Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 131455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
“Not long. It's been a little over a week since I reached out to him.”
Romero grunts his disgust, even as I manage to stay calm. “You should've come to me first.”
“That's not how I operate, and it's not how my father operated. I do what I feel is best–and I'm giving you the heads-up out of respect while also making sure you don't think I'm crossing you. I'm as committed as ever to eliminating that bastard, but I want something from him first. Once I get it, you can take whatever you want.” Sitting back in the chair, he shrugs. “I don't care.”
“You don't want any of the assets we discussed splitting?”
“I wouldn't say no to a nice chunk of cash, but it's the girl I'm most interested in.”
Usually, his cavalier attitude is something I chalk up to youth. He wants respect he hasn't yet earned. Except this is a little much. “What is so special about her?”
“That's my business. I didn't come here to be interrogated.”
At first, I'm stunned into silence. Never in my wildest dreams would I have spoken that way to someone in my position when I was his age. “Listen, and listen good,” I murmur, lowering my tone. “You're in my house now, kid. I was willing to overlook you walking in here like you own the place, but I won't be insulted in my own home.”
He holds my gaze, unblinking, until it's clear he gets the message as I glare right back at him.
“If you want to be considered a partner in this, you need to lay all your cards on the table,” Romero informs him. The tick in his jaw and the slow, measured rise and fall of his shoulders tell me he is fighting to control himself. “We need to have trust for this to go forward, and right now, you're anything but trustworthy.”
“Are you in the habit of letting him speak for you?” Sebastian asks me, jerking a thumb in Romero's direction.
Be calm. Don't take the bait.
“Romero is my second and trusted confidant. He knows what this empire stands for, and he knows the sacrifices that must be made. I think negotiating a deal with Jack is taking things a little too far.” I remind him, my voice icy.
Anyone else would be pissing their pants by now. Not this kid. He stands, palms on the desk, leaning down. He wants to loom over me, to overshadow me. To intimidate me. “No, that's the problem here. I don't think I've gone far enough. You don't get to burn down shit that you said would be mine without consulting me first, and then tell me how to conduct my business. You want this fucker wiped off the map? So do I. Although, first, I'm going to get what I want.”
“And what if he never goes for it?” Romero asks, folding his arms. “He could find a political alliance more beneficial than anything you're offering.”
“Not with you burning his shit down. Don't you get it?” He barks out a laugh. “He's going to start getting desperate. He'll want all the help he can get. You just made things easier for me. I can almost feel the wedding band around my finger.”
“And once Jack thinks he can use your money and your men to fight us, then what happens?”
He lifts a shoulder. “It'll be a disappointing day for him, won't it? And if he threatens to hurt me for crossing him, I'll remind him of the pretty, soft, luscious girl he handed over to me. It would be a real shame if anything happened to her, wouldn't it?”
“Would you follow through on that?” I murmur, watching him closely.
“By then, she'll be mine,” he reminds me with a sigh. “Mine to do whatever I want with.”
“And if he never agrees?” I ask even though I know the response.
“Then I'll take her anyway. I'd rather do things properly, with her father's blessing and all.” His lips twitch in cold humor. “But desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“You can be a fucking psycho on your own,” Romero fires back, and Sebastian only blurts out a laugh. I don't approve of the choice of language, yet considering the unhinged note in his laughter, he might not be far off the mark. “But that's not how we do business.”
Sebastian looks Romero up and down, wearing a cocky grin. “What are you going to do about it? Come and huff and puff and blow my house down this time? Warning you now, it won't end well for you.”
“You think? You're so fucking green, your balls have barely dropped,” Romero growls. “Mr. Torrio here has gone out of his way to be respectful towards you, but I don't owe you shit.”
“You think so?” Sebastian takes a step toward him, shoulders thrown back like the cocky, insolent little prick he is.