Page 20 of Make You Mine

From the moment I was brought into The Saints, it was never a secret about my stance on Junior or his father. Coincidentally enough, Nico happened to have a vendetta against the same two pieces of shit. Except for him, they’re his brother and nephew. Nico, along with the East Coast Saints chapter, want nothing more than to take the scum out of power. The problem was that someone else killed Gio before we could infiltrate and prove his deceit to the rest of the Mafia.

Nico wanted to give Junior a chance to see if the rumors of him being better than his father were true, but since he took over, the uptick in street drug overdoses in New York City have all led back to him. It’s no secret the Mafia has been dabbling in illegal dealings for years and years; however, they still have a code they live by. But Gio, and now his son, said,fuck the code, doing whatever will make them more money, no matter whose lives it costs.

“The Soldati our guys picked up at the gala gave us some interesting intel. Luckily for us, when you treat people like shit, they aren’t loyal to you, and Junior’s circle is dwindling quickly.”

The gala shooting was strategically planned, hitting only our intended target: the Santini family. Having the event as a fundraiser for medical aid allowed Trevor and me to infiltrate without suspicion. Nico, Bishop, and Leo were able to get the intel about what went down between the Mafia and theBratva. And since we’re criminals with a conscience, we gave a huge donation from The Saints under an anonymous name.

“According to the Soldati, Junior used Castrovinci as his fall guy, resulting in the Russians demanding his head. Out of fear…Junior served up his own man.”

The thought sends ice rippling through my veins. There is no way he cares about Ashley if he’s willing to kill her father in cold blood to cover his own ass.

“Not just his own man, his father-in-law,” I spit, stopping myself from saying the man who gave him the most precious gift he could ever receive, even though he doesn’t deserve to even breathe the same air as her.

“What were the Russians accusing them of?” Orien, the head of The Saints founding chapter down in New Orleans, asks.

When I saw him here today, I knew Nico invited him for a reason, and I’m hoping it’s because we are closer to our end game. Orien and Nico are equals, but when big decisions are made by individual chapters, it’s customary to have the head of the New Orleans chapter’s approval. It's an unspoken law within the society to honor the founding chapter of The Saints.

“They have been selling cocaine to the Russians for years. This past year, he turned that trade over to Castrovinci. But we think that was all for show to get the heat off him because our sources tell us that he continues to deal with one of the Russian underbosses, selling them large amounts of pills on top of the coke.”

Leo speaks up this time. “Basically, Castrovinci was just the middleman, but everything was blamed on him. Down to the dirty pills laced with fentanyl.”

So that explains the increase in overdoses, as well as why the Russians were out for blood.

There are three crime families that make up the Northeast. The Santini family, the Bratva, and the Amato family. All follow a code of conduct to keep the peace. Most important on that list is to not say or do anything that would affect the prosperity and well-being of another family.

Leo continues. “Junior had to make it look legit to everyone else, so it sounds like only the direct Soldati that guard him and his underboss, Joey, are the ones who know the truth…so far. Everyone else thought it was a drug deal gone bad and were ready for Russian blood, so Junior made them think they got it by showing them a body that he and Joey had mutilated themselves.”

Micah was told a completely different story from his boss. According to Junior, the son of the Bratva boss was found dead after partaking in drugs supplied as a gift from Micah and Ashley’s father, so they had him killed in return. Micah was suspicious that there was more to the story, which is why he agreed to help us and add more protection in place for Ashley.

“Does Micah know yet?” Trevor asks. “I know he isn’t one of us, but he’s a trusted resource, one I respect greatly, and he deserves to know this.”

Nico directs his attention to my brother and me. “I completely agree. And I know how close you and Trent are with him; he would probably rather hear it from one of you.”

I down the rest of my scotch in one gulp and lean back into my seat. My nerves run rampant and make me sick to my stomach. Micah has to keep his cool on this information, no matter how hard it is. Otherwise, Junior has no reason not to use Ashley as collateral against him.

This situation is even more fucked than I even realized.

Is she even going to show up?

My mind races as I burn a hole in my hotel room floor.

Maybe she’s running late, but then again, I did show up out of the blue and asked this of her.

Does she even trust me anymore?

Better yet…does she even love me anymore?

How is Micah taking what Trevor is telling him?

How will Ashley take it?

How can I knowingly let her stay in that house with that monster? It would be more dangerous to pull her out abruptly. Luca can protect her; it’s why he was put on the assignment.

An hour later, I’m lying on top of the bed with all my clothes on, accepting the reality that she likely isn’t coming.

What did I expect?In her eyes, I left and never looked back until now.

The same dark emptiness I’ve been flooded with every night creeps in. I try looking out the window to find the moon, but it's nowhere in sight over the city lights.

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