Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Doesn’t sound like it.”
“Easy there,” Ash says, cutting in before Keely can kill me. “Your wife was always very respectful. Even when hammered.”
“I believe it,” I say, smirking at her.
Keely sits back, arms crossed. “What about you? Should we talk about what you’ve been up to?”
I spread my hands. “What’s there to say? I’m a legitimate businessman.”
“Yeah, right,” Keely says, eyes narrowing. “Want to tell Ash about your relationship with Jamila?”
“That’s a bad idea,” I say, my voice lowering, tone getting serious. “Keely shouldn’t cross that line.”
“See what I mean?” Keely looks at Ash. “He likes to joke and play pretend, but my husband isn’t domesticated. As soon as you bring up a legitimate concern, he’s growling and looking all angry.”
“They never are,” she says wistfully, smiling at her husband. “Speaking of which, Carson, why are you so quiet?”
“A lot on my mind,” he grunts, barely speaking English. He takes a long drink. “Been busy.”
“You’re always busy, and yet you find time to complain to me.” Ash’s smile is so sweet it’s disgusting. I love the obvious affection between them and how Ash isn’t afraid to tease her mob boss husband. “Come on, Carson. Stop being so damn sour all the time. Do you and your brother need to go talk things out?” She looks from me to Carson and back again.
I don’t like where this is going. A conversation with Carson about our relationship isn’t high on my priority list. I’d rather ignore the problem, let shit fester, and get on with my life, burdened by resentment.
Ash wants me to take the healthy route and talk it out.
How annoying.
“He’s the one that doesn’t approve of my choices,” I say, swirling my whiskey. “Maybe he needs to reconsider his attitude.”
“I don’t approve, you’re right,” he growls. “And yet you don’t give a shit.”
“That’s because you’re my brother, not my fucking father.”
“I run the damn family.”
“You run it without me then.”
“Enough,” Ash says loudly, cutting Carson off before he can say something stupid. I’m breathing hard, my temper flaring. “Okay, that’s it. Keely, you’re with me. You two are sitting in this room until you get over this stupidity.”
“Ash,” Carson says, snarling at her. “I’m not interested. My brother—”
“Too bad.” Ash stands and drags Keely with her. “Come on, I’ll show you around a bit.”
“Uh, good luck?” Keely gives me a strained smile.
The girls leave. Carson gets up, storms over to the liquor, and pours himself another drink. He throws it back.
“I’m not sitting around here wasting my fucking time. Tell Ash we tried, but it didn’t work.” He moves to the door.
“Typical,” I say, shaking my head. Feeling disgusted. “You don’t get what you want, so you make everything harder.”
“What is the matter with you?” Carson lingers, not leaving. “Ever since I got involved with Ash, it’s like you’re a different person.”
I let out a harsh laugh before I stand. “I’m a different person? We used to be close. We were best friends until you got married to her.”
“You know how I’ve felt,” he says, keeping his voice low. “Ash has always been everything to me.”
“Yes, I’m aware of your weird obsession with her, but that doesn’t mean you get to pretend like we’re not brothers anymore.”
He takes a few deep breaths. “That’s not how it is.”
“Tell me then. Go on, make me understand.”
“It’s the job.” He stares at me, and for the first time in a while, I can see bags under his eyes. He looks tired, worn down, stressed out, beaten back by the demands of running the family. I watch him carefully, trying to sense a trap. But not finding one.
“I understand it’s got to be hard.”
“There are a million little things all the time. Finn’s no fucking help, he’s got his family and his own problems. Mother’s a mess, but I can’t be mad about that, she’s mourning. Father left the organization a fucking wreck of red tape and bullshit. There are about a thousand layers and tangled threads, and I’m expected to figure it all out. The old man had a system, but he didn’t actually tell anyone how it fucking worked.” He comes back to the table and slumps down. “You want to know why we don’t see each other? It’s because I don’t see anyone anymore. I wake up, do family business, spend time with my wife, then sleep. I get shit on by my captains and lieutenants, I put out fires, I fight back against those that want to see my power diminished, and I kill myself to keep it all running. That’s my life now.”
I finish my drink, letting that settle in my head. “Must be hard,” I say finally, meaning it. I sit back down. I knew Carson was under a ton of stress, but I hadn’t realized how bad it’d gotten. “Dad really left things a mess?”