Page 99 of The Gangster King

It’s a hard call. When I saw her climb out of the cab with her bags, I’d wanted to run across the road and throttle her.

Hold her.

Kiss her.

Something told me to wait.

Plus, while Nick holds off a mafia war with Carlos, who thinks I’ve taken Adelina again, I need to gather my thoughts after speaking to Connor and the Dark Kings.

“Ricky said she drove out of the fucking gate. Tell one of Leo’s men. And tell them I said back the fuck off or I will go to war.” I snapped at Nick while in midair.

Braxton had done a shit job of hiding his grin when I hung up. Then made up for it, moments later, when he shared his reason for infiltrating my family.

We’d had his cousin, Amy.

She had been one of the women in the shipment.

The judgment in my sister’s eyes had been hard to look at. But I did. I wasn’t going to hide from any of it. What I am going to do is change things.

The Dark Kings are going to help me.

“So who the fuck are you guys?” I asked Connor, who took his time before answering.

I had a feeling he’d kill me if I broke their trust.

Given what I was going to share with them today, it was mutual.

“We are five men—US Marines—who came together to seek revenge on the crime families who hurt those we love,” he finally said.

Really?

Like fucking Batman.

“Jesus. How are you all still alive?” I asked, looking each of them in the eye.

“Nearly wasn’t.” Decker shook his head and gave me a brief rundown on what he was doing in Mexico. “Still looking over my shoulder.”

“Jesus.”

“Not sure how long we'll stay in NYC,” Nathan shared next. “My wife is pregnant and I’m feeling edgy. I was inside the Mancini family for a long time.”

I narrowed my eyes at his profile and nodded slowly. “I recognize you. I’m sure of it.”

“We met. Not personally, but we were in the same places a few times,” Nathan confessed.

Yeah, he needs to leave the state. It’s far too dangerous for him and his wife and child. While the family was wiped out, if any other mobster learned what I know they’d be dead in days.

“Well...I guess it's my turn to share.”

“Ya think.” Mack let out a dry laugh.

“I want out. For my entire family.” That includes Adelina. “I don’t want to close our legitimate companies because too many people and their families rely on the income. But all the illegal stuff? I’m shutting it down.”

Which, if I was just a dodgy businessman, might be easy enough. But I’m not. I’m a don. Head of the notorious Baldassare crime family.

I know too much.

If I suddenly decided to become a fucking accountant, I’d be six feet under in less than three months.