Page 22 of Brutal Collateral

I bristle at the reminder of how that contract got revoked because of me. Because I hit that asshole Rand Miller with my gun. He complained after that training assignment, and I was immediately escorted off the Coronado base.

Then the whole place got shut down. According to the candidates who flooded the downtown area,somethinghappened. Whispers that someone got hurt. Badly. I was only surprised no one got seriously hurt sooner, the crazy shit the Navy put those candidates through.

Then Hadleigh walked into that bar. I went wild on her in my motel room. Fucked her like a savage for hours. She was one tough bitch. And gave as good as she got, always begging for more.

I just didn’t expect her to tie me up! Christ, that minx is still the best sex I ever had. But I put her out of my mind, frustrated that I’ll never see her again. And if I do, it won’t matter. I’ll be married to someone else soon. I would never cheat on a wife. Whether I love her or not.

“Are you thinking about telling Ares you don’t want to run Troi’s mob?” Shane asks me, knocking me from my thoughts.

His question confuses me. I can’t tell if that’s a hopeful tone or a disappointed one. It’s one thing to inherit money and property. It’s another to take over a crime syndicate.

Smiling, I say, “Actually, no. The idea is growing on me.” I push the bowl away and wipe my hands.

“Looks that way,” Ewan says, sounding jealous, but I know he’s not.

“We have to tell the O’Rourkes,” I say, feeling grim about it.

No one likes change...

“I’ll tell Kieran,” Ewan offers proudly. “He’s my best friend.”

I watch him leave the room, and my throat goes tight knowing any second the O’Rourkes, who we’ve worked for decades to protect, investigate, and kill for, will know we’re leaving them.

“Will Kieran see us as a threat?” Connor asks quietly.

We’re all silent for a moment.

“We never heard a peep from anyone in Astoria having a beef with Keller,” I say to break that. “Those brats never left Manhattan.”

“Kieran will appreciate an indirect alignment with a house that big,” Shane says, with a strategic angle for everything.

“I’m keeping Powers on as counsel,” I say, waiting for an objection.

“I raked him over the coals,” Shane reports. “He’s clean.”

“Good work.” I throw out my next idea. “When we find Ava, I’m considering an offer to let her out of the marriage after one year.”

“One year?” Shane snaps his head up, the strong objection setting me back.

“Are you going fuck her brains out for a year then drop her back off at the Zervas family mansion, used, with your cum dripping down her thighs?” Connor quips, echoing the warning in his own brutal way. “Nice way to light up the war again.”

“I’m not going to fuck her. It’s a marriage to create a truce. Once the truce is in place, there’s no need for the marriage.”

“That’s not the spirit of the deal.” Shane folds his arms. “The idea is that we’re family. The minute you divorce her—”

“A year of peace will create an environment of trust,” I cut him off. “It will lower the temperature, and when everyone starts making money from that land deal, they’ll think twice about slitting throats for fun.”

“I don’t know.” Connor lets out a ragged breath, tension rippling through his frame. “Maybe we should find her first and plan your wedding before thinking about your divorce.”

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