Page 88 of Fixate
“There is someone I need to reach. He is one of yours, yes.”
Ah, yes. I knew exactly where this was headed.
“Let me guess: He owes you a shit ton of money and isn’t answering your calls anymore?”
He paused, then said, “Yes, that’s right. You know of him?”
“I did.”
The reply told him everything he needed to know. Vlad sighed deeply, then cursed in Russian.
“Why? What the fuck do you have against me now?”
“This wasn’t about you this time, Vlad, or any of the Bratva. The money he sent to you for payment was coming from my profits. He was a thief and a gambler. He didn’t deserve to live after fucking me over. You’d have done the same.”
“Da, I would have. Fucking idiots. We’ll call it done. Next time, let me know. My guys are fucking wasting time chasing dead leads.”
With that, he ended the call as he yelled at someone else in Russian. It wasn’t anything I understood, and I doubt it had much to do with me outside of telling them I killed the guy so they’d stop hunting him.
Speaking of hunting, I’d get the chance to go after my other target soon. Pip and I would be unstoppable once we knew exactly where to look. His intel had given him the person to find. Now it was a matter of when and where.
“That guy is fucking weird. No wonder your dead wife was the way she was if that was her family.”
I hummed. “Some people are the spitting image of their blood relations, both in looks and action. Others learn from their mistakes. I do believe there is a choice though, if one decides they want the change.”
My boy leaned back in his seat, his gaze moving to the window as he thought over my words. He remained quiet the entire way home. I wondered which part of my ideals bothered him the most. Did he feel he hadn’t made a choice? Or was there something else that had thrown him?
It wasn’t until we were upstairs that he put my worries to rest.
“Daddy,” he said softly as he eased onto the couch. “Do you think I’m a bad man?”
I raised my brows. “No, mon chou. Do you think I am?”
He shook his head quickly.
“Then why do you think you are? Is it because of what I said in the car? I wasn’t trying to make you question your own morals.”
“It’s not that. Sometimes, I forget that I had a life before I joinedLa Famiglia. Back then, I was just a kid who didn’t know any of this existed. Now I’m a killer and dating a mafia lord.”
The laugh I let out couldn’t have been contained even if I’d tried.
“I’m not laughing at you,” I said when he frowned. “It’s just that your title for me was rather funny.”
“Oh! I’m sorry. I thought saying we were dating would be ok.”
“No, mon chou. I meant the mafia lord title. I can’t recall anyone else referring to me that way. I was amused.”
He blushed at the indulgent smile I sent his way. “Sorry, Daddy.”
“An apology isn’t necessary. If you don’t like the work you do now, I can easily put you in a role that’s only on the legit side of business. We’ll promote someone else to work with the men, so you have the time to do as you wish without feeling guilty.”
“I’m not sure I’d know what to do with myself. Plus, sometimes it feels really good to beat the shit out of people.”
I grinned widely as I gave him a nod. Sitting next to him wasn’t quite enough anymore. I tugged him until he gently positioned himself on my lap.
“Then we’ll keep you where you are while we work on helping you see that nothing you do is wrong. Sometimes, there is a need for balance in the world. We are the type of people who help even the score. Without us, there could be someone much worse who comes in to take over.”
He thought about what I said for a minute before he gave me a slow nod. “That makes sense, Daddy. I’m sleepy. Can we nap now?”
