Page 85 of Dangerous Deviance
And then there was me. A man who only ever put his family first. Even when it came to love.
Fucking love.
So why couldn’t I let go of Ellie, if that was what was best for my family?
Ellie had always lived her life for others, never getting to decide what she wanted for herself. Had I been like that too? Letting the mafia run my life, because I was an Adler by blood? Conquer. Annihilate. Rule. It seemed pointless now.
What did I want?
“I have an idea,” I started. I picked up a handsaw, my eyes resting on the jagged tooth edges. “Why not use me as bait?” I pressed my thumb into one of the blades, letting it prick my skin. “Get the rest of the women to come out. Then you can kill them like you want.” I forced a smile at Axe. He would like that. “One by one.”
He didn’t acknowledge what I had said, just kept sharpening his knife. Yeah, it might have been a low blow. But I didn’t care. I was out to ruin everything.
“And what will happen to you?” Derek asked.
“Who cares?” I said. “The gambling hall practically runs itself. You guys can take care of it.”
Derek let out a long sigh, then crossed his arms at me. “You feel sorry for yourself,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Is that it? You lost your woman, and now you want us to feel bad for you?”
Like he understood. He was worse than I was. He lived and breathed the family business because he was obsessed with becoming the next boss. The oldest brother to the very end.
“I lost the only thing I ever wanted for myself,” I growled.
“And there’s your problem. Thinking of her like an object,” he said. “She’s not a ‘thing,’ Wil. She’s a woman.” He shook his head, never letting his eyes trail from me. “A woman who tried to kill you. And that’s not an exaggeration.” I rolled my eyes. He put his hands on the table, bracing himself for his next words as if it pissed him off to deal with me. “You need to think of her for the person that she is: an assassin sent to kill us. If we had known, Axe would have killed her on the spot. We never would have gifted her to you.” He slammed his fists into the table, the tools shaking against it. “So stop the fucking pity party.”
He was right, but I couldn’t stop myself. I hated myself so much right then. And I wanted him and Axe to feel it too.
“Use me as bait for Muro,” I said. “Offer him a trade. Then as he’s taking care of me, you can ambush him.” I forced a chuckle. “At least I’ll be of some use.”
“Fuck, man. Get over yourself,” Derek said. “You turned the gambling hall into a profitable venture. Uncle Jimmyneverhad it that packed, and you know it.” Derek’s eyes flicked towards the ceiling, as if he could see Uncle Jimmy’s soul floating above us. And he was right; I had proved myself to the family. But that didn’t matter.
“What’s the real problem?” Derek asked.
“Ellie,” I said without hesitation. It was as simple as that.
“She’s on the no-kill list,” Axe said. As if that was the only problem.
“Just like you said,” Derek added.
“You forced me to get rid of her,” I said.
“No one is forcing you to do anything,” Axe said.
That was a lie. We had a code, an honor to stick by. Family came first, and if the two of them thought that Ellie needed to go, then she needed to go. But instead, they held up my request to keep her alive, as long as she wasn’t around anymore. It was supposed to be a fair exchange.
“We agreed not to harm Ellie,” Derek said, reading my mind. “And that’s not going to change.” He patted his pocket, reminding me that he had a strong tranquilizer there, should they run into each other and she became violent. “But we’ve got to make a decision together when it comes to the rest of them.” Derek lifted his shirt, revealing a bright red and black bruise on his ribs. “Those women?” That label didn’t do them justice. He shook his head, then corrected himself, “Thosesoldiers? They don’t screw around.”
I cringed away. The woman must have broken ribs. Like Axe and me, Derek wasn’t a small man. If it had been Axe, he probably would have killed the woman, but Derek wasn’t like that. He had more deaths on his belt than I had, being the next in line for Gerard’s role as boss, but he still felt things, especially for women. Had a conscience. Axe didn’t.
But that didn’t mean that Derek would protect all of them.
“So let’s think this through before we go to the boss,” he said. Our father. I hated calling him that, especially with everything he had been pulling lately. “What’s best for the family business?” Derek said.
“Being alive,” Axe said.
“So let’s kill everything that gets in our way,” I muttered. “Kill everything that breathes within ten feet of us.”
Finally, Axe shot a look at me.
