Page 107 of Monster in Disguise

"I didn't think so either," I reply drily. In all honesty, I didn't think Adrian would ever forgive me for what I'd done. After visiting him in the hospital, he'd dropped by to tell me he's had some time to think things through, and while he doesn't know if he can forgive me, he's willing to try. It had been such good news, considering he's my dearest friend.

"Come on, boys, don't be so pessimistic." Vlad makes a tsk sound, getting up from his chair and pacing around, his eyes perusing the stacks of books in the library.

"Why don't we just get to the point?"

"The point." Vlad twirls around, raising an eyebrow. Adrian groans out loud.

It's well known they don't get along. Adrian has a strong dislike of Vlad because of his close relationship with his wife, Bianca.

For all our old acquaintance, not evenIknew about Vlad and Bianca's partnership. They've known each other for some ten years, being partnered up for assassination jobs. Vlad is somewhat of a loose cannon with his rage issues, so Bianca ended up being the perfect partner for him with her cool temper. Not to mention that she literally had his back in missions. Vlad prefers reckless close-range killing, whereas Bianca is addicted to her pistols and rifles.

I glare at Vlad, my patience wearing thin. He always seems to be on the move, never able to stay in one place for too long. "You said you had news," I remind him sharply.

"News? Oh, indeed." He nonchalantly pulls a pack of gum from his pocket and pops a piece into his mouth. Lazily, he takes a seat on the edge of my desk, stretching out his legs in front of him.

I narrow my eyes at him as Adrian speaks up, curious about this so-called news. "How did you get in touch with Quinn?"

"The normal way." Vlad's tone is dismissive, as if resorting to violence is just another mundane task for him. "I dropped by his gym."

My gut tells me there's more to this than he's letting on.

"As I was saying," Vlad continues, unfazed by our skepticism. "Quinn wasn't behind the recent attacks. He believes it wasn't his father either. Things have been chaotic since Jimenez's death."

"Chaotic how?" I press, wanting more information.

"They've lost their backing and resources. They may even need to leave New York and return to Boston." Vlad chews thoughtfully before adding, "Quinn was surprisingly cooperative when I spoke to him. It's unusual for him."

"After Jimenez's death, all the cartels under his control started vying for power," Vlad explains further. "Even Ortega is making moves to strengthen his position and bring others onto his side. The empire that Jimenez built is already crumbling."

"That makes sense with the data I have too," Adrian adds. "I've spoken with some people. I thought I should take advantage of this while I'm stillalive." He jokes, referring to his plan to fake his death. "As Jimenez's son and designated heir, I would be the first target if anyone wanted to recreate Jimenez's reach. There have been a lot of petty crimes reported in the last month. If you compare that with previous months and previous years, it's definitely an outlier."

"So you think that because they suddenly found themselves sans leadership they just went crazy?"

"It would make sense. The issue is not the crime rate. It's the fact that these people are ripe for plucking. Anyone could come along and give them a purpose. Andthatwould make them dangerous," Vlad comments, his eyes suddenly focused.

"Well, whatever happens, I'm out of this particular issue." Adrian raises his palms, imitating a surrender gesture.

"It's something I'm monitoring," Vlad gives him a look. "After all, it's my job to make sure the market remains in equilibrium." He winks at me. "But I don't think it's going to happen rightnow, which gives our shipment problem priority. That and the fact that whoever did it tried to blame the Irish." He shoves some more gum in his mouth before continuing. "Although, there is one thing that I've noticed."

Both Adrian and I look at him expectantly. There's no denying that for all his instability, Vlad is brilliant – and even brilliant might be an understatement.

"There's suddenly a lot more clamor within the five families. Your new involvement notwithstanding, I don't think there's been so much traffic in New York since..." he bites the inside of his cheek, trying to find his words, "the '90s. You only have to look at who's present. When was the last time that the Marchesi stepped foot in the city? What about Guerra? I don't for one second buy that the banquet was to threaten you. I bet Benedicto doesn't even care that his wastrel nephew died."

He takes a deep breath, and I can see he's getting excited. Of course, Vlad always gets excited when it comes to chaos and mayhem, and this seems like the perfect recipe for him. "And lastly, we have DeVille. They've been the most active. If I were Benedicto, I'd watch my back."

"You forgot Enzo."

He dismisses my words with his hands.

"And you forget I have ears in his office." He chuckles. "He's floundering, although nothing to do with business. There are a few things I found that are... titillating. I would have never guessed that about him." He smiles sheepishly, and both Adrian and I are waiting for him to reveal what he knows.

"He's not going to tell." Adrian shakes his head, already resigned.

"I won't have to. It's going to come out sooner or later." Vlad shrugs.

"Anyway," I start, moving away from that particular subject. "From what you're describing, I'm getting the sense that you suspect one of the five families."

"Bingo." His hand shoots out, and he points at me with a fake smile. "Although," his smile immediately falls, replaced by a slight frown, "they made a mistake in that they involved me too. Now I feel compelled to intervene." He says in all seriousness.

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