Page 59 of Alpha Bait

Armed with what Ames told me, I had a decision to make. He supplied with a reason to make one.

"You'll be rewarded if you leave."

I furrowed my brow and asked Ames to clarify. No reward could be worth it, but if I had no choice but to leave New York, a reward would at least sweeten the pot.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't leave New York so easily. So I arranged for a few personal assets to inspire you with a bribe of sorts."

"What kind of bribe?"

My brother chuckled as if he had expected nothing more or nothing less for me. He had a point. In some ways I couldn't deny being my father's son.

"Remember how you always wanted to go to that little village in Sicily?"

"Of course I remember. I've been meaning to go back to Trapani for ages."

My brother replied, "we've purchased a condo there for you."

"A condo?"

My brother chuckled, "it's nothing quaint believe me."

"Go on."

"Over 11,000 ft.²," he began, "there's a place to dock the yachts, it comes with a brand-new Audi, and it's fully staffed already. There are more than eight bedrooms and it's stocked with plenty of food and drink to satisfy your every need for the next six months."

My turn to be silent again.

My brother punctured my silence with the statement of his own, the finishing blow.

"I need a decision now brother. Will you stay in New York or leave? Trust me when I say we can do this with you halfway across the world. But you need to go. It's not safe."

"Are you certain?"

My brother grunted in response.

"That isn't an answer, Rich. If you aren't here, we'll have to make do. But I don't recommend we go diving into more trouble than we need."

I found it hard to disagree with that. The petty family feud had its roots dug into us for years and that grip had only strengthened to these extremes once or twice in the past. Warfare snuck up on us after our father's deaths, which couldn't have been more ill-timed.

"I'll go," I replied.

I hoped that I wouldn't come to regret the decision. Leaving New York would mean shedding so many elements of my past that I was not yet ready to leave behind. I had to make a choice. So I made the one that would be best for the company, even if it wasn't what I wanted.

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