Page 81 of What Lies Within

I give the man a pointed stare and continue. "Finances will take a hit because of it. We tread on thin ice here, bein' able to stay afloat, and a loss like that is relatively monumental in the scheme of things."

"What you suggestin', then?" Minion eases one arm along the back of the sofa and lifts his chin to hear me out.

“We know taking out Terry leaves a gap. We’ve talked about this already.”

“We have,” Turnip agrees.

“We need Terry’s business stablewithouthaving Terry at the head of it. We need the Devil’s Breed off our back. And we need a way to make money.” I sigh. “I don’t know how the fuck weachieve all that without askin’ for a goddamn miracle; I’ve only got solutions for half of it; something’s gotta give.”

The silence is fucking poignant—a testament to the forgiveness these men have in their hearts. To the trust they have in me if I can drop bombshells like I did, and theystillbelieve I can lead them out of this shit.

“Anyone got any ideas, then?” Hammer prompts, hands laced behind his head.

“Like Tyke said,” Rigs mutters. “We’re expectin’ a miracle.”

I steel my jaw, work that muscle side-to-side, and draw a deep breath. “Look, don’t get me wrong: I’ve got ideas. But nothin’ that runs start to finish without creating more problems.”

“Kinda feels like we’re the dumbass stuck in the middle of this fuckin’ brawl, gettin’ pushed every which way.” Rigs shrugs, eyes cast down.

“Because we are.” Digger eases to the front of his seat, appealing to each man in the room as he casts his gaze across the four officers. “Way I see it—and correct me if I’m wrong—is we either risk startin’ a war with the Breed by backing out of this deal. Or we suck it up and accept that the best way to control movement through the state is to control who owns it.” He throws his hands palm up. “Nobody can take advantage of the vacuum created by taking out Terry if we’re already there. Am I right?”

“We don’t need the complications that come with that,” Turnip says with a shake of his head. “Look what happened when the Fallen Aces took down that Carlos fella. They got stuck with babysitting a fuckin’ drug trade they never wanted and the goddamn fallout that comes from dissolving an operation that size. We got half the manpower they do and quarter the knowledge on what it takes.” He tips his head, jaw tight. “That ain’t our path, Dig.”

"I agree," Minion says, breaking his reverie. "We put ourselves in his seat, and we muddy up a previously clear line—no fuckin' narcotics. That ain't our game, and it’s a moral we shouldn’t have to compromise.”

“Which is whywedon’t control it,” I say.

“This one of your ideas?” Turnip grumbles.

I nod. “I’ve put the proposal to Marco.”

Discourse rumbles between the four walls.

“No fuckin’ way are we owing that asshole,” Minion snaps. “Can you imagine the way that fucker would lord that over us?”

“I can,” I state. “And I still think it’s the most logical answer.”

“How?” Hammer challenges, arms folded high over his chest.

“Marco takes Terry’s trade, which suits his ambitious ass fine. It means relations between us will be forced to remain at a certain level of civility due to the family connection.”

“You’re hinging a lot on one crazy ex-wife,” Rigs muses.

I lift my hand. “I am. But with Marco at the head, he carries his family’s weight behind him. The Breed won’t want to fuck with him if he refuses to open that road for their trade. They’ll be forced to take it elsewhere.”

“Who’s to say Marco won’t look at that deal with fuckin’ dollar signs in his eyes?” Minion asks. “You know as well as I do, Tyke, that he doesn’t hold the same moral code we do.”

“I also know he has a daughter who he keeps locked away for fear some fuck will take advantage of her the same way.”

“You’re relying on his conscience as a father to stay away from guaranteed business with the Devil’s Breed?” Turnip shakes his head. “You’re basing a lot of this plan on hopes and prayers, Tyke.”

“You got somethin’ better?”

The older man narrows his eyes. “What comes next?” He raises his chin. “When you’ve reneged on this deal with the Breed? We then earn a reputation as untrustworthy?”

“We already had that,” Minion says quietly, referring to our time with my father at the helm.

"You rather we ship kidnapped women across state lines to save fuckin' face?" Surely, Turnip's not saying what I think he is.

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