Page 19 of Cruel Existence

“Fuck, Papa. I don’t want kids right now.” I ran my fingers throughmy hair.

He pointed at me. “You’re almost thirty. I had two kids by the time I was your age. No kids means your legacy is up for grabs. You have no roots. No inheritance to pass on. You’re going to end up like your Uncle Ivan. No heirs. No one to carry on your legacy. You’re a man without legs if you don’t have children. What are you doing to change that? What’s your plan, Luka?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers. “I didn’t come here to talk to you about making you a grandpa. Okay?” My father had turned Ivan into a martyr, twisting and turning his tragic life to fit whatever scenario was in front of him. Today, it was that the man was childless. I was childless. Did that make me a failure? I doubted there was a member of the Bratva who gave a fuck how many children I had.

“What then? It seems like the most pressing issue. I thought maybe after attending your baby sister’s engagement party, it would have made you stop and think about your future.”

“It was a good party,” I commented. “As long as Katya is happy, that’s all that matters.” Our eyes locked. He knew as well as I did that Katya was miserable. Neither of us would mention our last fight on the subject. It could lead to blows. Yet, it was better than him riding my ass about finding a wife.

“She is happy,” he snapped. It was a warning.

“What do you know about Lorenzo Amato?” I asked, changing the subject.

My father shrugged. His face was red. He had gotten worked up more quickly than usual.

“He’s an outsider. Vulture type.” I heard the contempt in his voice. “We don’t deal with the Italians. They are local. Small. Not visionaries.”

“Then why did you invite him to Katy’s engagement party?” I thought the guest list was exclusively for friends of both families. Neither set of parents wanted to risk an event.

He pushed back to rock in the chair. “Because, always bring your enemies in close, son.” I had been wrong about the guest list. “He’s new and someone needs to find out what his angle is. The Amatos wouldn’t be the first family to cross territory they shouldn’t.”

“Why in the hell is he an enemy? He just moved here.” My defenses were up for Amara’s sake.

He sighed. “Lorenzo Amato has been buying up property for over a year before his relocation. He might have just moved to New Orleans, but he’s been trying to buy up the same sites we’re after. He has five different LLCs, but Viktor tracked them all back to the AA Corporation. He closed on his first hotel yesterday. He’s driving up prices, and starting bidding wars. He’s becoming an issue.”

AA? He had used his daughter’s initials. “That’s called competition. It doesn’t make the man an enemy.”

“It makes him a problem. A problem I need to dispose of before he buys up my next target. He’s getting in the way. If he blocks shipping, and transport, and takes up warehouse space we’re going to enter a war he’s not prepared for. I was disappointed he didn’t show up last night. I wanted to have a word with him. I heard he sent his daughter instead.”

Fuck.

My mother hadn’t yet told him about Amara’s identity. It was clear he had no idea who she was or anything about our meeting in the pool house. It was better that way for now. IfAmara ended up on my father’s radar it would become a big fucking problem.

“Why don’t you let me take care of Lorenzo?” I offered. “Give this one to me. I’ll look into him. See if there’s anything from Philadelphia that might be of use. Maybe I can convince him to curb his business interests.”

My father eyed me. “You’re offering to help?”

“Of course.” I pretended it was a regular occurrence, ignoring I was usually reluctant to add more to my list of family duties.

“I’m glad to hear it. I was going to ask Maksim.” He sat for a minute, digesting the offer.

“No,” I dissuaded him. “Maksim is tied up searching for Ivan’s killer. Don’t distract him. I’ll look into Amato.”

“Very well. This is what I need you to do.”

I listened carefully, knowing this was important to get right.

“There’s an auction next month. I want the property. It’s a boutique hotel, but we need the access it provides. High-end clientele. Location. All of it. It is crucial to what is happening in our Eastern Europe transactions.”

“I know it.” I nodded. “You don’t have to explain anymore.”

“Everything I’ve planned revolves around bringing the Vieux Carre into our portfolio immediately. We need the pipeline.”

“I’ll handle it. You’ll get your pipeline.”

The organization under my father had made millions. I didn’t agree with trafficking more drugs under the city, but my father rarely turned away easy money. Usually, we stuck with weapons and moving special cargo. The Vieux Carre flooded and was reconstructed during prohibition. Therewere tunnels beneath the hotel that led from the docks to the trucking warehouses. It was the perfect pathway for any future business operation he planned.

My father smiled. “I trust you will, son.”

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