Page 64 of Four Times Forever

"I'm sorry. I'm going to have to hear it for myself." My throat constricted as I tapped the call back icon.

"Ryan." He picked up after the call rang out the first time.

"Tyler. What do you mean it's over? Why should we believe you this time? Your 'word' didn't count for much last time," I challenged.

There was no mocking in his tone. None of the annoying cockiness I'd come to associate with Tyler. "It's up to you whether you want to believe me or not. But it's done. Don't call me back on this number."

An abrupt cut of the dial tone and silence in my ear, the kind of silence that should have sent me into a massive panic attack. But I turned to Eric, a strange peace warming my blood. Matt and Ethan's mouths dropped open, waiting.

My heart was racing, but call it intuition or something, there was an ease in some far part of my brain that flooded my bones with security. "I think I believe him too."

"What?" Ethan gave a slight shake of his head. "Did he put a spell on you guys or something?"

"I'm telling you. It's the way he says it. There's something different about him." Eric looked at me and I nodded.

Ethan scoffed. "I guess I have to hear this hypnotic reassurance myself." He pulled out his phone.

"He says not to call him back on that number," I said.

"Hmph." Ethan dialed anyway, failing a few times before tapping the phone against his chin.

"So, what do you say? May we live our lives now?" Eric begged.

Ethan and Matt looked at each other before looking at me and Eric. They nodded. "I guess we'll take your word for it."

And as far as living my life now that Tyler had taken care of the threat? I could try.

Chapter 48

Tyler

"Boss, Mrs." My assistant greeted us. "Mr. Columbine and his associates are here to see you."

Turning to my wife, whose head was resting on the back of the cream-colored leather sofa with her hands on her belly, I nodded and rose to my feet from my position at my desk. She swallowed and straightened herself, ceasing her moaning about her pregnancy cravings.

Through the thick, wooden, double office doors came several armed men. They stood in a line ahead of their boss, Mr. Columbine, who stepped out from within them.

See, here's the thing about mob life. There's no leaving, unless you're in a body bag, or you're incredibly lucky. For a few years, I managed to stay out of it until I fucked up. So, it's safe to say my luck had run out.

However, there's something else about this life. There are a few perks.

Usually, if the family member of a mob boss is killed by another mob boss, it's a sign of disrespect, whether or not they liked the family member. It's a challenge. A call to war. But if they didn't like the family member, and it was an 'accident', you can sometimes manage to talk them into letting bygones be bygones as long as there are resources involved, and as long as you're heavily protected, of course. If there's one thing mob bosses love more than their own, well—after themselves, it's money and power.

All I needed was some ears through the grapevine to find out that the Columbine family had turned against their own, which was why this Carter was on the run in the first place, why he was trying to bamboozle Lily's men out of $50 million dollars. He was so coddled and privileged by his mother that he didn't have to dirty his hands in the business. As such, he was naive. Only an idiot would concoct such an elaborate plan and demand that much money while being a one-man army.

After his mother died, his father wanted him to become more involved with the business. She had made him feel as if he was this big man, and well, he committed an unspeakable sin. He tried to join forces with a rival family to overthrow his father, trying to prove himself.

Big mistake.

He and his father never had a strong relationship. In fact, the father was a brutal enforcer and his son hated him. He'd only allowed his mother to go so easily on him, because he loved his wife so much. He always thought his son was a pussy.

And a pussy who got in bed with the enemy? Well, he had to go.

Now, this had to be inside knowledge, because on the outside, they were a tight unit, putting on a united front. And so, when Carter was killed, the show had to go on. Revenge had to be enacted for his death.

That's until I reinstated my position on my throne and decided to surrender my parts of New York to him, taking up my new residence across the country. Even though I had surrendered my position a few years ago, mob families had rivaled over who was next to control my territory. When I returned, it was a matter of rebuilding and making a few connections. By right, with contracts that can't be broken (otherwise the whole mob family hierarchy would fall apart), I had reclaimed my ownership of my territory and I could decide who I surrendered it to. Naturally, I chose the Columbine family, for my wife and unborn child.

"The deal is closed. I have your word that you will leave my family and everyone involved out of this." I finished signing the final agreement, put it in an envelope and handed it over to him.

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