Page 15 of Savage Promises

“The Zervases were neverourenemies, Shane. They were Troi Keller’s enemy.”

We inherited our syndicate through our mother, the lone descendent of the Sullivan family who reigned before Troi Keller. With no heirs to inherit his house, Troi’s lawyer Kai Powers found Griffin and declaredhewas the heir. But Griffin had to marry the head of the GreekMafia’s sister to make peace with her psycho brothers, Ares, Atlas, and Ambrose Zervas.

“I hear Richard told you it was Da’s wish that we unite with the Donnellys,” Griffin says point blank.

I scoff. “And I wanted to kick him in the teeth for suggesting something so ludicrous that...” I watch in horror as Griffin turns to take something off the mantle. “Griff, no.”

He removes an item from a leather-bound box, a box we called Da’s secrets. It sat on the bookshelf in his office for as long as I could remember. Now Griffin has it.

“We all got these as you know.” He holds up an envelope. “This is mine.”

We were already running Lower Manhattan when Da passed. He knew the power Griffin had.

He offers the letter to me. I open and scan it, bypassing anything personal Da would have said to Griffin. Bile creeps into my throat seeing the name Donnelly.

“Fuck, it’s true. Da wanted us to unite with them. Why?”

Griffin’s voice gets low. “Irish power.Pure, Irish power.”

My eyes raise to him. “Was Da disappointed you married a Greek princess?”

He shakes his head. “He understood I needed to stop the war so we could have a successful reign. But going forward...”

“He wants us with Irish women.” I dump my head into my hands.

“I do, too.” Griffin takes a stand. “What does Garrett know about the Albanians? What the hell kind of deal am I making for your soul, Shane?”

I shudder at the implication that marrying Neve Donnelly will suck the soul from my body, but pull it together enough to explain to Griffin what Connor and Ithink might be in the Albanian armory.

Scrubbing a hand down the back of his neck, Griffin mutters, “That armory location is also a golden get-out-of-jail free ticket with the Feds should we ever get into hot water.”

“I will never let us get into trouble like that,” I insist.

“Life is just too unpredictable right now, Shane.” Griffin sits next to me and cups my shoulder. “I did my duty for the empire. Now it’s your turn.”

“At the expense of my...” I’m unable to finish.

“Your heart? Do you have one, brother?” Griffin sits back.

“Not forNeveDonnelly.”

Griffin furrows his eyebrows and speaks so low, it’s barely a whisper. “You know Lennox is engaged to someone else, right?”

My jaw tightens so hard it might crack. I grip the whiskey tumbler and stand up, throwing it into the fireplace. “Fuck.Who?”

How did I not knowthat?

“Rafael Marchant.”

“Marchant?” I scoff. “Thewinedynasty? When?”

Christ, no. She’smine!

“When he gets his inheritance next year.”

“That’s why old man Donnelly didn’t suggest Lennox.” Saying her name rips my heart out.

“Richard was so desperate to save Garrett he thinks the deal with us requires a virginal sacrifice,” Griffin says, shaking his head.

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