Fierce Betrayal (Cruel Empire #5)

Chapter 1

ONE

Milo

Gutted, alone, scarred… I wasn’t supposed to have regrets, but I fucking did. Those regrets screamed the loudest in the dead of night. They were so haunting that not even the vodka could quiet them.

It had been a few days since I had abandoned Sable in the woods, leaving her to care for her useless brother in an enemy cabin in the middle of a snowstorm. But to be fair, she did put herself in that position. Despite my anger, I sent a car the next morning and got them safely back to the city.

Maybe I’m not such a bad guy after all. Whatever gets me through the night.

The torment that plagued her over being caught between me and Chance was never going to subside. One of us had to turn their back and walk away. It had to be me. Letting go and forgetting was a little tougher than I had anticipated.

I obsessed over the tracker that I had planted in her bracelet, checking the app fifty times a day like some fucking consumed stalker. I was more distracted now than I had ever been before.

“Hmm…” I studied my phone screen, following her every move. “You’re leaving the house today. Where are you going?”

“Milo,” my father said.

I swiped my finger over the screen and closed the app. “Hey, Dad.”

He stood in the doorway of my office at the car dealership wearing his blue Armani suit and appearing every bit the boss he was.

Today was his first day back in months. He stepped into the role of the head of the company without missing a beat.

While he was away, he somehow managed to stay on top of all the business Marchello and I had worked so hard to maintain in his absence.

What my brother and I struggled with every day, our father accomplished with little effort. I was glad to have him back. I wanted to be the heir for as long as I could. He could have the throne.

“How’s it going?” I stood and straightened my tie. “Do you need my help with anything?”

He entered the office, shut the door behind him, and then took his time striding across the room.

His calm demeanor allowed him to assess situations for what they were.

He didn’t act on impulse and there never seemed to be a sense of urgency in his plans.

Only striking when necessary and never losing focus worked for him.

I wish I could be half the man Nico Accetti is.

“I need your help with plenty of things.” He smacked his hand on my desk in an attempt to make sure I paid attention. “I’m just not sure you’re ready to assist me.”

“What do you mean?” Wasn’t I the one who held down the fort for the past few weeks? Making sure the dealership ran smoothly, keeping the cartels happy, and backing off Diego Medina? “I’m always ready to help you.”

“I asked you to take the nose ring out, but you haven’t.”

“I forgot.” I had piercings in my ears at various times throughout my life, and I was running out of skin to tattoo. That didn’t seem to irritate him, but I couldn’t figure out what it was about my nose ring that pissed him off. “I’m sorry.”

The memory crashed into me harder than my car had hit the tree, reminding me why I didn’t want to remove the hoop.

“The first night we met, you didn’t have this,” Sable said.

“I had the piercing, but I don’t wear it all the time.”

“How come?”

“My father doesn’t like it.”

“I like it.” She touched the hoop. “It’s sexy.”

“I’ll wear it for you.”

“While I don’t love the piercing, it’s not about that,” he said. “It’s that you’re not present, and that’s a problem.”

Nothing rattled me more than my father’s disapproval. I strived to be at the top of my game for him. I never wanted to let him down, and I definitely didn’t want him to think I wasn’t there for him.

“Dad, listen, I—”

“I’ll do the talking.” He pointed at my chair. “Sit.”

I dropped back into my chair, knowing my only choice was to listen. As resilient as Marchello and I were, when our father gave an order, we were more than receptive. I should have taken the damn nose ring out last night. Maybe I wouldn’t have felt so inadequate if I had.

“I appreciate all that you’ve done to step up for this family. You and your brother did a fantastic job while I was away. You proved you were more than capable when Marchello had to disappear.”

I appreciated his words of confidence, but I didn’t do nearly enough for my family.

“I need you to continue being the man I know you can be.” He took a seat in the chair across from my desk. “It’s imperative that you stay focused.”

“I haven’t been at my best, but now that I’ve…” I cleared my throat. “Removed certain elements from my life, I’ll do better.”

“That’s the thing.” He adjusted the silver cufflinks on his sleeves. “Just because you walked away from Sable physically, doesn’t mean you left mentally.”

“It’s only been a few days, but I promise, I’m back on track.”

“I’m wondering if your decision to leave her was what you really wanted.” He stretched out his legs. “Her brother is a problem, but not one that can’t be solved.”

“I can’t solve it the way I want to.”

“You can’t, but I can.”

“The kid is a major screw up, but I’m not sure he deserves to die.” I ran my knuckles along the stubble on my chin. “I can’t do that to Sable.” Her brother was all she had. I couldn’t destroy her that way.

“He could have gotten you killed.” His jaw tightened. “He’s working with Bello, so if there is a chance that you will reunite with this woman, her brother has to be addressed.”

“I’m not getting back with Sable.” That statement tugged at my heart more prominently than I would have liked. “Let’s forget about them.”

“How are you going to do that if you can’t stop tracking her?” He pointed at my phone. “That’s not healthy.”

How did he…

“You’re recovering from a concussion. You’re supposed to be limiting your screen time.”

“I… You’re right.” What else could I say? As usual, my father’s awareness of every situation in this family was spot-on.

“I’m only going to say this once, and then it will be up to you.”

I wasn’t going to like this lecture because there would be more truth in it than I wanted.

“Make a decision,” he said. “You’re either going to forget Sable and move on, or you’re going to keep her in your life and do your fucking job.” His voice was even and calm, but when did he ever have to raise his voice to get his point across? “There is no in-between. Are we clear?”

“Yes.”

“Perfect.” He nodded. “Now, let’s get down to business.”

And that was that. He stated his position and expected me to fall in line. That was what he demanded from everyone in his orbit. I was no different.

He wouldn’t tell me what to do. I had to come to terms on my own, but he was clear that he expected me to get it together.

“Everything with Juan and his shipments are on target,” I said. “There have been no issues on that front.”

“Let’s keep it that way. I don’t want to piss off our most lucrative client.”

We had run into some issues a few months ago when some of the cartel’s shipments were intercepted. That was mostly due to Gian Gallanti and Danny Collins, but now that they were no longer with us, everything was running smoothly.

“Payments were made to the people in our pockets, so we shouldn’t have any issues with the police or the people at the harbor.

They’ll continue to look the other way, and we’ll continue to move our products.

” I glanced at my phone, fighting the urge to open the app and see where Sable had ended up.

“The dealership is going to exceed last month’s profits. ”

“Very good.”

“I need to get the nightclub renovated, but I’m trying to wait for Lissia to return. Marchello and I promised her she could be in charge of that project.”

“That's wise, because we both know that girl will need something to occupy her to keep her out of trouble.”

“I’m sure she’ll still find a way to get into trouble.”

“That might have been true while I was away, but I’m not Marchello.” He gazed out the window. “I’ll get her under control.”

“Right.” I smirked. “She’s not easily controlled, but then again, if anyone is up for the challenge, it’s you.”

Now I wanted Marchello and Lissia to come home even more. Watching my father try to tame her might be fun.

“We have another issue that needs to be addressed,” he said.

“Diego.”

“I’ve heard from the head families in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Boston. They are all considering allowing Diego to traffic through their territories.”

“Why would they do that?” I gripped the arm of my chair. “Don’t they realize the havoc that will wreak for them?”

“They’re willing to take the chance because the profit is very attractive.”

“But they’d have to auction off unwilling women and send them to men they don’t know.” The thought of that made my stomach sick. “What are they thinking? That’s not our business. It never will be.”

“It’s not ours, but it may be theirs,” he said. “Not every family was as savvy as I have been. When we made an alliance with the cartels, we strengthened our power in this city. We don’t need what Diego is proposing.”

“You’re the head of New York. You have the cartel's backing. Can’t you persuade these families to tell Diego to fuck off? If we all stand together, he won’t have anywhere to work. His operation can’t continue without all of those cities helping him.”

“I can only make so much of a case.” He shrugged. “Money is the bottom line. If Diego pays them well, they will look the other way.”

“Without us, he can’t succeed.”

“He does need our city to totally succeed. If we don’t cooperate, he’ll have to pack up and go home, but he’s not going to go quietly. If the other families on the east coast back him, we’re looking at one hell of a fight.”

“We have to shut him down before that happens.”

“Make arrangements to get your brother home as soon as possible.” He stood. “We have to stop wasting time and bring the trinity back together.”

“I’m on it.” I reached for my phone. “I have to arrange security to bring them back. We can’t have any screw ups.”