Page 76 of Brutal Devil
He’s trying to piss me off. To get to me. Contrary to his name, my brother is no saint. Far from it. In fact, he might be the most fucked up of us all.
And that’s saying something.
I grab a napkin and fold myself into a chair next to Roc, keeping my expression carefully neutral. “We might have kids one day if the timing is right. But not yet.”
“You’ll need to have kids,” Lucky says.
Of the four of us, he’s the most traditional.
“You need an heir,” he adds, nodding. “Saint is just jealous.”
“Jealous?” Saint snorts. “Of what?”
“Of the fact that Priest is settling down with someone,” Lucky explains.
“Ha!” Saint laughs. “You think I want to settle the fuck down? I’m too busy sampling every wet pussy I can find.”
“Charming,” I drawl.
“And this is who you entrusted your wife to last night,” Scorpion adds wryly.
Damn it.
The good mood I woke up with has gone straight to hell.
“Enough of this stupid, childish squabbling,” I say gruffly, ready to tuck into my pastries because I’m fucking ravenous. “We have a lot on our plates this morning. Let’s focus on that. You’ve all been tasked with various duties. I want reports. Right now.”
I’ve switched the subject abruptly, and it shows on everyone’s faces. But no one will dare to contradict me. We’re brothers and we bust one another’s asses like anyone, but at the end of the day, I’m the fucking don.
Scorpion goes first. “I spoke with my Bratva connection. He reassured me that they weren’t behind Antonio or Tomasso. They knew Antonio had just moved into their territory, but he wasn’t putting a dent in their operations.”
“I can believe Antonio wasn’t anything more than a mosquito buzzing around their heads,” I allow, “but why not act on it? Not sure I buy them allowing Antonio and his boys to set up shop that far into Bratva territory without retaliation.”
“My contact was firm.”
“It benefits the Russians to deny it,” Saint points out, “particularly if they’re planning something bigger.”
That’s what I’ve been worried about.
“Something bigger like what?” Lucky wants to know.
I pass a hand over my jaw. “They could be looking to take some of our turf. The Bratva has been getting deeper into gambling, especially with the DA cracking down on their drug chain.”
Recently, a handful of Russian Mafia have been arrested. The high-profile cases have been splashed all over the front pages of the news and across the internet. It’s not a good look for a group trying to hide in plain sight.
Our casino is legal. But that’s just to keep the feds off our asses. Basically, a front. We also run an extensive network of underground, illegal gambling and betting operations, and that’s where the big money is. I’ve been hearing rumblings about the Bratva wading their toes into the water for a while now. It stands to reason that if they wanted to crowd in on our territory, they’d strike us.
“They want to work with us, not against us,” Scorpion insists.
“You sure you trust your connection?” I ask again, my voice sharp.
Somehow, it feels like there’s so much more on the line now. More than ever before. I can’t afford to fuck this up. I want to know that when we emerge from the safe house, Luna won’t have a target on her back.
My brother holds my gaze, unflinching. “I’m really fucking sure, Priest.”
I nod, then take a sip of my espresso.
“Could be Amedeo the Animal,” Saint adds.
