Page 66 of Bitter Prince
That son of a bitch.
“Are you or are you not having Reina Romero followed?” I asked in English, refusing to appease him. Let him struggle and talk like a five-year-old. He opened his mouth to answer when I spoke my warning. “Think twice before you lie to me again.”
He swallowed, but you could barely tell by the thickness of his neck. “She important to you,” he answered in poor English.Pathetic.He was a scumbag, and the sooner I got rid of him, the better.
I slowly placed my hands on the table, tapping impatiently. “It’s none of your concern who or what she is to me,” I announced in a calm voice. “I made my rules clear. I help the Yakuza by working for you. You stay the fuck away from her. You went back on your word.”
His expression didn’t change, but his complexion did.
“I didn’t.”
I stood up and he flinched, his two sidekicks drawing their weapons. But they weren’t fast enough. I had one on the ground with a bullet in his head and Hiroshi had his sword’s blade against the other’s neck. I hadn’t even seen him leave my side.
“Try again, Itsuki.”
“If you kill me, the Yakuza will come after you.” Well, look who grew some balls. “She’ll end up dead anyhow.”
I fucking hated that he was right. It was too soon. My empire wasn’t powerful enough to beat him. Yet. But I’d go down fighting. If only I could guarantee the Yakuza would keep me—and me alone—as their target. They’d go after my mother, my brother, even Reina and her family.
“Maybe.” My voice portrayed none of my emotion. “But so would you.”
And we all knew how much he wanted to live. My cousin was a coward that craved power, but never at the expense of his own blood. Only those around him.
Tension crowded his shoulders and he looked at me like a trapped mouse. Or more like a trapped snake. Because that was my cousin… A backstabbing, power-hungry snake.
“The head of the Cortes family wants her.” Finally an ounce of truth. “He’s willing to offer exclusivity in drug supply for her.”
My jaw clenched. “You will respectfully decline the offer and tell him she’s no longer on the table.”
“The contract has been drawn.”
I clenched my fists while fury boiled through my veins, searing me alive. “You. Will. End. It.”
Silence stretched. His beady eyes studied me and my lip curled. I could only guess the theories that ran through his mind, but there was one he’d never understand: love.
“I could help you,” he offered. “The woman for your loyalty.”
“She’s not mine to give.” If I had anything to do with it, he’d never get anywhere close to her.
“But her father owes me and—”
“Her father paid his debt,” I pointed out.
“Not the interest on interest.” I scoffed. This greedy motherfucker. I bet he never even highlighted that requirement to Romero. “Get the tattoo and I’ll ensure she’s saved for you.”
“Declined.” I narrowed my eyes on him. “And you will stay the fuck away from her if you don’t want me fucking with your little empire.”
He knew I never made empty threats. “You’re pushing it, bitter prince.”
I could so easily reach across the desk and choke the fucking life out of him.
I knew dealing with my cousin would be a headache, I just never imagined how much of one.
“From tonight onward, you’ll stay the fuck away from her.” He blinked, probably hating my tone. “You want to continue doing business with the Omertà and running your product into Europe and the States, you’ll forget the Romero family exists.”
It wouldn’t be hard to bring the discussion to the table. The Omertà aligned itself with the Yakuza hesitantly, and only because of me. It’d be easy to shatter that business relationship, and Itsuki couldn’t afford to lose more business. He was scared. I could see it in his stiff body language.
“I could make an alliance with Sofia Volkov.” That mad bitch was bad news for anyone. If he was stupid enough not to see it, let him make an alliance. He’d end up at the end of his life. Either by her traitorous ass or by me.
