Page 2 of Tainted

“Pero no están listos?*,” Javier informed Unc.

Kross’s brows furrowed in confusion because Spanish wasn’t his language of choice, but I understood clearly.

"Kross puede manejarlo?*," I replied, catching him off guard.

Javier eyed us with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. I could almost taste the skepticism as he assessed whether we could carry on our father's legacy.

“Forgive me for being cautious, but I need to be sure I can trust you.”

“The only way to do that is by allowing me to show you,” Kross maintained his poise while I read Sydney’s text. She wanted to know where I was, but I tucked my phone inside my jacket instead of replying.

Javier regarded us both, then with a slight nod, he conceded, “I’ll propose a trial partnership out of respect for your father and uncle.”

Uncle Leonne beamed with pride as Kross leaned forward to shake Javier’s hand.

“You won’t be disappointed.”

“For you and your brother’s sake, I hope not,” Javier replied.

“I think you misunderstood Javier. Kross is taking over the business,” Uncle Leonne explained.

“Son las dos cosas o nada?*,” Javier replied, just to fuck with me.

It was both of us or no product at all.Finding a new plug once Javier put the word out would be next to impossible, so there wasn’t a choice to make. Judging by the smug ass grin on Javier’s face, he knew it too.

“Kross can’t carry the legacy of two men alone. That would be rude now, wouldn’t it?”

“Just because I’m retiring doesn’t mean I won’t be around. Kross can handle whatever is thrown at him,” Uncle Leonne advocated, but it all fell on deaf ears, so I gave him what he wanted.

“Deal,” I said, refusing to look Kross in the eyes, but I imagined he was having a panic attack. “And moving forward, it’s Keyes.”

“Very well,Keyes,” he conceded, though his tone remained guarded. “But know this. You'll need more than just your father's name to survive.”

“It’s nothing the two of us can’t handle,” Kross said.

“Very well. We'll start with a small test. If you can handle it, we'll talk about further business.”

Irritation flooded me, but I kept my expression neutral, determined not to let my guard down in front of our newboss. This wasn’t the life I envisioned for myself, but more than not, life didn’t go as planned. We both shook hands with Javier and climbed out.

“What the fuck was that?” Kross questioned as soon as Javier’s driver pulled off.

“It was both of us or nothing, so I did what I needed to do.”

“Or what you always do—making decisions without thinking shit through. This isn’t you, Keyes. It’s never been you.”

While that was true, life was different now. Kross had always had my back, and the opportunity presented itself for me to do the same, so I didn’t think twice.

“I didn’t see you offering a solution. Now all I’m hearing is bitching instead ofthank you.”

“People don’t usually say thank you when you make a fuckin’ mess,” Kross sneered, massaging his temple.

“Cool. I’ll be sure to tell Javier I’m out. Then you’ll really have a fuckin’ mess!”

“Enough!” Uncle Leonne interjected. “Both of you are bickering like bitches, and I know he raised you better than that.”

Unc’s comment made me chuckle because Pop’s wasn’t around much to raise us. He provided, and Loriann nurtured. One meeting with Javier gave a lot of context to days Pop walked in with his fangs gleaming and tie dangling around his neck.

Running a criminal organization wasn’t easy, and now I was about to gain first-hand experience. I needed a moment to process that and headed for the house, purposely shutting the front door on Kross for pissing me off.

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