Page 49 of Brutal Sinner
“Why should that concern us?” Snake shrugs and Ryder leans forward, a hard glint in his eye. “Because one of their members pays our fucking wages and has ordered a stop to it. We have no choice but to discover what the fuck is going on, so I need someone on the inside.”
I hold up my hands. “Sorry, Ryder, respectfully I must pass. I just found my family and I can’t take off and leave them so soon.”
“You’ve done your bit, Sinner. You are due some time out.”
“Maverick?” Brewer adds. “His own brothers run the Romano mafia. Heismafia for Christ’s sake.”
“Who expressly told us when he patched in that he would do anything but mafia?”
“That worked well for him.” Snake chuckles softly. “Considering the woman he married was a Moretti.”
“He’s perfect.” Brewer adds, and Ryder shakes his head. “I must respect his wishes. I need someone else.”
“Blade?” I say with a shrug. “He’s certainly dangerous enough.”
“Let me think on it.” Ryder says with a sigh.
“Apparently, the current Don Vieri’s health is deteriorating, and his son Benito is reluctant to leave his blue-chip business to take over from him.”
“Who is in the running, then?” Brewer says with interest, and Ryder raises his eyes. “His grandson, Killian Vieri.”
“So, problem solved, it skips a generation.” Brewer replies.
“Possibly, but that doesn’t solve the problem. It creates an even bigger one.”
“Because…” Snake says, fixing him with a dark look.
“Because Killian Vieri was born to be a mafia don. He thrives on everything it represents and above all, he is a loyal family man and any talk of cutting the family out of The Dark Lords will be a battle cry.”
“I see your point.” Snake sighs. “Fucking mafia. You never know what shit is going down. Give me a biker any day.”
We all laugh and raise our beers. “Amen to that.”
Ryder looks my way and says with interest. “You’ve got a lot on your plate, Sinner. You should head off to settle your family in.”
“But what about this Dark Lord’s shit?”
“If you think of anything, you know where we are. We need to dwell on this a bit more because it won’t be an easy one.”
I nod, glad to be off the hook because hanging around with mafia really isn’t my style at all.
As I leave the office, I wonder how Ryder does this day in and week out. He has a family of his own, a club of his own, and somehow, he manages to keep them both happy. I am facing a struggle of my own, and as I head toward the house set behind my room in the block, I know I will have a shit load of explaining to do when I get there.
CHAPTER29
FAITH
Iam blown away by this house. The minute I stepped inside, I fell in love. Coming from a home where minimalism was a way of life, this one is opulence on a grand scale.
Mainly it’s open plan and I love the modern interior. There is so much light, even in the darkening light, it blinds me. The kitchen is brand new and appears modern and sleek and the huge island in the center makes me imagine an advert for a family commercial, where the kids all bake cookies with their mom, while the dog barks for scraps.
We never had the luxury of a television as it was considered useful only to men, but we knew where we could find one and when Roddy Hawkins left for work each day, Purity used to meet me there and we would sit and watch things that educated our minds far more than any school in Heaven.
As I gaze around me, I can tell it’s a happy home and my jaw drops when I see the modern fire jump into life at the flick of a remote control. Comfortable couches sit before it and deep pile rugs offer soft comfort to walk on. Discreet lighting illuminates alcoves that I didn’t even know were there. A large table is set before the huge sliding glass doors leading onto a yard which has raised decking holding two rocking chairs.
Bonnie and Ashton excitedly show me every modern convenience I have ever seen and when we reach the nursery, I can’t prevent the tears from falling.
“Wait, what? Don’t you like it.” Bonnie says anxiously and I turn to her with my eyes lit with gratitude. “I love it. Really love it.” I’m not kidding either because this is my dream nursery.