Page 58 of End It All

"No, it's fine. You're family," Benito said. He blew out a breath. "The docks were hit twice this week, not by the cops, but by another family. The issue is we can't figure out who it is."

"Shit," Gin said. "They haven't started reselling?"

Benito shook his head. "There hasn't been a peep." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "If that was all it would be a simple fix but a few of our guys are taking a cut of the profits."

"Have they forgotten our policy?" Paolo asked.

It was Enzo that truly sent fear trickling down my spine.

"Send them my way. I'll make examples out of a few."

"That was the plan, but in recent news, we have a bigger issue. Not to mention we can't afford to lose too many of our men. Some of the family from Italy have been spotted around the city. They're lying low, but I wouldn't put it past them to have something up their sleeves."

"Doesn’t all of the family work under you?" I asked.

"To be so innocent." Gin smiled at me and I flipped him off. He laughed, and for some reason, I felt like we got a little closer. It might be this newfound hope of fitting in with my brothers that wouldn't leave me making me see things that probably weren't there.

"The simple answer is no, the complicated one is yes," Benito said.

I nodded, not really understanding. I should probably ask Quincy about it when I get back home.I wonder if he ate and took his meds?

"Pops might know," Paolo said. He sat up straighter. "He had me pull a few strings while I was still under. He didn't inform me who was coming, but when I checked, it was low end guys."

"I don't know what he's up to." Benito sighed.

The eerie silence slithered over my shoulder blades, making them tight. I rolled them to ease some of the unwanted tension. I wasn't even involved and I felt like my life was on the line.

"Watch your backs out there," Benito warned.

Was he talking to me too? As if he could read my mind, our gazes met.

"I have to go to deal with this, but Blake is working with us now."

"Really? You getting into the family business?" Gin teased.

I shrugged. "Guess so."

"Any areas of expertise?" Benito asked.

They all looked at me expectantly. "I'm good at getting into places or stealing."And setting fires. I'm great at that. I kept the last bit to myself. I doubted any of them would want to know that.

Benito nodded. "All right, I'll have something for you."

"I thought you already had something."

He nodded. "I did, but putting you there would seem like a waste. I'm going to put some of my trust into you."

The way he said it made it seem like a big deal. I held my head up a little higher. For some reason, I didn't want to let Benito down. I nodded in understanding. Without anyone saying anything, we headed for the door. The moment we entered the main office, all heads turned our way. It was a bizarre feeling to be stared at in fear and awe as I walked with my brothers. I tried to ease to the back but Paolo stopped me. He pushed me forward so that I walked next to Enzo. He was still the most quiet out of them, but at least he wasn’t actively avoiding me.

The elevator ride was mostly done in silence, every single one of them on their phones. I tried not to shift around.

"Gin, I want that proposal done this week. I want both deals, the one with the Joy foundation and the one with the city."

"Yeah, yeah, it's practically in the bag already," Gin said.

"So you guys actually do real work?”

They looked at me, and it was Enzo who shook his head. "We aren't just thugs."

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