Page 15 of Kiss of Ruin (Brutal Empire)

ChapterSeven

Nico

“Fucking hell,” I yell into the phone. I’m standing at the table in the office. Carlos and Andreas’ eyes are pinned on me. They arrived only twenty minutes ago to plan an assault on some of the DeLuca territory. At least until my phone rang.

“How the fuck did they find it?” I ask, my hand gripping the receiver tight It takes all of my energy to not crush the thing in my grip as rage runs roughshod over my nerves.

“I’m not sure. But the warehouse is empty. It’s a complete bloodbath in here. They didn’t leave anyone alive or in one piece for that matter.”

“Goddammit!” I slam the phone down no longer interested in the conversation.

Carlos’ lips curl up in a snarl. “Which one?”

I turn away from him, toward the decanter of liquor on the table and pour myself two fingers. It’s not enough for my mood, but it will have to do. I need to keep my head in the game. “Duerer Street.” I toss back the liquid in the glass.

“Motherfucker,” Andreas exclaims.

I wait for Carlos’s own shout, except nothing comes. I expected them to both be upset. We had large supplies in there that had just arrived a few days prior. Stuff that’s supposed to hit the streets soon and it’s all fucking gone. I play everything out in my head, trying to figure out how they found the new place so quickly.

“There has to be someone feeding them the information.” I whirl around and almost take a step back at the look on Carlos’ face. The way his eyes bore into me, I’m not sure if he’s planning to take me out himself.

When he finally speaks, I know he’s close. “You had one fucking job. One job. And you got sloppy.” I open my mouth to defend myself when Carlos raises a hand and stands up. “I don’t want to hear another goddamn excuse. All you had to do was not stick your dick in a woman you should have stayed far away from. The two of you were supposed to run this business together, not fuck like bunnies everywhere and let everything fall apart.”

I drop my head. I know he’s right even if I don’t want to admit it. I let my feelings for Scarlett get in the way of running the business. The only thing I would have done differently, would have been to pay more attention to her obsession with Elena and Frankie. If I did all this could have been avoided.

Andreas slams his hand down on the table. “Are you even listening? One mistake after the other and you still don’t see what a fucking disaster this is.” Andreas stands up. “You will get this situation under control. We will not lose any more product to the DeLuca’s. Now sit down and let’s figure out how to end this.”

I sit back down, hands clench into fists. Before I came back here, I never made mistakes.

No, that’s a lie.

The biggest mistake I made was covering for Luis in the first place. Maybe if I hadn’t, none of this would be happening. I grit my teeth and listen to what they want to do to end this war.

It’s late when I finally emerge from the office. After walking Carlos and Andreas out, I make my way to the kitchen. With all the alcohol I consumed before and during the meeting, I need to eat if I’m going to keep my head clear enough to handle everything that’s going on.

The fridge is practically empty of anything worth eating. I never thought I’d miss Camila’s cooking. I’d lived in Europe for so long, moving from place to place that I never missed one particular thing. Now, it seems if I miss everything.

Camila’s cooking is only the start.

I miss Scarlett.

Pushing that thought away for the moment, I grab the ingredients from the fridge to make a sandwich. Nothing fancy, just food.

I pile the meat and cheese onto the bread and carry the plate to the island in the middle of the kitchen. The dining room is too quiet and lonely these days. The guards come and go, but I don’t want to talk to them. I don’t want to deal with anyone unless I have to.

Before I sit down, I grab a beer from the fridge, then take a seat on one of the stools. These days, beer isn’t quite enough, but the decanter of brandy is in the office. There’s always the wine that’s kept on racks in the kitchen, except it’s one of the places I avoid.

All it does is remind me of Scarlett. Of the night I heard her and Sofia discussing me.

I haven’t stopped worrying about Scarlett since I left her in the hospital. It killed me to have to walk away from her. To send her to Miami all alone. Then I remember the way she looked at me when I told her she was just a fling. Not only did I break her heart, but I also made her feel like she was nothing.

I can still see the look in her eyes, as she looked down at the blanket covering her legs, trying to hold back her tears. Legs that she had to relearn how to walk on. My chest aches when I think about the lies I’ve told her. The things, I’ve continued to hide from her.

For her own safety it had to happen that way. Didn’t make it any easier. I glance down at the sandwich on my plate and suddenly, I’m not hungry anymore. I pick up the bottle of beer and leave the kitchen. The maids can deal with the sandwich later.

The darkness of the living room draws me to it. It’s peaceful. When I step inside, I realize I’m not alone. Antonio sits in the dark, a half glass of amber liquor in his hands. He took Scarlett’s shooting as hard as anyone. Jealousy at that had me keeping Antonio at arm’s length.

Sending him on runs to shuttle Carlos and Andreas to and fro. Having him deal with the jewelry store. Tonight, I sent him to check on the Duerer Street house, not expecting what he would find there.

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