Page 35 of King of the Bronx

I ran a hand through my hair. “Fuck.”

Jacob nodded in agreement. “Ben sold the brothel to Raven, and he left a big debt behind and split town.”

I scoffed. “Some friend. How much does she owe the Irish?”

“Hard to tell. I don’t have many connections there.”

It was all starting to make sense. The Irish were ruthless. The fact that they’d let her go this long without paying was a surprise in itself. They had no morals and no respect within the organization; it was all about money. Cosa Nostra was built on family while the Irish was built on greed.

“Anything else you need me to do?” Jacob asked.

“Track down the friend. I want to pay him a little visit.”

I really wanted to punch his teeth in for putting Raven in this situation. Jacob wrote something down in the small notepad before we shook hands. I stayed seated in the booth as Jacob left. The staff would be here soon to open up the diner for business.

I ran a hand over my face. It was all starting to make sense, but why didn’t she just tell me? She knew who I was. I could’ve taken care of this before it got out of hand. I wonder what the Irish thought of one of my enforcers standing guard outside of their business. Raven’s been dealt a shitty hand of cards ever since she was born. She probably saw the brothel as her way out, her one chance at peace, and that man swiped the rug from under her before she could even get her footing. She’s never had anyone to look after her. That’s probably why she hadn’t come to me. Everyone she put trust in screwed her over. Her foster parents kicked her out, her friend lied to her face.

I drummed my fingers against the table.

I had to do something. I wasn’t going to kill her, but I couldn’t exactly send her on her way back to the lion’s den.

I’d have to buy the brothel from the Irish and pay off the debt Raven owns. Take ownership of the place, just like all my other businesses. Raven could still run the brothel how she wanted. I’d take a small cut of the profits and promise protection. It would be like any other business deal.

The bell to the door chimed, and I turned around to see Tommy walking into the diner. He wore a full suit with his hair gelled back.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

Tommy sat down across from me at the table. “I heard what happened last night. Took a while for me to find you.”

Out of all the capos, I was closest to Tommy, even though we couldn’t be more different.

While I was always on the go, Tommy was very private and laid back. He flew under the radar as much as possible. He handled problems on his own and rarely asked for help.

“Didn’t know anyone was looking for me.”

“Bullshit. What’s going on? Where’s the girl?” Tommy asked, his eyes narrowed in concern.

If there’s one thing Tommy didn’t stand for, it’s putting hands on a woman. Something about his dad beating his mom when he was younger.

“Calm down. She’s at the apartment curled up with my dog.”

He let out a sigh of relief and relaxed into the chair. “So what now?”

“I don’t know. She’s in some deep shit with the Irish. They own the brothel…I’m thinking about buying it.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Really? You just met this girl. Is she worth getting tied up with those goons?”

I’d asked myself the same thing, but I couldn’t let her go knowing the damage the Irish would do to her when she didn’t have their money.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

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