Page 25 of Her Dark Salvation

He turned back to face me. “You’ve always had an interest in protecting our people.” His lip twitched again, and he tried to cover it up with an ingratiating smile.

Vinnie’d had that tell as long as I’d known him. That lip twitch told me everything. He thought he could bait me by framing this entire scheme as some altruistic service to the community. He should have known better than to think I’d buy such thinly veiled bullshit.

“Let’s call it what it is, Vinnie. You want to expand your Source racket, but you need a high-end front with a large enough cash flow to do it.”

“A small price to pay to protect the community.” There was that twitch again. He wasn’t even trying to hide his bullshit anymore.

“Ah,” I said through a cynical laugh. “Okay.” I yanked the letter opener out of my desk and tossed it on the blotter.

“You’d get a sizable cut of the tax. And for what? Nothing illegal. Sources are willing.”

“Nothing illegal? Really? Laundering prostitution money? No, nothing illegal about that.”

“That’s a rather pejorative way of looking at it. Not to mention, you’ve never had any issue paying for Sources.”

No matter how he spun it, the Source racket was organized prostitution, and I did not take that shit lightly. Yes, I participated, but out of necessity. I took no pleasure in the act and gave those transactions the respect they deserved.

I gripped the edge of my desk and leaned forward. “I’m not going to rot in jail from blood starvation to launderyourmoney. Or house an illegal brothel, which, if the feds find out, is exactly what they’ll call it.”

He pressed his lips together and folded his arms.

“Come on, Vinnie. I have no moral quandary with the service you provide. You know that. But I already have Agent…” I waved my hand through the air.

“Agent Johnson.”

“Agent Johnson following me around, trying to build a RICO case. The last thing I need is more traffic in and out of Terme. Especially Sources. I’m not willing to risk a federal indictment.”

He scoffed. “You know we have provisions in place to handle jail time and the feds. Managed by your lawyers, in fact. You’re being shortsighted. This is an opportunity for both of us to make a lotta money.”

“I broke financial ties with the Valenzanos years ago. I’m not going to be pulled back in now.”

“I never understood why.”

“You know my reasons. I never hid them from you or your father.”

He stood and stepped to the edge of my desk. Challenge flashed in his eyes. “You should take this deal, Marco. It’ll be good for business.”

“My business is doing just fine.”

“Is it?” Vinnie smirked. “I hear it could be doing better. Not to mention the Irish movement lately. We can’t afford to give up any more territory.”

His eyes drilled into me, but I held my composure, determined not to give him any reason to believe his words landed like an uppercut. Did I have a rat in my crew on top of everything else?

“Think of your family.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s not a threat, and I resent the implication.” He pointed a meaty finger in my face. “You’re a made man, Marco. I would never threaten a made man. It’s just a fact. I’m giving you an opportunity to grow your business and protect your community. That includes your family. You should take it.”

Our eyes locked in silent battle, two blood demons, both nearing a century old and neither willing to compromise.

Vinnie knocked his knuckles twice on the edge of my desk and backed away, buttoning his suitcoat. He spun toward the door and walked out of my office.

I pushed out of my chair, loosened my tie on the way to the bar in my bookcase, and poured myself a finger of whiskey.

In typical Valenzano fashion, Vinnie knew right where to hit me and when. No way this was a coincidence. Coming to me with an offer like that when profits were down and I was on the verge of a major territory acquisition? And the fact it was a good offer just pissed me off even more.

He’d been on the right track, too, playing to my sensibilities. Safe, affordable access to Sources was critical to minimizing nonconsensual feedings and keeping law enforcement out of our business. It was an important part of protecting our community and our secret. As much as I knew it was a ploy, the reminder landed hard.

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