Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 92254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
She’ll look sexy with a lip ring. But we’ll get there eventually.
Waitstaff passes around more drinks. I let the men eat and have their fill before we get down to business. This is one of my favorite restaurants, a very nice place in the center of Federal Hill, the best neighborhood in the city. This group of thieves, killers, and thugs is going to eat and drink me into the poorhouse, but tonight’s important. I need them happy if it’s going to go well.
I call for order once the meal is cleared away. Cousin Razmik’s pleasantly drunk and telling a disgusting story about having a threesome with two German tourists. Sevan’s sitting next to him, a deep frown on his face, probably still brooding over the loss of his club. The men settle and all eyes turn toward me.
I stand and survey them. The most powerful men in the Brotherhood give me their undivided attention, but I don’t like the looks on their faces.
“You all know why I called this meeting.” I look at them all. I can’t even be annoyed at their displeasure. If I were in their positions, I’d feel the same way. “The war with Garen and Sona is going to heat up.”
There are some murmurs. Sevan sinks lower in his chair, glaring hard at his glass of wine.
“Patron, you know how much I respected your father,” Uncle Narek says. He’s from my mother’s side of the family. “When you took over, it was a shock, but I backed you without question. Your leadership has been steady, even in these difficult times. But I think I speak for everyone when I say, right now it feels like you’ve betrayed your brothers for a woman.”
His words hurt. I let them linger for a moment. More than one head nods in agreement. Coming from a lesser man, I might meet that kind of proclamation with violence, except Narek’s very well respected in the Brotherhood, and he’s been nothing but loyal since the beginning.
If I’m going to lead this family, I need to accept dissenting opinions.
“I understand that feeling, Uncle,” I say to him. “Here are the facts. My wife is pregnant. It wasn’t planned, but it happened, and I was raised to take responsibility for my actions. I offered Garen very good terms, generous really, in order to avoid this escalation. I made it clear that Lena was a surprise, and marrying her was not something I planned. Garen wasn’t interested in negotiating.”
“You already negotiated,” Michael calls out. He’s one of the up-and-coming cousins. “That’s why you were going to marry that other girl.”
“Garen could have come to the table. He understands that life isn’t always simple.”
“I just don’t understand why you would throw everything away for a girl,” Uncle Narek says. He sounds exasperated more than angry now.
“She’s giving me an heir. Would you rather I had a bastard child running around the city?”
“There are ways to handle unwanted brats,” Michael says loudly.
A heavy silence falls over the table. More than one of the men present stares at him with open hostility. He must realize his error because he turns a bright red and sinks back into his chair.
“I’m going to assume you didn’t just suggest killing the patron’s baby,” Tigran says.
“Of course not,” Michael whispers. “I’d never. I wouldn’t.”
“Why the fuck not?” Sevan spits suddenly. He glares at me. “Ricky’s dead. What’s one dead baby in exchange for saving our lives? I respect the patron, but come on. He married some random fucking Russian girl, and now—”
Tigran stands and draws his gun in one fluid motion. He aims it at Sevan’s head, and nobody moves.
“If I were in charge of this meeting, you’d be dead right now,” Tigran snarls.
I’m touched by Tigran’s reaction. He doesn’t like Lena and probably agrees with Sevan more than he’s letting on, but my brother’s a good man. He knows when to be loyal.
I get up from the table. Sevan watches me, jaw working. He’s clearly terrified but also too angry to control himself. “You lost a club today. A couple of your people were badly injured. I understand that you’re angry.”
“The war’s going to be bad, patron,” Sevan says. “I know she’s your wife, but this Brotherhood comes before anything else.”
“We care about family, don’t we?” I stare at him, but I’m talking to the table. “We value loyalty, honesty, and blood, isn’t that right? Lena’s carrying my child. She’s my blood now. I put my ring on her finger, said the words, and made her my wife. It’s not ideal, but Garen could have found another way to resolve this. Instead, he went straight to killing.” I lean in close to Sevan. “You crossed a line.”
He pales slightly. “Patron. No disrespect. I just—”
I grab his ear. He yelps in shock as I rip my knife from the sheath at my hip and slice down in one easy motion. Skin parts and cartilage slices. His warm blood rolls down his cheek as he screams.