Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“I miss you.” The words were yanked out of my mouth all on their own. I never intended to say them out loud, not when I didn’t have a chance to think them. When it came to Muse, everything was instinctual. Blurting out words had become a regular part of my day. I wasn’t the affectionate type. I wasn’t gentle, kind, or thoughtful. But when it came to this woman, I was a different man.
A very different man.
“I miss you too.”
My father wasn’t any different the next day.
In fact, he seemed angrier.
We gathered together at the dining table, my father and Uncle Cane on one side, and Carter and I on the other. An invisible line was drawn through the table, dividing us like men across a battlefield.
What surprised me most was when my mother joined us. She took a seat beside my father, her expression hard, as if she knew everything that had been discussed the previous day.
I didn’t think this subject was appropriate for her, but I wasn’t stupid enough to say that out loud.
Coffee and snacks were on the table, but no one moved to grab anything. The silence was thick like smoke, and it was hard to breathe because it was so harsh on the lungs. Carter and I didn’t speak first, knowing it was smart to let them make the opening statement. If there were a jury in the room, this would look a lot like a trial.
My father finally spoke. “Cane and I did some prodding yesterday. We were able to verify all the information you received. It checks out. His mother was a mistress, not bound by marriage. After Bones died, she had her son seven months later.”
“How do we figure out if he’s a threat?” I asked. “Should we tail him?”
“No,” Uncle Cane answered. “The second Bones died, the boy and his mother disappeared off the grid. They didn’t resurface again until a few years ago. He’s connected to a lot of people, but it’s not clear exactly what he does. But he has strong ties to a lot of groups, ironclad affiliations. The fact that we can’t determine his allegiance to anything is both comforting and troublesome.”
“Troublesome because we don’t know what he believes in,” my father added. “He’s a powerful man and has had opportunities to hurt us before, but never has. Perhaps he doesn’t care to avenge his father and has moved on to better things. After all, he didn’t even know him. Since his parents weren’t married, I’m sure his mother didn’t get a dime of his estate. The blood war could be insignificant to him.”
“That would be ideal,” I said. “He didn’t seem to care that I was sitting directly beside him at the Underground.”
“And if he did, do you really think he would act on it?” my father asked coldly.
All I did was stare at him.
“Or maybe he does care,” Uncle Cane said. “He’s just been waiting for the right time.”
“We killed his father because of what he did to our aunt,” I said. “It was revenge. Even if he’s a psychopath, he must understand that.”
My mother immediately looked down. I wouldn’t have noticed the movement if my father hadn’t glanced at her at the exact same time, as if he expected her to react in some way.
What was I missing?
“He might care,” Carter said. “Why else would he name himself Bones? He has some affection for the name.”
“But he could just be using the name to his advantage,” I said. “Bones was a powerful man. Almost everyone knows that. By adopting that name, he inherits the fear his father once instilled.”
“Then should we hit him first?” Carter asked. “Eliminate him before there’s a chance to do anything to us?”
“No.” My father crossed his arms over his chest. “We do nothing.”
“Nothing?” I asked in surprise.
“Nothing,” my father repeated. “There’s a good chance he doesn’t care enough to get in our way. The Barsettis are only known for their wine now. As far as the Underground goes, we’re no longer in the criminal business. We sold our business to the Skull Kings. As far as the world can see, we’ve decided to move on from that life.”
“What business?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Carter added.
“Not important,” my father said. “But if we attempt to attack him first, before he can strike us, we might start another blood war. And that’s the last thing we want. We’ll keep eyes and ears on him. That’s the smartest thing we can do right now.”
I wasn’t expecting that, but I had to agree with him. Our lives were peaceful now. There was no sense in attacking someone when we had no idea what this man’s motives were. Maybe he despised his father.
“But that brings us to our next point,” Uncle Cane said. “No more business at the Underground.”