Page 30 of Brutal Power

“That’s fine.” I hear his footsteps retreat. “I have a meeting with Simon in a few minutes. I had a nice time with you last night, wifey.”

“Yeah, I bet,” I mutter to myself, eyes closed, heart still racing. I hate the idea of leaving the oasis, but it’ll only be temporary, and maybe it won’t be that bad. Brody is my husband, and I might as well give it a chance. Only I can’t help but notice that he’s proposing thisafterour kiss last night, and I wonder if maybe he’s been thinking about it as much as I have.

But no. Brody’s Mr. Business. He’s the Quinn family’s boss. There are a million different interests all warring for his attention, and I’m just some random girl, just a conduit to other, more important jobs. There’s no reason to get attached. I’ll only get hurt in the long run.

This thing we have, it’s an arrangement.

Chapter 16

Brody

Sometimes I feel like I’m standing ten feet behind my body and watching it walk toward a cliff. I’m screaming and screaming and trying to make my body stop but it just won’t, it wants to fall into a black chasm, and there’s nothing that I can do to stop it.

Elena makes me feel that way. Whenever she’s around, I’m floating up at the ceiling watching as my hands touch her and my heart races and I make all the mistakes I swore I wouldn’t make.

It’s not like it’d be wrong to want my wife. That’s not the problem. It’s that Elena’s so damn much—she’s bright and lively, she’s got more energy than anyone I’ve ever met, and I know that if I start trying to keep up with her then all my other responsibilities will start to slip through my fingers.

I feel it all the time. The weight of the family. The expectations, the needs. My father’s ghost sits on my shoulder and judges everything I do, and I can’t help but see the disappointment in the eyes of those that come to petition my family. I’m not my old man and I never will be, but they wish the old boss was still around to handle business the way he always did.

My father was steadfast. He was calm and collected. I want to be as strong as he was, but I find myself thinking more about Elena than I am about all the thousand little problems I have to deal with on a daily basis.

And here I am, walking toward the pit, unable to stop.

Simon welcomes me into his office. He pours drinks and sits me down, and I look around, feeling genuinely appreciative and impressive. I’ve been here before, but now I’m seeing it the way he keeps the place when he’s working. There are files all over, way more paper than a Don normally should have, but Simon doesn’t seem bothered by that. Probably the enormous industrial shredder in the corner helps keep things manageable.

“If I were your lawyer, I’d advise you to get rid of all this,” I say, gesturing at the stacks of folders.

Simon laughs and raises his glass. “That’s exactly what my actual lawyers say, but don’t worry. It’s all legitimate.”

“You have a lot of businesses, don’t you?”

“We’re at the point where our shell companies own holding companies who own more shell companies. It’s like those Russian nesting dolls, except they’re Italian and filled with cocaine.”

I smirk, unable to help it. The Biancos are famous for their drugs. That’s how they gained power to begin with. But at this point, I doubt they’re pushing on the streets anymore. They’re at the point where it makes more sense to buy a politician than it does to buy a kilo of heroin.

We make small talk for a little while. Elena’s constantly in the back of my head, and when he asks about her, I try to answer as honestly as I can.

“We’re trying to make it work,” I admit to him. “It’s not easy, but she’s going to come live at my place for a few days to see how she likes it.”

Simon laughs and leans back in his chair, swirling his drink. “I’m honestly surprised. Out of everyone, I always figured Elena was going to die in the oasis. Of old age, obviously.”

“She’s not exactly excited about the idea.”

“My sister cares about this family.” He tilts his head, looking thoughtful. “I mean, we all care about this family, but she cares in a different sort of way. For her, it’s less about the power and the organization, and more about the people. She knows every single guard’s name, she knows all their stories, where they come from, how they grew up, that sort of stuff, and she’s always trying to take care of her brothers.” He rolls his eyes and grins. “To my constant horror.”

I grunt and process that. “She’s a lot, isn’t she?”

“She’s a lot,” Simon agrees and his expression softens. “But she’s also the best we have. Honestly, this is probably the part of the conversation where I’m supposed to get all big brother protective and tell you to treat her well, but Elena can handle herself.”

“You’re absolutely right about that. But you don’t have to worry. Even if Elena and I never build a traditional marriage, we’ll find a way to make our partnership work.”

Simon seems happy with that and starts talking about how he met his wife and how their marriage grew from a business proposal similar to what I have with Elena into something much deeper.

I’m only half listening. Mostly I picture Elena living in my home as my wife, bouncing around giving out orders and making sure everything is perfect, and maybe at one point in my life, I would’ve found that overbearing and annoying, but right now it only makes me smile. I want that woman in my life. I want her boundless energy and her deep empathy. Maybe I can learn something from her, something that will make me a better boss for my own organization.

“Enough of that,” Simon says and refills our glasses. “I asked you here for a favor. We have a delicate operation happening tonight, and I want you to push on your contacts in the CPD to make sure the cops aren’t paying attention to certain parts of the city.”

My eyebrows raise. “I’m guessing you can’t be more specific?”

---