Page 130 of Relentless Sinner

The room empties, leaving just my father and me. I look at him, finding he’s already staring at me.

“How did you know it was Magnus?” I ask.

“Fathers and their sons. He’s always been ambitious for Levka. He wouldn’t have told Levka what was going on because it would incriminate him. Of course, if we’d died in the bombing, he wouldn’t have had to worry.”

“No. He wouldn’t.” I don’t bother to point out that none of this would be happening if he’d just given me my birthright.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Gabriella? I didn’t know she was kidnapped.”

“It was weeks ago. There was another attempt to take her last night, but this time, it was her father.” I know that by letting him know about Salvatore, I’m incriminating myself, too. I knew Salvatore was stealing from us. Better to tell him now in case Salvatore decides to bring him into it.

“You blackmailed him, didn’t you? For his daughter.”

“I did.” There’s nothing he can do to change anything. Gabriella and I are married, and I’m the Pakhan.

“Then you definitely earned your stripes.”

I give him a curious stare. “How so?”

“You did what you had to do to get what you wanted,relentlessly. But what are you going to do now that you love your wife?”

“Whatever I can to keep her safe.”

He nods with approval. “What about everything else? What if Magnus and Levka didn’t kill Damien and Yuri?”

“Then we have a problem on our hands.”

“I’d say so, too, son. Could it be Salvatore?”

“Maybe.”

A storm of confusion brews inside me by the time I arrive at Eric’s house.

On seeing my state, he hands me a bottle of beer and a Cohiba. We head out to the terrace to sit and talk, drink, and smoke like we always do.

When we light up, he gives me a look of understanding mixed with sympathy. I remember him looking at me like that whenever I’d go running to him as a boy after Father said or did something to me.

“Quite the show today, Pakhan,” he says, taking a sip of his drink and a puff on his cigar.

“It was one hell of a show. Things just blew up.”

“You can say that again. But you handled it well. I also appreciated that you teamed up with your father.”

I smirk. “If you can call it that. I listened to you, and I gave him a chance.”

“He’s been talking to me about that. He’s trying, and even if some things are done too late, it’s better than never.”

I nod, agreeing with him. “Yeah. I guess if he died and never tried, it would hurt more. At least this way, it gives me some peace. Something more to remember than just the ghost of my mother.”

“That’s all I wanted for you. Something more. Maybe I wanted you to see him the way I did before he lost your mother. He was a good father to Jacob, and I wanted him to show you thesame love. You’re stronger as a leader with the support of your family backing you.”

“I think you’re right.”

He chuckles. “Iamright.”

I pray I can be as wise as him one day. Maybe I’m getting there slowly but surely. I feel different to how I did even weeks ago. I guess my brain has been pushed to the limit because of everything that’s happened. And everything that’s still happening. “I’m stuck on everything else, Eric.”

“Don’t you believe that Levka and Magnus killed Damien and Yuri?”

---