Page 99 of Winter's End

I sidled up to the wall again and Winter maneuvered herself into my side before the four Carlos brothers appeared around the corner.

Finally, Kellan made his fucking appearance.

I froze when Travis came into view behind them. His body language was calm, but his eyes were frantic. I focused on him until his gaze landed on mine. I gave a minuscule nod and hoped he could grasp my meaning.

Stay calm. Play the game. Trust in his bastard uncle.

Georgio paid us no attention. He walked up to Janet and kicked her in the ribs, hard enough to make me wince. She cried out, spitting up a stream of blood. Georgio yanked her upward by her hair.

“Traitorous bitch,” he hissed before violently dropping her back to the ground.

Turning to the group of Carlos’ men, he held out his hands and smiled.

“Welcome to shaft 19, everyone.” He smiled politely, as if he were a circus master and he was introducing the next lineup.

“This abandoned gold mine is the start of one of the largest engineering projects in the world. This government-fundedgold mine”—he paused with an amused chuckle at his own joke—“will be the first financial shelter for most Carlos’ operations on the Western seaboard. Antonio is very excited about this opportunity. We’ll be setting up the channels over the next several months. I am offering you the opportunity to shelter your assets with me for a small percentage of your profits. Trust me, your investment will be worth your while.”

The Carlos men looked on with feigned interest, probably used to Georgio’s massive fucking ego-stroking diatribes and shady deals. Travis leaned against the dirt wall with his arms crossed in an attempt to look bored, but he just looked like a twitchy addict in need of a fix.

I knew that look well.

“All of this could have been shared among modern comforts, G.”

Kellan folded his arms across his barrel chest and stood toe to toe with his smaller brother. “I know you love your shows, but why the theatrics? I have a beautiful woman’s hot pussy I could bury my face in this evening.”

The Viking hadn’t even glanced in our direction, and it was making me nervous. Ever since he had taken us from my wedding, I wanted to believe he could at least take us out of Georgio’s clutches, but watching them now, I had my doubts.

Georgio’s face lit up with a vicious grin. “I have a surprise, little Carlos. You met our nephew this evening, and I’ve recently become aware of another brother in our midst. Antonio’s seed knows no bounds.”

His lips curled into a sneer and it was very apparent Georgio hated his father as much as I hated mine. As soon as it had crossed his face, it was gone.

“But that’s a story for another time. I will properly vet him before introducing him to you, in case he is not fit for this life.”

He walked back over to Janet and wrenched up her head by her hair again, holding her at an angle that had to hurt. She stared blankly back at him, as if she wasn’t even here. Maybe they’d given her something stronger than what we had.

Fuck, this was bad. And it was all going to go to shit, fast.

“Brothers, I invited you here tonight to witness Travis’ initiation.”

Mother-fuckingfuck. I hated being right sometimes.

CHAPTER 27

TRAVIS

Of all the shit I’d done in my life to protect the people I loved, this had to be the dumbest.

Georgio’s promise of a surprise was the first clue to my demise this evening. After I was paraded around like Georgio’s ventriloquist dummy for an hour, I’d escaped to the bathroom to text Kellan on the burner.

Georgio hadn’t questioned the phone when he had Angelo pat me down earlier. I’d taken the risk, but the two phones were identical in every way and the gamble had paid off. Or, I thought it had, except Kellan hadn’t messaged me back or given me any sign he knew what was going on.

I hadn’t even had the chance to speak to him until Georgio rounded us all up two hours later to head to another location.

I kept searching for Winter or Logan in the dining room throughout the evening, but I hadn’t seen them anywhere. I held onto the possibility they were off somewhere safe together. Georgio hadn’t let me out of his range long enough to check in with Hillary to see if she knew where either of them was, so I buried my anxiety and smiled and nodded wherever appropriate.

Kellan finally joined us at dinner time with a tiny brunette clinging to his waist. No one commented when both Georgio and my dates were missing during the meal. Another bad sign, but still, I kept the need to melt down tucked tightly away. Years of running money for Georgio and constantly being on high alert allowed me to turn down my emotional turmoil, even just a little bit. I wouldn’t have gotten through the night without it.

Only when I was seated between my newfound uncles in a blacked-out SUV did I let out the panic; it coated my skin like the thick film of guilt-laden grime it was.

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