Page 30 of All In

And at the same time, even the success I’ve found doesn’t feel as satisfying as it once did.

I struck out on my own nearly ten years ago.

Furious and resentful at being passed over for my birthright, I had a point to make.

My fathers specifically chose not to name me as heir because they knew I would put an end to a massive piece of their business. They still hold the old-school belief that, to be successful, they need to participate in the skin trade.

And yet, I’ve made a literal fortune, on my own, with very few preexisting connections and only dealing in drugs and weapons.

I’m no longer that twenty-one-year-old kid who set out with nothing except resentment for the family that betrayed him. The points I hoped to make a decade ago hold no value to me now.

It’s a lonely endeavor to be separated from one’s family, but it’s been a worthy one, in my case. My family has created so many enemies; it’s a blessing to no longer be associated with the Barrett name.

I’m aware Will hopes to double-cross me. He might not be brave enough yet, but I’m sure, in his mind, it would be simple enough. If he kills me, he could simply step into the role he’s been playing for the last six years.

I’m tired.

At this point, I would hand it over if he just asked. Not that he wouldn’t run it into the ground within six months, but that would be his problem.

He used to be a friend.

He also used to have some intelligence, but his role has made him boastful.

The door to Will’s penthouse opens and closes.

I take a much larger swig of my bourbon when I spot Laken.

The stunning little omega shouldn’t be here right now.

She shouldn’t be in Will’s realm, period.

If she’d been five minutes earlier, she would have caught him with his side piece.

Will seriously doesn’t have many brain cells left, but that’s what happens when you sample your own product.

If my upbringing taught me anything, it was that.

If you run a strip club, you don’t fuck the women. Well, unless you’re my uncle Torin, but that’s how he got my two cousins, so I guess it took him a while to catch on to that family rule.

I frown at my empty glass, setting it down on the counter with a clank.

Laken startles at the sound, swiping at her eyes. Her head tilts as she spots me. “Holy shit! You scared the hell out of me.”

“If you’re looking for Will, you just missed him,” I inform her, refilling my glass.

The bottle is strangely empty after topping up my tumbler.

“I know,” she whispers. “They didn’t see me, but I definitely saw him making out with Kennedy as they got out of the elevator. She’s my coworker. I thought she was my friend. Whatever. I came to drop off his key and leave a very strongly worded break-up letter.”

“Strongly worded, huh?” I laugh, snatch my glass, and take another long swig.

If I don’t, I might track down William and end him prematurely. Not solely for the betrayal against me that I learned about earlier tonight, but also for his generally slimy behavior when it comes to women.

Laken is beautiful. She works hard, never complains when he’s late, and is surprisingly easy to be around for one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.

I don’t feel an ounce of guilt that I’m the reason he’s rarely punctual. There are a few perks to being the boss, not the figurehead.

If he actually gave a shit about her, I might have some compassion, but he doesn’t, and the more time I spend around Laken, the more my obsession grows.

---