Page 58 of Mafia Rules

The day was a blur of meetings. Some in person, on the phone, or in a videoconference. Each deal so far has closed, meeting or slightly undershooting our minimum profit margin. We still had to meet with the heavy hitters, but we were ahead of schedule. Having Hardy here is helping this go much faster.

I can’t stop thinking about Eve and how she’s feeling. She still has me fucking blocked. I tried sending a text message using Hardy's phone, but she also blocked his number. It’s hard to keep my head straight, thinking about her and how she’s doing. How much she’s crying. I should have never left her like I did.Why the fuck were we both so stubborn?

“Harvey is done.” Hardy crosses another name off the list. “Well, I need to be fed.”

“Yeah, it's about that time again. Everything is blurring together.” I check the clock on my phone. It was already late afternoon, and we hadn’t stopped all day.

“Did you get Cooper?” Hardy asks, flipping through the paper with the names we still had to contact.

“I did. A little under what we were going to offer. He owes me.” With a groan, I massage my throbbing temples, desperate for any contact with Eve. This torment would be over if she hadn’t fucking blocked me.

“You doing okay?” Hardy pushes the papers away, clearing the space in front of him.

The bristle of my unshaven chin against my fingers feels as rough as my current emotional state. “I’ll be better when I can talk to her.”

“When we get back, this will all be worked out. No more working with Sasha. You’ll be back with Eve.”

“Yeah, like our father is giving up on the idea of me and Sasha.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Hardy runs a hand through his disheveled hair, moaning, “He’s hell-bent on more power.”

“You wanna marry her to get him off my back?” A laugh escapes me as I picture them as a pair. It would be fatal.

“I don’t want our father’s approval that much.” Hardy pulls out the trusty menu. “I think I’ve fucking eaten everything on this paper.”

“I’m not hungry.” I take the computer and check my e-mails to see if any more replies came in.

“Where’s the devil?” Hardy asks, “I bet she’ll order that fucking chicken pizza again. I swear I’ve gained 15 pounds in this room.” With a disgusted shake of his head and a grimace pulling at his lips, Hardy rubs his aching, full belly.

“She’s in her room on the phone with a client.” Sasha’s been unusually quiet and withdrawn today, staying away from me. Something was off.

“How’s her pile doing?”

“I haven’t seen her since lunch.” I check the active list on the computer to see how many deals she’d closed. “Ten today.”

Hardy raises his eyebrows, satisfied with her contribution. “That’s three more than me. As annoying as she is, she’s got a mouth on her.”

I look up at Hardy, unsure if this is one of his wisecracks or a compliment for Sasha. “Let’s keep this pace up. We should get to the difficult ones tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you go home to Eve and let Sasha and me deal with the rest? We’ve made a good dent in this.”

“I can’t.” I wanted to see Eve, but I couldn’t let our father down. And this was my deal that I fucked up.

“You gonna marry her?” Hardy asks, his voice serious. “Eve’s a good girl.”

“She is.” I smile. The thought of her walking down the aisle to me made me very happy. Waking up to her every morning, spending vacations together, making babies…

“Don’t let this trip fuck that up,” Hardy says, reaching behind him to grab a bottle of rum. “I need a drink.”

“Do you?” I ask, concerned at how much he’s been drinking lately.

“I know. I know. I’ve been laying it on thick lately.” The ice clinks in his glass as he defends himself, taking a slow sip of the dark, potent rum.

“How are you doing?” I lean back in my chair for the first time and ask Hardy this question. Hardy was the glue and calm to our dysfunctional family. He added fun to everything and took care of any situation. He also kept us safe. He’s a hardass.

“Just tired of the game.” With a slow exhale, Hardy lets out a deep breath, then takes one quick gulp, and the glass is empty. “It’s fucking never-ending.”

“Collections going okay?”

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