Page 33 of Vicious Addictions

Instead, I turn and head toward my father’s office, having made the only plausible decision I could.

He looks up as I enter, a warm smile stretching across his face.

“There’s my sweet pea. Have fun at church today?”

We both know that ‘fun’ and ‘church’ don’t belong in the same sentence.

But when I don’t respond, his smile fades, replaced by something sharper.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Everything’s fine, Daddy.”

He narrows his eyes at me as he slowly gets up from his seat.

“Everything doesn’t look fine.”

I take a step closer, planting my palms on his desk.

“What would it take for me to become the head of The Firm?”

His eyes widen for a fraction of a second, then, as if a switch had been flipped, his lips stretch into a slow, knowing grin.,

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Chapter 5

Jude

Twenty-one years old

The heavy oak desk quakes beneath Victor Crane’s fist, the sharp crack of his knuckles against its polished surface reverberating like thunder through his London office. The storm raging outside is nothing compared to the tempest in his eyes, and I, for one, am stunned by this sudden shift in demeanor.

I’ve never seen him like this.

Crane is usually all English charm and sophistication—a man who I’ve seen more than once disarm any stiff room or rigid environment with a smile and a joke.

But today?

Today, he’s demonstrating exactly why he holds the title of Boss.

There’s a reason he’s in charge.

And the promise of hell burning behind his eyes is it.

“Look at this!” he roars, shoving a stack of newspapers at Felix’s feet, who stands silent beside me, stone-faced as always. “Fifteen dead in two days. Add that to the thirty-odd souls we lost last week, and we have almost fifty deaths on our hands. Fifty, Felix! And all because some bastard is cuttingmyproduct with fentanyl.” His voice drops, cold and deadly, as he stares into Felix’s eyes. “This will not be my legacy. I won’t be known as the man who let his people die on his streets just because some arsehole decided to increase his profit margin by adding poison to it.”

Felix remains stoic while listening to his boss’s rant and rage, letting Crane burn through his fury. Only when the fire dims slightly does he feel it’s safe enough to step forward.

“My men are on it. We’ll find whoever’s behind this and make an example out of them.”

Crane doesn’t miss a beat.

“No,” he snaps, jabbing a finger at Felix’s chest. “I’llmake an example out of them. Get the word out—anyone selling this rancid poison answers to me, and only me. Understood?”

Felix nods once before pivoting on his heel now that Crane has signaled the conclusion of our meeting. I mirror his movement, and together, we walk away, leaving Crane to seethe in his anger as we grapple with the intensity of his fury.

“Are you packing?” Felix asks once we’re outside of the Crane building, situated right in the heart of the city.

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