Page 401 of Savage Bosses

“Of course. It was a proud moment for me as a father. My son is a man now.”

“I’ve been a man, dad.”

His dad only chuckled and took another sip of his drink.

“Is that what being a man means to you, being able to kill?”

“Killing is a part of life, son.”

“No, the fuck it isn’t,” Bryce yelled.

That tick in his father’s jaw let Bryce know his dad was close to losing it. His father leaned close to snarl into Bryce’s ear.

“Don’t think that because we’re in Italy, I won’t punish you.”

“What will the punishment be this time?” Bryce snarled back. “Will you send me out on a mission you know I’ll hate? Or will you force me to fight five of your best men again? Oh, wait, last time, it was seven because I handled the first five, so you made two more join in. Which punishment will it be this time?”

“You think you’re something because you’ve killed a man,” his dad said. “What would your woman think if she knew it was you who killed Marco?”

Bryce tensed. “You wouldn’t.”

“How would she feel if she knew you’d done it to protect her?”

Bryceson swallowed. “Dad!”

Chuckling, his father leaned away from him. “Just be good, do as I say, and she’ll never know that you’re just like me. Come on. Let’s go talk with Marlo.”

With that said, his father turned and left the balcony. Reluctantly, Bryceson followed his father into the dimly lit room where Marlo, a burly man with an air of authority, outlined the plan to settle the score with the Greccos. Pictures of the Grecco family and some of their guards were spread out on the table.

Bryceson didn’t know why he had to be a part of this. But he knew his father would keep his word. He’d leak the news to Tatianna if Bryce didn’t do as he said. This was the first time his dad had ever used Tati to threaten him.Fuck. He’d given his father something else to hold over his head, another means to control him.

His cousin, Marlo, motioned for Bryce to sit next to him. Seething, Bryce strode over and sat down in a black recliner instead of sitting next to Marlo. He didn’t miss the death glare his father cast his way.

Marlo went on to explain how they could send the Grecco’s a message while also staying off the police’s radar. But first, they needed to observe the Grecco’s some more to see just how many guards were always at the elder Grecco’s side. Those seen and unseen.

"Once we've dealt with them, our family will rise again," Marlo declared once he was done laying out the plan.

Bryceson wanted nothing to do with this dangerous shit his family was about to partake in, but he knew better than to disobey his father. Instead, he remained silent.

"I like this plan. Let's toast," Patrick said, raising his glass. "To the Cattaneo family and the return of our power."

"Saluti!" the others chorused before drinking deeply from their glasses.

His father’s gaze met his over the rim of his glass.

"Saluti," Bryceson whispered, forcing the liquid down his throat, no longer able to taste it. There was now a bitter taste in his mouth. At that moment, all he could think about was Tatianna. Her love and warmth seemed so far away, unreachable in the darkness enveloping him. He’d left to forget he’d done something that made him a monster.

Would he return as something worse?

Hours later

The dimly lit restaurant was alive with the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses. Bryceson picked at his food, unable to shake the weight of what he had just learned from his father. Every bite tasted like ash, as he glanced around the table.

"Relax," Marlo encouraged, giving Bryceson a hearty slap on the back. "Tonight, we observe and celebrate. We let the people see us eating in the same place as our enemies so they can believe we have no beef with them. Simple. Right? Now eat and drink, celebrate with your family."

Celebrate? The word left a sour taste in Bryceson's mouth. He couldn't fathom celebrating anything about this twisted situation. They were there to observe the man they planned to murder. Bryce glanced around the room. His father had gone to use the bathroom and had yet to return.

With a sigh, Bryce excused himself from the table, pretending to need some air, but really, he wanted to find his father to make sure the man didn’t do anything stupid. He’d just risen from his seat when he saw his father head toward a table in the corner. What the hell was his dad doing? Why was he approaching their target, the elder Grecco?

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