someone else in charge, the operation would be different. Everything would change. It bothered me, but I had to learn to let it go. “I actually have someone in mind…but I wanted to run it by you.”
Benton stilled when I spoke, his fingers freezing on the glass.
“I’ll only ask if I have your blessing.”
He stared at me, his eyes hard, angry but also calm.
“Otherwise, I’ll pick someone else.”
“Thanks for putting me on the spot.”
“You can say no, Benton. That’s all you have to say.”
He gave a loud sigh then rubbed the back of his head. “Jesus…”
“I have my answer.”
“No…”
I stared down into my drink.
“I don’t want to be the reason.”
“This could affect you later, Benton.”
“I realize that.”
“Maybe you should move to Florence, then.”
“Doesn’t matter where we live.” He took a drink. “You really think he’s the best choice?”
Other men had been with me longer, since the very beginning. “When everything went to shit, Bleu was loyal to me—to the very end. I can’t say the same for the rest of them. Maybe they didn’t oppose me, but they didn’t mitigate the disloyalty either.”
“But do you think he’s cut out for the job? Bleu’s always been quiet.”
“Is quiet a bad thing?”
He shrugged.
“I don’t talk when I fuck. I don’t talk when I kill. Really, I don’t say much at all.”
“It sounds like you’ve thought this through. If that’s what you want to do—do it.”
I took a drink and let the burn go down my throat. “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”
“It’s fine, Bartholomew. I think it’s a mistake. I think he’ll come to regret it. But he has to crash and burn and learn this on his own.”
The conversation died, and we drank in silence at the bar. Another round was ordered, and we continued to sit there. I used to pity Benton because his life had ended when he’d had Claire, but now the same had happened to me.
“How are things going with Laura?”
I stared into my glass. “I’m happy to have her back. Whenever we’re together…it’s always right.”
“That’s good. And the baby?”
“I know it’s real, but I haven’t come to accept it’s real.”
“And it won’t feel real until you hold the kid in your arms. No matter how big her belly gets.”
Her stomach was different. Her face was different. The changes were subtle, but I’d noticed them the second I looked at her. They didn’t bother me at all, and once my hand felt the little bump, I actually liked it. In a sick and twisted way, I enjoyed the fact that I was responsible for all these transformations. “I’m happy to be with Laura, but I’m not happy about all the changes that are about to happen. My life has been exciting, but now it’ll be repetitive, monotonous, predictable…”
“Predictable is the last word I would use to describe raising a kid.”