Page 67 of Captured Solace

“I swear, I won’t go behind your back like this again,” I said quietly. I took out a cigarette, lit it, and breathed in the smoke. Holding it in my lungs for a minute, hoping for a quick high.

Lucien studied me, his cold face unreadable. “I want one of your women,” he said.

“The fuck?” Duran said.

I stared at him, unsure whether I’d heard him correctly. “You’re already married to Olivia.”

He pointed with the cigarette. “No, for one of my men. I have an unmarried underboss and I’m trying to break up the stigma around non-Italian brides, it’s causing me problems. I want one of your woman for him. Give me that and the two hundred million in collateral and I’ll consider it.”

“God, I forgot how much of an asshole you are,” Duran muttered.

Lucien stepped closer to me. “Yes, but I’m a smart asshole. I want a woman and I want the collateral. Or there’s no deal and we’re back to square fucking one.”

The money wasn’t an issue. With the addition of the new ports in New York, I could make up that amount in a little over a year. It was handing over one of my women that bothered me. And it would bother my men even more because it would be their daughters Lucien was choosing from.

“How do I know their situation won’t be abusive?” I said quietly.

“Federico doesn’t hit women. He might cheat, but he wouldn’t hurt her,” Lucien said firmly. “What woman do you have in mind?”

I considered it for a moment. “My right-hand man has a sister who just turned twenty-three. She’s beautiful and unattached.”

“Is she virgin?” Lucien asked.

Behind him, Duran rolled his eyes.

I looked at the ground. God, I hated the primal brutality of our world. “I can have her checked, but I’d rather not.”

“No,” said Lucien quickly, a strange expression crossing his face. “I’ll take her on her word. Just have her take a blood test so if she’s not a virgin, at least she’s not pregnant.”

“Fine,” I said shortly, swallowing back the sick feeling in my throat. “And then we’ll talk about Boston?”

Duran shot his brother a hard stare and Lucien spent a moment thinking it over. “I’m considering it.”

“I’m taking Boston with or without you,” I said. “So if you want a cut of the ports and a much shorter war, you talk to me about Boston.”

“Fine,” said Lucien wrathfully, his eyes burning. “We’ll talk about Boston.”

I was a fucking monster, bartering a woman for military firepower and it made me hate myself. I wished I could walk away right now and leave it all behind. The organization needed the ports and the money, I didn’t need any of it. I had enough personal wealth I could live several lifetimes and not run out. But instead I continued dragging my father’s legacy like an albatross around my neck, borne down by guilt at the thought of leaving it all behind.

“A hundred million in assets,” I said. “One woman.”

Lucien narrowed his gaze. “One-fifty.”

“Done,” I said. “Who’s the man you’ll marry her to?”

“Federico Antonucci,” Lucien said. “He was at the New Year’s Eve party. He took my side after I killed Romano.” There was a hint of disgust in Lucien’s voice as he said Federico’s name, but he swiftly concealed it.

“When do you want everything?”

“As soon as you can send them,” Lucien said. “Now, get the fuck out of my house.”

“I’ll give you time to cool down and then we can meet,” I said.

“Fine,” Lucien snapped.

I turned to go and he made a sound in his throat and I turned back.

“You might be a fucking traitor, Borisyuk, but you’re not an idiot. You can put two and two together,” he said, stepping close until he was inches from me. “And I might be an asshole, but if you lay a hand on Sienna, I will fucking castrate you. I don’t give a fuck if she’s your wife.”

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