Page 59 of Ruthless Boss

I speak, confident that my team will hear me due to the small device I have in my ear. “Everyone be ready. Target showed up.”

“Ten-four,” says my bodyguard on the other end of the line.

I touch my gun, my finger outlining the trigger with reliable familiarity.

Swiftly, the back window of the limo comes down, and they park it next to us. Ross Santini's face comes into view. I see him cleaning his sunglasses with a small piece of cloth, a smile tugging at his mouth.

I lift my gun and don’t hesitate to point it at him. Swirls of white streak in his hair, and he nods at me, unfazed. I glance behind his fit frame but don’t see anyone else in the limo—which doesn’t mean it’s empty.

He sets his sunglasses on his lap and slowly lifts his hands. “We’re due a chat.”

“It’s too late for a chat,” I say between gritted teeth, keeping my gun trained on him.

“I disagree. Would I show up unarmed if I thought so?”

“What do you want?” Rocco asks, leaning closer.

“You’ve killed three people from my family. My son, most importantly.”

A lump lodges in my throat. I understand why he’s pissed at me—I can’t even imagine what I would do to someone if they hurt AJ. When I killed his son, I wasn’t a father yet.

But I can’t get soft. I’ve killed many people—whether they were shitty or not. Why would this be any different? “I’m sorry about your son. That one was accidental.”

An emotion crosses his eyes. He brings his hands down to his lap. I pay close attention to ensure he won’t reach for a gun or make a hand gesture that will get us killed. Tension stretches my shoulder blades to the maximum.

“Nevertheless, I dreamed about several ways to end you. To cut off your balls and cook them into a soup and serve them to you,” he says.

“You didn’t succeed.” I should just shoot the bastard, but the months-long impasse comes to a head—giving him a few last words shows a measure of respect.

“I’m here because I want us to talk. To end this,” he says, his expression neutral.

“You’re joking,” Rocco says what I’m thinking.

What’s up Santini’s sleeve? What does he want from us? “No,” I say.

“How can we? Too much blood has been spilled,” Rocco says.

“I have a small army working for me, and they’re dangerously loyal. They’re not as numerous as the Gallos, but I assure you, if you kill me now, this shitshow won’t end. Actually, without me as the head to keep them on a leash, it would get much worse,” he says, his every word hitting me like bricks.

“What’s on your mind?” I lower my gun, my finger trained on the trigger.

“I propose a truce. You don’t kill my people, and I won’t kill yours,” he says casually, like we’re talking about restaurant options for future dinner plans.

Possibilities play in my head like an arcade game, overstimulating me. Sure, a truce wouldn’t be such a bad idea in a perfect world. I could move on and not worry about possible retaliation from his people.

When I killed his son, I didn’t have a baby or the love of my life. AJ’s mom was pregnant, but I didn’t know what fatherhood meant yet—the amount of love and protection I could feel for someone. Now that I can offer it to AJ and Gia, it is my priority.

But I’m still not convinced.Seems too easy, a cynical part of me alerts.

I wave him off. “You’re not serious.”

“I am. I can’t run and hide anymore, and we both have better things to do with our time than play cat and mouse.”

My throat tightens. He has a point. I share a glance with Rocco, who tilts his head to encourage me to keep talking. Maybe we’re buying time before we kill the motherfucker. But maybe he has a good deal for us. “What kind of guarantee do I have that’ll happen?”

“You marry my niece.” He hands me a picture of an attractive young woman. “We’ll join forces.”

I look at the picture and place it on the middle console. Of course, there’s a catch. “I can’t do it. I’m already engaged to someone else.” Someone who also needs to be part of this deal—to have immunity. Maybe I can offer him something else? “Besides, business-wise, you’re not as profitable or big as we are. My brother Massimo married a Montefiore, and we’ve done business with them.”

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