Page 44 of Mischief Mayhem
“We could raid their houses,” Doc said, leaning forward on his elbows. “Bring them to the barn, take care of them all in one night.”
“You leave a void that big and something worse is going to fill it,” Aris said, pursing his lips.
“We’ll deal with that if it happens,” Doc reasoned.
“No,” Crow said. “I don’t like it, but I also don’t like the thought of my son living with one of those treacherous snakes for the rest of his life.”
“Isn’t that my choice?” Bear took a few steps forward, shoving his hands into his pockets as he glanced around at our brothers. “Don’t I get a say in whether I put my future on the line for the club?”
“I won’t lay that at your feet, son,” Crow said.
Bear glanced at Slip. “Last year, you stepped in front of a bullet for me.”
Slip adjusted his hips in his seat, crossing his arms before shifting his sky-blue eyes to the table. “It’s my job.”
“And you.” Bear turned to Doc. “How many horrible things have you done for this club? How stained are your hands?”
“It’s not permanent,” Doc said. “I don’t see it that way, and I never have.”
“Hollywood,” Bear shifted his attention to me. “How many times have you been shot defending our family?”
“Three,” I said. “Three times.”
“He almost died protecting my sister.” Bear glanced back to his father. “Is my future not an adequate payment for his safety? If it means that this ends, that no other Caputi spills a drop of Rose blood, isn’t it worth it?”
Crow took a deep breath and ran a hand over his mouth, staring up at his son with that infamous Montgomery fire behind his eyes.
“I won’t ask you to do that,” Crow said.
“No one is asking. I’m telling you.” Bear let out a harsh sigh and shook his head, his dark curls glimmering in the overhead light. “If you expect me to take this club over one day, then I have to be willing to give up the same thing I’d ask from anyone else.”
Whoops came from all the brothers, a round of hollers echoing over that.
“Besides,” I said, “Julia Caputi’s pretty hot.”
“That’s my future wife you’re talking about there,” Bear snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at me. “Watch your fucking mouth.”
I clapped and howled like a wolf baying at the moon. The sound came from my soul, and others joined it with their own applause or shouts of excitement.
“All right, knock it off,” Aris said, banging his rings on the table again to get our attention refocused.
“Let’s pause this for now,” Crow said, giving his son an indignant side-eye. “I want to hear updates about Gabriella. I’m not in favor of Doc’s mass execution idea, but I also don’t want her to blindside us again.”
“She’s struggling,” Saint said. “Some of Benito’s brothers are making things difficult. If there were a right time to invade from the inside, now is it.”
“Will his brothers be a problem for Leo?” Slip asked.
“Julia seems to think she can win them over,” Saint continued. “She said they don’t want the power; they just don’t think Gabriella is capable of maintaining order.”
“How do we know we can trust Julia?” Lore spoke up. “If she’s related to Leo, she’s as much of a liability.”
I understood why Lore thought so poorly of Leo and Julia, and I didn’t blame him. I’d been shot by the bastard’s cronies, so Lord knew, I sympathized. But this was bigger than an eye or a bullet to the chest. This was future generations of Roses and Caputis growing up and knowing peace. This was the end to a blood feud that had plagued us for decades.
Crow met Saint’s gaze, and the quiet brother shrugged, as if suggesting he didn’t have an opinion about whatever the president had silently asked him.
“Julia Caputi has been sending us information for over two years,” Crow said. “She’s Saint’s leak.”
The room went silent again, and this time, my heart pounded in my chest at the realization.