Page 18 of Relentless Refuge

“Hmm…” His puff of smoke sends a ringlet upward, and the sound of wailing and howling coming from Isabella’s cousins fades as they are dragged toward the door. “Weakness is what I see. Usurpers deserve death, not a crack to the knee.”

I lower my gun when the threat is removed and put it in my waistband. The man is like me. That’s a good sign. I hope he is smart enough to see that Isabella isn’t weak at all. She just has to learn the hard way because she hasn’t seen her father in the heat of exchanges like this before.

“I do not see mercy as a weakness. I see it as a strength, Mr. Laslov. I believe my cousins will learn to respect me the way a dog respects its master. All in good time. Now, back to our topic at hand. I will provide the weapons shipments from our good friend here” —she gestures at the supplier who is still cowering— “at the same price my father offered you. Take it or leave it, not a penny less.”

The man sucks on his cigar and stares at her as he thinks, finally nodding and extending his hand. “Alright. I believe we have an agreement.” His eyes scan each of our faces as he shakes Isabella’s hand, and then he says, “Wolves come in all sorts of clothing, dear, not just sheep’s. It will go well with you if you learn that mercy is like pulling a dumb sheep out of a ditch. Unless you build a fence around it, you will continue to pull the same sheep out of that same ditch, over and over.”

As he speaks, his eyes lock on mine, and I have a feeling he is warning her, as if she should worry about me. And for her sake, I hope she takes the warning to heart, not because of me, but because Owen and Chase—whose names I have permanently etched into my memory—will only come back with vengeance.

“It’s good to continue this partnership, Mr. Laslov. I look forward to many successful transactions in the future.” Isabella pulls her hand back and tucks into my side, and I feel how her hand quivers as she wraps her arm around me and we turn to head to the car.

Her heart is racing, evidence of how frightened she was during that altercation, but no one even knew. Not even me. She looked so calm and collected the entire time. I pull her against myself firmly as we follow Darnel and the supplier out. Her uncle’s car is gone, probably off to the doctor to have bullets removed from knees. I lean down and kiss her temple.

“You should have killed them, dear,” I whisper to her, and she clears her throat.

“They just lost an uncle, Marco. They’re grieving too. Mercy was the right option. They won’t mess with me again.” Even her voice shakes now, and I know she will do things her way even when I don’t agree or like it. That’s one thing about Isabella that impresses me the most. She’s as stubborn as they come, and she’s not backing down from anything.

Now, if I can just keep her safe until the weeds in her Family garden are uprooted so she can rest peacefully at night…

14

ISABELLA

Marco wanted to come along with me to have this conversation, but I told him to stay home. It’s been two weeks since Owen and Chase tried to step on my toes, and word has gotten out to the entire Family. My marriage of two short months has made waves. The rift between loyal Family members and those who side with Owen and Chase grows by the minute now. It needs to stop or Father’s legacy will go up in smoke.

“Isabella, you have to understand that the boys are only trying to protect the Family. It’s not often that a woman leads and?—”

“Enough!” I shout, cutting him off. I’ve had more than enough of his explanations and excuses for their behavior. Uncle Danny might be their father, but he still falls under my authority as leader of this Family, and I won’t tolerate it. “If they had done that to my father, he would have shot them dead on the spot. You’re lucky you’re not attending a wake right now.”

Danny’s head drops and he sighs hard. “Thank you for not killing my boys, Isa. I’m sure your father would be upset by your merciful choice. We’re just—they’re just worried that yourarrangement with Mr. Romano is going to go sideways. He’s a powerful man. He could power his way around you and take over this Family in a heartbeat. It would lead to all-out war or worse, splintering what we have and destroying the entire organization.”

He sinks into the wingback chair near the fireplace and runs a hand across his balding head. I see Marco’s men—security he insisted come with me—exchange a glance. They stand on either side of the door. The parlor at my parents’ house is where Father used to have meetings like this. I’m ashamed of my Family that I even have to host this meeting reprimanding my uncle for going along with his sons and their insurrection attempt.

“Marco has done nothing but support every decision I’ve made. And I have every confidence he will continue to do so. Have you spoken with Nicolo about this?” Danny’s eyes haze over with anger. There’s bad blood between my uncles. Danny believes Nicolo manipulates me the way he is accused of doing to my mother too. It couldn’t be further from the truth. Uncle Nicky is just as honorable as my father, which is why Father brought Nicolo into the fold and trusted him more than his own brother.

“Nicolo is a weasel and a snake.”

My stomach turns, and I swallow bile that pushes into the back of my throat. I don’t know if I’m coming down with something or if it’s nerves. The idea that I may be pregnant has also tumbled around my head a few times this week as nausea overtook me early in the morning upon waking. My cycle is only a few days late, but my gut tells me it’s not coming. I sigh and sit across from Danny, clasping my hands in front of myself.

“If you cannot come to terms with Nicolo being my trusted advisor, then you may find yourself out of this Family too,Danny. Owen and Chase are lucky they still have their lives. Next time, I will not be so forgiving. This Family has seen enough death, don’t you agree?” I feel my hands shaking as I wait for his response, and I wring them before wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans.

I know I’m safe. Marco’s men will never let Uncle Danny harm me. That’s not what I’m worried about right now. Not only do I have the growing concern of my family not fully supporting me, but I’m also faced with the expected consequence of having unprotected sex. I did not think it would happen this fast, but that fleeting thought moments ago has set up camp in my brain and it’s all I can think about.

“His enemies have become our enemies, Isa.” Danny looks concerned and leans forward, clasping his hands around mine. “We’ve never had a problem with the Russians, and now they are on our doorstep. They interrupted our meeting, started a firefight. We’re lucky no one on our side was killed. What will they do next?”

The idea that Marco’s enemies, as big and powerful as they are, will come after us is absurd. They did not break up that meeting because of us. They were after Marco, and I’m not worried the least bit about them. Still, if this is the way the Family feels, then as the leader, I must do something about it.

“All the more reason to bind together and be one strong unit. With Marco’s men, we make a formidable force. I know you can agree to that. The issue is that those who oppose me as their leader have become my enemy, not my Family. And if I have to, I will bring the full force of Marco’s organization against them to cull the herd.” I stand and pull my hands from his before he realizes how shaky they are.

His eyes go wide and then he nods. I believe I’ve sent my message loud and clear. I won’t back down. I won’t give up my right to this position, and I won’t be pushed around.

“Very well, then…” He stands too and nods at me before walking out. Moments later, my mother walks in and rushes to my side.

“Oh, baby, I’m so worried about you. You aren’t cut out for this. You deserve a life of comfort and safety.” She cups my cheeks and pushes my long, dark hair out of my eyes. I sink into her arms, wrapping myself around her until I feel calm again. I want that life—safety and comfort—but living from the safety of a comfort zone is not really living at all.

“It’s so overwhelming, but I have to do it. The Family is divided now, and I have to bring them back together.” Her hair smells like the coconut shampoo she uses. I’m transported back to a time when I was just her baby girl, crawling on her lap because I skinned my knee. Now, I’m the leader of the largest criminal organization in Newark, and I may be carrying a child of my own.

“Your father would be so proud, honey. But don’t take the weight of the world on your shoulders. You can let Nicolo lead if it’s too much. I know Mr. Romano will help him. He is a good man.”

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