Page 96 of Single Mom's Daddies
Nikolai doesn’t look away. He doesn’t soften it. “Tell Roman how you set up a sniper rifle across from a federal agent in broad daylight.”
Max blinks slowly. “I didn’t pull the trigger.”
“You set up the shot.”
“I was gathering intel.”
My blood boils, and I’m past irritation. This isn’t him casually stalking a rival or roughing up some punk kids. This is the real deal.
The room goes quiet. Even Olenna stops swirling her vodka.
I growl, “You were going to shoot Ruger?”
Max scoffs. “He’s a threat.”
“He’s anagent. One who’s already suspicious. One we have every reason to keep alive.”
“He’s watching us,” Max snaps. “Don’t act like you don’t see the problem.”
“That’s why we don’t make it worse.”
Victor moves beside me, crossing his arms, body coiled. “You’re not listening, Max. If Ruger dies, we lose everything. The feds will tear this place apart. Ivy’s transplant gets buried in bureaucratic hell. Saffron gets dragged into questioning. Hell, they might take Ivy from her just to make a point.”
Max’s jaw works. He won’t admit he hadn’t thought that far ahead, but we all know it. “I was protecting the family.”
I shake my head. “Protecting us? You’re not. You’re asking for a war. You’re looking for a kill that doesn’t solve the problem.”
“He’s still a threat,” Max says again, quieter now. “You’re just too sentimental to see it.”
I step forward. “You think I don’t want to put a bullet in Ruger’s skull myself? You think I forgot what we lost the day he showed up? I haven’t. I remember every second of it. I remember Nadia’s body on the pavement. I remember what they did to us. But this”—I motion to the walls, the house, the warmth seeping in from above—“is bigger than your revenge fantasy.”
Max looks away.
“Ruger lost his partner,” I continue. “We lost Nadia. That means something. It has to. If you go off half-cocked, then we lose every bit of credibility we have with the feds. We lose everything.”
He doesn’t respond. Just stares silently at the wall.
If that’s how he wants to be, fine. “You’re taking a vacation.”
That gets his attention. “What?”
“You heard me. Pack a bag. Get your ass to Bora Bora. You’re too volatile, and I can’t have you here while Costello is playing chess. You’ll flip the board the second you get bored, and if we’re heading into the shit with Costello, I can’t have you around. Go.”
Max’s expression hardens. “You’re serious?”
“Deadly. If you’re not halfway around the world by tomorrow morning, I will lock you in the goddamn basement cell until you cool off.”
“You wouldn’t.”
I don’t smile. “I dare you to fucking try me, Uncle.”
Max pushes out of the chair. “You’re making a mistake.”
“You already made the mistake,” I snap. “I’m fixing it. And I don’t have the time to fix more. So leave.”
He storms out, slamming the door behind him.
Olenna lifts her drink. “That was stupid.”
