Page 92 of The Viper

I head past him, and stop Marco before he can get to the family. “No need to leave. Get Frank to clean up,” I instruct Marco.

“I thought he was going to die without saying a word. Who was the fucker loyal to?”

“The Fallen.” Marco stops walking and turns to me. “Adrian has to be working with them.”

“He’s just signed his death warrant,” Marco says.

“Until we know what his plans are...”

“My loyalty lies with you.” He claps a hand to my shoulder. “I’m sorry, man, but your brother is as good as dead.”

“And I’ll be the one to kill him.” Marco clicks his tongue and nods before going to find Frank. I go to wash the blood off my hands then head over to Ruben’s office. The door is open, and Ruben has already poured two scotches.

He looks to the glass, waiting for me. “This calls for more than coffee.” He relaxes in his dark red leather sofa, and glances to the armchair opposite where he’s sitting. He lifts the glass and takes a sip before balancing it on the edge of the sofa. “Your brother,” he starts.

“Needs to die,” I finish his sentence with what I know needs to happen.

He lifts the glass and just as it touches his mouth he says, “You’re now the underboss.” I wasn’t expecting that. “How are the girls? Eliza?”

“She’s traumatized. Rose told me her body is marked by scars.”

“From Adrian?” I nod. Ruben shakes his head and looks away. “Is what he’s doing worth dying for?”

“Uncle, if I may speak freely?” Ruben glances toward me and nods once. “He went after my woman, and just for that he has to die. But I ask it be by my hand, and my hand only.” Ruben’s throat tightens and a vein protrudes down the column of his neck.

“Killing your own brother is difficult.”

“He’s not only betrayed the family name, he’s betrayed me too.”

“Dominic, as underboss, your responsibilities change. You need to have a handle on this entire area. Adrian let everything slip. I suspect greed and drugs are the components of his betrayal.”

“He once told me that when he steps into your position, he wanted to do away with the way you run the brothels and churn out the women.”

Ruben throws back the rest of his scotch and places the glass beside him. “Greed for power.”

“He obviously didn’t want to wait.”

“No, he didn’t,” Ruben says with a low voice. He runs his tongue over his teeth as he stares at me. “What do the girls need?”

“I’ll get them sorted.”

“Increase their security.”

“Of course,” I nod.

“I can’t tell you what to do with your woman, but I suggest you make it clear to her that working isn’t a smart idea.”

“I’ve been considering that.” A small smile stretches my lips. “She’s not going to like it.”

“She’s your woman, but now that you’re the underboss, things have to change.”

“I know,” I say. Standing, I leave the now-empty glass on his desk. “I have somewhere I need to be.” I remember my shirt is covered in blood. “Do you have a shirt?”

Ruben narrows his eyes at me. “Should I ask?”

“I need to make a stop before I return home.”

Ruben stands and leads me toward his bedroom where he takes a new shirt with the tags still attached out of his walk-in closet and hands it to me. It’s white, like the one I’m wearing. He also gives me a new tie, a similar blue to the one I had pre-blood splatter. “I take it you have a plan.”

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