Page 8 of Desperate Vows

Something didn’t smell right. Half a billion dollars and Franklin expected me to believe he’d let me keep it? Even suggesting I could kill Claire only meant that instead of killing me, he’d have me sent to prison for her death. Either way, that fund was his.

“It’s too risky,” Alexander said, standing next to Dimitris, who’d taken the chair facing my desk. Lex was the youngest at twenty-nine and much like Ari in temperament. He was cautious, meticulous, and observant. If we needed a calm, even approach to something, he was the guy for the job. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Dimitris, one year my junior, leaned forward in his chair and scoffed as he twirled a cigarette in his fingers. “It’s half a billion dollars.” Impulsive. He was the type to ask for forgiveness. He was the more secretive of the five of us, but none of us gave him any grief, especially me. I had more demons in my closet than Satan had in his army.

Thea’s eyes cut from Dimitris to me.

As loyalty went, she was my fiercest protector. During a meeting a few years back, one of the men at the table threatened me. He was found the next morning with his throat cut. Equally beautiful and deadly. Most people never saw the strike coming. Only a man with a strong fortitude would even stand a chance at taming that cobra.

She pushed away from the corner where she’d been tucked and said, “I’ll be right back.” She slid out of the room, and the discussion continued.

“If that rat is telling the truth, he’s baiting us,” Ari said. He shouldered the office door, hand in his pocket. Age-wise, he was in the middle. The two of us were closest. He was as tall as me, but he’d trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His street name was Wick. I hadn’t witnessed him killing anyone with a pencil, but I didn’t doubt he could.

A knock came from the door, and Ari moved away. Thea pushed her way through and glided to the desk with her laptop tucked under her arm. “It’s true.”

“What?” asked Alexander.

Thea smiled, her bright white teeth framed by red-stained lips. “You think I’m letting Lucas walk into the lion’s den with no proof there will be a payout? I found the bank and checked the balance.”

Alexander shook his head. “This is crazy.”

“Especially knowing what Momma believed about marriage,” Ari added.

“Franklin said Lucas could kill her. That’s in the vows, man.” Dimitris teased.

Alexander rolled his eyes. “We need to be serious.”

“I think he knows we’re the vigilantes, or at least suspects it,” Ari said.

Finally, after holding my tongue for most of the meeting, I nodded. “That’s what my gut says, too. Both Franklin and his daughter showing up on the same day gives me pause.”

“My vote is a power struggle. Franklin wants to keep what’s his, and Claire wants to take it.” Thea took my seat behind the desk, crossing her legs. “Occam’s razor. The simplest solution is usually the right one.”

That was my first thought, too, but as I had time to digest my encounter with Claire and contrast it with Franklin, I wasn’t so sure. It certainly was a mystery, and against my better judgment, I found myself wanting to play detective.

I’d made up my mind before I’d called the meeting with the hopes they’d see things my way. However, it was clear they wouldn’t be on board. “I’m going to the party.”

Dissent followed.

“No,” Lex growled. “It’s a setup, damn it.”

I set my jaw and glared at him. “Just because I seek out your opinion doesn’t mean you get to make the decisions. I’m still the boss of this family. If he knows it’s us causing him all the trouble, I want to keep my enemy closer.”

Pushing off the door, Ari let out a string of profanity, gave me a hard look, and slammed the door as he left.

Alexander shook his head and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket. He muttered on his way to the door. “Ari’s right. This is stupid. You keep talking about the promise we made to Momma, but if we’re all dead, who’s going to keep it then, huh?”

“Lex, I know this is a risk, but he’s making a move against us. How can we prepare when we don’t know what’s coming? Maybe if I sit at his table, it’ll give me access to information.”

Dimitris stood. “You have my support. Get the money and duck out. We’ll worry about the marriage part later,” he said as he met Lex at the door. “Loan me a cigarette.”

The two argued about his borrowing habits as they left, leaving me alone with Thea.

I turned to her. “Got any input?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes. I want your support.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I also want you to keep tabs on my maybe wife-to-be. I want to know everything—who she calls friends, her enemies, down to what fabric softener she uses. If she’s making a play against her father, I want to know about it. Maybe this is an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and be rid of the entire Benoit stain.”

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