Page 12 of Pure Vengeance

“And she blames you?”

“She thinks I ordered the kill.” I nod. “But I didn’t. Until this morning, I’d never heard of him before.”

“Fine. So, she thinks you killed her brother, she tries to kill you, but why is she still here?” he presses.

I wrap one hand over my fist and squeeze my knuckles. It’s a good question he’s posed. There is no good answer.

Because those pretty eyes of hers make my cock hard when she cries. Because when I’m close to her, there’s something inside of me that stirs. Something I thought dead years ago.

I won’t tell him these things, because they don’t make any sense.

“Because I want her here.” I turn to Dimitri. “Understood?”

Dimitri gives a hard nod. “Sure thing, boss. I’ll let the other guys know.”

“Know what?” Marco turns to Dmitri.

“That she’s mine and off limits,” I explain.

“She tried to kill you.” Marco says it like I’ve forgotten.

“She failed.” I grin.

“Okay, so now what?” he asks.

“Now, I keep doing what I always do. Keep this family afloat.” I gesture for Dimitri to make sure the door stays closed. “Did you find out anything about Joseph Fanelli?”

Marco nods.

“Yeah. The Fanelli’s want in, they’re ready to play ball, Anton. They just want a piece of the pie.”

I arch an eyebrow.

“Anything more specific?”

“They want to put a boat on the river. Far enough away from our casino, but still within the city limits. They’re asking, Anton, not forcing their way in.”

“And if I say no, they’ll stop asking? They’ll stay in their fucking lane with the liquor and the drugs?”

He sighs.

“I didn’t get that impression.” He shrugs. “But what does it hurt if they have a boat?”

“It hurts because they won’t stop at one, they’ll want to keep encroaching and this is our business. It’s ours.” I move my fist to the desk. “Meet with them again and get a feel for what happens if we can’t agree on it. I want to know if they’re going to go forward anyway.”

“All right.” He shakes his head. “I don’t see this playing out well.”

“If they’re going to step into our territory, we need to be prepared for what that might look like. Don’t give them anyreason to believe we’ve made a decision. You’re just talking right now. Understood?”

“Yeah. Yeah. I get it.”

There’s a knock on the door, and Dmitri opens it enough to see who’s on the other side.

“It’s the doctor,” he informs me.

“Let me know when you’re meeting.” I say to Marco.

“Yeah. So. Do I get to meet this girl you have locked in your tower?”

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