Page 35 of King of Ruin
I glare at him. Much as Mason has been like a father, he frequently questions my ability to get a job done. I am forever proving myself.
“I won’t hate myself when the Vendettis are in jail, or when Luke is returned, or the tunnel makes us impenetrable.” I use the words to fortify my own thoughts.
Mason grimaces as he faces forward again. “Good. So we stick with the plan. You distract her, keep her at your place, win her affection, and find a way to purchase that property.”
We arrive at the pet store, an employee already walking out with a large bag in one hand and a crate in the other.
Jack gets out and gets the goods, placing them in the trunk with the clothes. The door slams as he gets back in.
I give him a questioning stare, wondering what all that is about. But he only glares at me in the rearview.
I glare back. “What?”
“Didn’t your Uncle Jake teach you not to trifle with beautiful young women? They should not be used as pawns in this war.”
I let out a rumbling breath. “Who asked you?”
“I’m not your lackey,” he spits back. “I speak when I want.” Then he glares at Mason even harder. “You, of all people, should know better.”
“She holds the key to a fifty-million-dollar construction project that will give us dominance over all of Vegas and end the Italians once and for all.”
Jack harrumphs. “Crushing an innocent, handicapped woman because she’s in your way? How are you any different from the Italians?”
Mason curses a string of words, each more foul than the last, sounding furious.
“Luke’s life—” I start.
“Luke is a grown-ass man who’s been handy with a gun since the age of ten,” Jack spits back. “Taught him myself. ButMaddie…” And then he stops, shaking his head. “You make sure whatever you take from her, you give back tenfold. You hear me?”
I do. Loud and clear. And the truth of Jack’s words sit like a lead ball in my gut.
The rest of the ride back to my new apartment is silent, until we turn onto my street. Then Mason turns to me. “Stay out of sight from here on out. I have no idea how hot this is going to get, but your job is to stay put, keep Maddie safe, and keep the construction project going.”
“I know,” I say, Jack’s words still knocking around my head.
“And as for Luke,” Mason glares at Jack. “The Andrianis didn’t have any luck discerning if Luke was at the Vendetti property or not, and considering the hostile takeover they’re about to engage in on our behalf, it seemed best not to push. But they did give us the Vendetti’s address. Leo is going to lead the raid himself.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“I want to be there.”
“No,” Mason shakes his head. “You have your job.”
My jaw clenches. In some ways, Luke was more of a brother to me than my actual brothers. We grew up in the same house, after my dad died, my aunt taking me in. “Fuck that. Luke needs?—”
“Luke needs you to shut down the Italians.”
My jaw clenches, my teeth grinding together, but I don’t argue.
We arrive at my apartment building and pull into the garage. I get out, collecting the bags from the trunk before I head up the elevator.
I grimace as I think on Jack’s words. He’s the second man to tell me I’m taking the wrong path when it comes to Maddie.When Charlotte, Mason’s wife, landed on Mason’s door, I was the one advocating that Mason do right by Charlotte. It seemed so simple when it was Mason.
The floors tick by until I reach the penthouse, the doors sliding open again.
I don’t need to call out to Maddie, the moment I step into the apartment, I see her stretched out on the couch, sound asleep.