Page 43 of Ruthless Beasts

We stared down into the pit at the two bodies lying in the dirt. Their deaths were perfect timing, really. Any other time, we’d be going hours away to dispose of bodies. But with the construction of the new casino resort, we didn’t have to go far at all.

“What exactly is going here?” I asked Ace as the cement slowly ran into the pit, making wet, plopping sounds that were oddly satisfying. I could fall asleep to this sound.

“A fountain.” He nodded up at the crew, who were on our payroll, approving them to finish without us. “Probably dedicated to Adam’s father-in-law as a memorial after his disappearance.”

“The irony.” I laughed as I looked up at the sky. I cleared my throat. “It’s getting light out and it’s my turn to cook. Want to grab some coffee and donuts to take back for breakfast?”

“That doesn’t constitute as cooking, asshole. How is the baby going to get some nutrition from fucking donuts?” Ace took off his hard hat as we approached the car.

“I’ll cut her up some fruit and find a protein. That should even it out for her, right? I’m sure they probably sell, like, breakfast sandwiches, right? Maybe get one of those and she could eat a donut after?” I pondered it for a moment, then sighed. “You’re right. It was a dumb ass idea.”

“No. We’re getting donuts. She’ll love it,” Ace confirmed. “We’ll double up on the nutrition at lunchtime.”

Having us take watch of her was nice in some ways. It meant that if we chose to, one of us could have lunch with her every day. I doubt Adam ever did, and I don’t think Ace did often. But I took advantage of lunch with her every fucking time it was my watch.

It was my turn to drive, so when we got in the car, I went into autopilot, driving toward my favorite donut place. When we were on the road, I glanced at him in the passenger seat. “Any trouble last night?”

“Hardly.” He snorted. “Taking out a nest of mobsters had never been so easy.”

“They’ve gotten careless in their old age.” I turned left onto a quiet street. “What do you think this means for his men?”

“Someone is going to emerge as a leader. They’ll lose some men, gain some. The threat is unknown until it happens. We can’t even worry about it until we see movement.”

I grunted my agreement. “How did we go from keeping our heads low to this?”

“I can’t decide which I like better,” he admitted. “Vinnie is out of the picture. But the fact remains, Accardo’s grandbaby is under our roof. With his son dead, he might go to vast lengths to get that link back. He already started some sort of plan when he sent that video.”

Ace hadn’t seen the video until after Vinnie was already dead. Probably for the best, because if he had seen it, I was certain he would have killed the man before Adam got his hands on him.I’d never seen Ace so angry, so filled with uncontainable rage before. The only thing holding him together was that Bellamy was a room away, drifting in and out of sleep as she watched a movie. In Adam’s bed, of all places, which was information I wasn’t sure he knew how to process. Emotions rolled over Adam all night, and in the end, he left her there, insisting she stay, while also refusing to go to bed. Would it kill him to spend some time with her? Learn about her likes and dislikes and see what made her laugh?

I pulled to the curb in front of what I considered to be the world’s best donut shop. “How do you think we should head it off?”

“Accardo isn’t innocent of anything. In fact, he’s ruined our lives a million times over, and Adam is at his boiling point. He’s going to strike him hard, nonstop, break him to a point of no return. Force him to face him.” Ace was right, of course. The altercation was past due. Adam deserved his payback, and murdering his son was only a small chunk of what Adam had planned to make Accardo suffer.

“We’ve got a long few months ahead of us.” I pulled open the door, feeling a sense of inner peace swamp me at the innocent sound of a bell and the sight of the cheery old lady behind the counter.

Seeing me, she lit up, her smile wide as she came around the counter and grabbed my cheeks, giving them each a kiss before saying, “It’s been a long time, boy.”

I laughed. “May, I’m a man now. Not a boy. We’ve been over this.”

May shook her head and continued talking to me as she offered Ace the same treatment I had just gotten. “You’ll always be the shoeless little boy I remember.”

Inwardly, I cringed at the memory. It had been a long time since I walked around shoeless. It had been a long time sinceI was a child with nothing but the kindness of a lady to offer me sweet treats and the occasional hug I so desperately craved. “That was a long time ago.”

“Time is shorter than you think.” She waved a finger at us. “What can I get you today? On the house.”

“Over my dead body.” She scowled at me, and I held up my hands in surrender. “It’s a big order today.”

“Oh?” She wagged her brows. “More than you and your two brutes to feed?”

I rolled my eyes. May was always giving me shit. “Just one.”

“What does he want?” she asked, looking at her donuts and gesturing toward the display.

“I don’t know. She’s pregnant and I don’t know what she’s in the mood for.” I bent to look at the display when May gasped.

“Pregnant!” She clutched her chest, her whole body vibrating with excitement. Shit, what trouble did I cause myself? “You’re going to?—“

“No.” I laughed. “Absolutely not. I’m well versed in the practice of wrapping it up.”

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