Page 165 of Ignite

Did Declan just threaten to cut Enzo out of Decadence?

I’m proud of him.

Yeah, we needed Enzo to build this empire. But we don’t need him anymore. He doesn’t own us. And Dad would roll in his grave if he saw us bending over for that bastard.

The line goes silent.

“I’ll have Romeo do it now,” Enzo snaps, irritated.

I don’t care. He can be as pissed as he wants. This isn’t just business. Not anymore.

“Look, Conan,” Enzo adds, “for what it’s worth, I had no idea you even had a girlfriend. I’m not invested in your love life. Business is business. Clearly, she has some tie to it somewhere. Maybe if you’d looked over the applications when I sent them in?—”

I chew my lip. I was busy. With Hallie. With rebuilding my MMA career. This chase wasn’t my priority.

I never thought she’d end up in it. I didn’t look over the applications because I didn’t care who was entered. I didn’t want to find a sub. It meant nothing to me.

And now my mistake has cost me everything.

“Noted. Thanks,” Declan says, cutting the call.

He looks pissed as hell, sliding the phone back into his pocket with a sharp exhale.

“Conan. Don’t ever fucking talk over me like that again.” He steps in front of me.

I rise to my feet. We’re nose to nose.

“What would you have done in my shoes, huh?”

“It was only a few weeks ago we ran to Russia to save your wife. We’ve always had your back. Now have mine,” I growl.

Finn shoves between us, arms out.

“Enough. We don’t turn on each other. Declan, give Conan a break. We’re lucky he hasn’t already hunted Enzo down and gutted him.”

He turns to me.

“But have some respect. Declan’s our brother, but he’s also our leader. You’d never have spoken to Dad like that. Don’t do it to him.”

I nod once, tight.

“Friends?” I offer my hand to Declan.

He stares at it for a beat, then grins.

“Brothers.” He clasps it hard.

His phone pings.

He glances at the screen, face going pale, then red with fury.

“What?” I ask, already dreading the answer.

“You won’t fucking believe this, brother.”

He turns the phone around.

My stomach caves in. My heart drops.

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