Page 12 of Savage Reign

One of my eyebrows rose from his words. “I don’t believe I have made an offer.”

His skin flushed, and his meaty hand wrapped around the stem of the wineglass. Any harder, and he would break it.

“What is the offer?” Vincent gritted out.

I smiled. “A ten percent cut and you have your men help with the transport. We want access to all the roads, not just theones heading west, but the ones you have south of the border, to Mexico, and up north to Canada.”

His face turned a deeper shade of red. Technically, we didn’t need him for access to Mexico or Canada. It was just California and heading out to Stocken Isle that his help would prove useful. But it would make things a hell of a lot easier.

“Daniel paid thirty percent.”

“And the fucker cut his profit each time, hiding most of it away and offering you a measly percentage.”

And the fucker knew what I said was true. The reason why he hadn’t turned on Daniel before was because he couldn’t.

Even when the MC ruled under a useless president, it had been stronger than the Cadorna Famiglia, which had stayed in the same family for over three generations.

That fucking said something about the state of his organization.

“Take the deal, Cadorna.”

“And how do I know you and your brothers won’t pull the same shit?”

“Because my words mean something.” I smiled a little. “There should be honor among thieves, after all.”

He cackled. “Calling yourself a thief is like the little club princess calling herself just that—princess.”

Silas tensed beside me at the mention of Mila.

My fists clenched beneath the table, but I didn’t show any outward reaction.

The fucker laughed. “Speaking of, how is the little whore working out? Are you still keeping her around?”

“I don’t see how I deal with my property is any of your concern,” I said, keeping my voice neutral.

He looked over at Giovanni, shook his head, and let out another laugh, spittle flying from his mouth. “You know, there have been reports about how…closeyou and your brothers aregetting to the little whore. You better be careful. You might have been able to destroy most of Daniel Hayes’ club in one night, but there was a reason why no one had been able to touch him before and why I kept up my business deal with him. The fucker had no weakness. He would have whored out that ex-wife of his if he thought it would be useful. And the daughter? You should have heard the way he spoke about her.”

He shook his head, his eyes glinting, as if he thought he got me where he wanted. He should have known I hadn’t clawed my way to the top as a weak man. I did so with the same determination and savagery I would show him if he didn’t keep his fucking mouth shut.

“Did you already make that mistake, Maverick?—”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. I watched as a sharp little knife flew from my side and struck him in the neck. He gasped and choked as it stayed lodged there, even when he struggled to get it out.

No one spoke for one tense moment, all eyes on the man bleeding life from his neck. I recognized the knife. I turned to Killian, and though his face didn’t show any emotion, there was a gleam in his eyes that I knew well.

“He talked too much,” Killian said when he noticed my attention. I gritted my teeth to keep from saying anything. Giovanni sprang out of his seat, and chaos ensued, guns pulled out from both sides.

“You motherfuckers! Do you know what you have done?”

Killian stood up, much slower than Giovanni. The room seemed to have held its breath as we all watched Killian move over to Vincent’s prone body. Blood had already pooled on the floor beneath his feet, and the white tablecloth on his side was soaked with blood, matching the color of the wine that the fucker never got to finish.

Killian pulled the knife away and carefully wiped it on the clean part of the tablecloth.

“Vincent has a son, doesn’t he?” I asked, standing up. All my men moved from behind me, getting ready for the attack that could happen.

Giovanni took in his surroundings. He knew he couldn’t beat us. So what would he decide to do?

He nodded at my question.

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