Page 69 of Princes of Carnage

A couple of people on my side are smirking, clearly pleased that the Carnage members are being made an example out of. I raise one eyebrow, deciding to follow suit to show a united front.

My people might not have started the fight, but they didn’t do anything to put an end to it either.

“I don’t know what you’re smirking about,” I tell them in a cold voice. “You were just as out of line as the Carnage members were. You were at the same fucking meeting where we told you to knock this shit off. I don’t care if they acted first. You should have stood down.”

“And just let them run all over us?” Fabian asks, clearly angry.

“No, you should have fucking called me, and I would have handled it,” I snap.

He looks upset, but he doesn’t argue back. That’s something, at least.

“Fabian, you’re cleaning the shop for the rest of the month. And I saw Alyssa and Dominic in the heat of that shit too, so you two can help him. If anyone else decides to step out of line, I’ll find a worse job for you. Am I understood?”

There’s a chorus of mumbled agreement, and I’ll take that. The goal is to get the point across that we’re not going to let this sort of bullshit slide.

Nico nods approvingly at me and then sighs. “Alright, get the fuck out of here,” he says to his people. “It’s too early in the goddamned morning for this shit.”

I jerk my head at the Enigma members, dismissing them as well.

They all start to file out, the two groups keeping their distance as they go to their vehicles and start to peel out.

Once they’re all gone, I sigh, rubbing my face tiredly. “Jesus fucking Christ,” I mutter under my breath. I hear Atlas snort, but when I look at him, he doesn’t look like he’s mocking me, just maybe agreeing with the sentiment.

Nico walks over, and he looks the way I feel. Tired, disappointed, still a little angry.

“I swear to fuck,” he mutters under his breath. “Some of these people.”

It’s interesting, seeing glimpses of his leadership up close like this. He’s been the leader of Carnage for a good while longer than I’ve been leading Enigma, but it’s clear that sometimes he struggles too.

“I know my dad had to deal with this kind of shit too,” I mutter. “But somehow, I don’t think he was screaming at his people outside a dive bar at five in the fucking morning.”

Nico snorts, running a hand through his dark hair. “You never know. This kind of shit happens more often than anyone would like it to.”

“I know we’re asking a lot of them with this, but…” I trail off with a shrug.

“But they should be able to see why we’re doing it,” he says, picking up the thread of my thought more easily than I would’ve expected him to, as if he can read my mind. “It’s not for our fucking health. Or because we just woke up one day and decided to play house. We’re trying to keep them alive and keep our territories from being overrun by an outside threat.”

“Right.” I nod, surprised to find myself in total agreement with Nico for once. “But I guess it was wishful thinking to assume they’d fall in line right away. Some grudges run deep.”

“They’ll think twice before jumping into a brawl again, at least.”

I nod. “You handled them well.” It feels weird, giving him a compliment, but it’s true.

“Sometimes you’ve gotta make an example out of some people to keep others from doing the same dumb shit. If they think they can get away with it, they will.”

“What’s toilet duty?”

He grins, just a touch savage. “Some of our smaller smuggling deals happen in some shitty places. Pun intended.”

I make a face when I realize what he means. “Ew. Bathrooms? Really?”

“The disgusting ones always are the safest for that kind of thing. Everyone hates that job, so they’ll be on their best behavior for a while.”

I can see why.

“Sometimes—” I stop, but then keep talking in a rush, my voice dropping low as the truth spills out. “Sometimes I don’t think I’m good at this. I can’t help but wonder if they would have rebelled against my dad that way. Maybe they just don’t respect me.”

“Nah.” Nico fixes me with a look, stepping a bit closer. “They do. As soon as they saw you go wading in, your people backed off. They listen to you, and they should. You’re doing well.”

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