Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 71832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“Easy,” I say, distracted. I try to think back to the last few weeks, but I can’t recall Iain ever mentioning the Poles at all. “Jan is a smart man. He’s been running his family for years now. He knows what killing our people means. What could Iain have done to provoke something like that?”
“I don’t know,” Nolan admits. “But whatever it was, it was real fucking bad. What should we do?”
“Catch one of the Polish guys. Someone high up. If Jan won’t talk to me, then I’ll talk to one of his guys and find out what’s going on here.”
“We should start killing,” Nolan says, sounding unhappy. “Dad wants bodies.”
“He’ll get bodies, but we’re doing it smart. We’re not burning down Boston for our father’s pride.” I don’t mention that Dad won’t be in charge of the family for long.
I’m the only person that knows about his condition aside from my mother and my father’s doctor.
And now Ash.
“Fine, we’ll do it your way, but Dad’s on the warpath. Don’t be surprised when he gives you shit.”
“Wouldn’t you love that,” I say, grinning to myself.
Nolan hangs up. I slip my phone into my pocket, trying to think of what line Iain crossed.
My second-in-command’s always been impulsive, even when we were young men. I had to beat some of his worst habits out of him, but over the years, Iain’s managed to shape himself into a halfway decent lieutenant. He’s stupid and greedy, but he’s loyal to a fault, which is all I need for the most part. However, I clearly misjudged how big of a fuck-up he could be, if he managed to do something that’s going to shove my family into a war with another crime organization.
Not that I mind the killing. We live in violence. That’s how our people function. It’s always a threat, always simmering under the surface of every interaction. It needs to be there—violence underpins the fear.
But we don’t really want war.
War means heat. War means arrests and jail time and lost revenue.
After all, the Crowley organization is a business above all else.
That’s where the love comes in: all our fucking money.
We spread it around, get people addicted to it, make them dependent on our generosity. Make them love us even when they don’t want to.
It’s control, and they don’t even realize it.
I leave the waiting area and head back to Iain’s private room. I’m quiet as I stand in the doorway and look at Ash. She’s holding her brother’s hand and staring at him with a vacant expression, one I can’t read, but it breaks my heart seeing her in pain like that. I’d do anything to make her feel better right now—anything at all, except I know I’m doing as much as I can already. I have the best doctors looking after Iain. If it weren’t for me, the guy would be dead.
She mourns him. Even after everything, she mourns her brother. It’s admirable and only makes my hands clench into fists as emotion tears through me. Ash, beautiful Ash, I hate that she’s hurting.
“Oh. Carson.” She looks up at me, surprised. “You’re here.”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” And I couldn’t help myself. If she’s nearby, I have to see her. It’s a compulsion—a sick compulsion I gave in to a long, long time ago.
“I’m fine. I’m just—” She glances down at her brother. “He looks older. I know I haven’t seen him in ten years, but I just, I remember him as he was back then.”
“He’s still the same. Might’ve got some more wrinkles and less hair, but he’s the same.”
“Stubborn and impulsive?” She smiles to herself. “Funny. Charming. Willing to do whatever he has to.”
“All of those things and more. Your brother’s a good man.” A stupid fucking asshole too, considering all the shit I’m in, but she doesn’t need to hear that. “Are you ready?”
She grimaces and looks back at Iain. The machines beep, his chest rises and falls, but he doesn’t move, still deep in his coma. Still locked inside.
“I’m glad I came,” she says quietly. “I wasn’t sure how I’d feel.”
“Good. I’m glad you don’t regret it.”
“Even though we haven’t been close in a long time, he’s still my brother. I remember the good stuff, you know? Back before your family got their hooks in him.”
I tilt my head. “You think that’s how it was?”
She glances over, eyes sparkling with tears. “Isn’t it? That’s what you do. You come and you take them.”
“No, Ash, that’s not it at all.” I step forward, shaking my head. “The Crowley family doesn’t recruit. Iain came to us willingly.”
“You still accepted him. You embraced him.”
“Only because your father vouched for him. We don’t just accept anyone and haven’t for a long time. We don’t need to recruit like that.”
“How’s that supposed to make me feel better?”