Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Andrei
I heard footsteps.
I knew Alice would take care of everything Katya needed. I took another sip of the whiskey, but even that didn’t taste good. You know things aren’t the same when a hundred-year-old whiskey tastes like shit.
My phone was still on my desk, the text message open.
Phoenix: They’re coming. It’s good we got them out of the house, she’s safer there. I know this wasn’t planned, Andrei, but some of the best plans are accidents. I’ll do what I can, but we need to prepare. They want our heads. According to intel, we’re dealing with some very pissed-off Sinacores and some Abandonatos that jumped ship because they were promised money.
Me: And you checked Tex’s compound?
Phoenix: It’s clean. We did a sweep earlier this evening as per your request. Only a skeleton staff remains, along with a few bodyguards.
Me: I can’t lose her too.
Phoenix: You won’t. Plus, she has Santino. He’s the best we got, even better than you because you’re too emotional when it comes to her.
Me: I just got her back.
Phoenix: She isn’t going anywhere, just a few miles away, to have sex with your new brother-in-law. There isn’t that better?
Me: I will not hesitate to punch you.
Phoenix: Kinda bummed. We could have gotten matching ties for the wedding. We are still having a huge wedding, right?
Me: If we’re all alive, then yes, of course.
Phoenix: We’re better than these punks, plus we have the full force of the Five Families.
Me: Do the math. If they kill two of us, that’s close to ten mil, they kill three, and it jumps to twelve—people are willing to do a lot for money.
Phoenix: We pay everyone well. Drink your whiskey, and stop staring at the phone like it’s going to kill you.
Me: Son of a bitch did you bug my office again?
Phoenix: I would never.
I flipped off the room and stared back down at my phone. He was right. I needed to stop panicking. She was safe, she had Santino, and while I was pissed as hell over what went down between them and knew it would take years for my anger to cool…
I knew she was safe.
I needed her safe.
He would die for her. He was bound to her. It was quite honestly the best choice we had after learning a few hours ago while we were all arguing that the men had assembled and were getting ready to hunt us down one by one.
Tex would need to send the majority of the wives away. Half were pregnant anyway, and it just didn’t make sense to keep them around distracting us because any one of us would die for them instantly, no hesitation.
A knock sounded at my door.
“Come in.”
Nixon entered and closed the door quietly behind him. He only had one gun strapped to him now. His black jeans were tight on his thighs, and his white T-shirt still had blood on it. He sucked in his bottom lip, making his lip ring move, then leaned back in the chair.
“I never forgot how this started,” I whispered.
Nixon chuckled. “Hand over the whiskey, then talk about feelings.”
I rolled my eyes, poured him a shot, and then slid it across the desk. He caught it in his hand and took a sip. “How did this start, Andrei?”
“At a university I wasn’t allowed to attend freshman year.”
“Aww, still ass hurt, little Petrov?”
“Bite me.” I laughed. “You know, most people count sheep at night. I remember counting the number of bullets I’d put in your body.”
“That’s nice that you thought of me every night before you went to sleep.”
I grabbed my whiskey and held it in my hand, twirling the glass right to left and back again. “All of the first generation is gone except my grandfather. Technically, Frank and Luca are still around playing golf and deciding to live life as ghosts, but… the Cosa Nostra has us, Nixon. Just us. We’re too fucking young for this shit.”
“Correction,” Nixon leaned forward. His inky black hair falling over his forehead. “We were too old when we were sixteen, we’re basically old men at this point, and we’re doing the best we can with what we’ve been given. We’ve been through a lot of shit, a lot, since the beginning… since I met Trace… since Chase met Mil—”
“Since Phoenix shot Mil,” I added.
“Then Phoenix just rises from the fucking ashes.” Nixon laughed. “Tex became Capo. Sergio lost Andi, gained Val, and Chase went through his extremely terrifying dark stage that I’m pretty sure won’t ever fully leave him even after marrying Luc… I think Dante did help a bit though, as much as he could.”
“And me.” I nodded. “The most hated.”
“You have Alice and all of us as brothers,” Nixon said. “It’s as simple as that.”
“So.” Bile rose in my throat. “Is this where it all ends, then?”