18. Andre
ANDRE
I pressed the heel of my hands into my eye sockets, massaging against the bone in an attempt to assuage this fucking headache that wouldn’t quit.
My head had been throbbing for an entire day. Ever since I’d discovered what my dumbass brother had done, it had only worsened as my other crazy-ass brother decided to insert himself into the situation.
What they should have done was let me take care of her. Our lives were hard enough as it was. We didn’t need to complicate it more by adding a woman who clearly didn’t want to be here. That spelled trouble in the form of narcing.
Except, Lafe was over-plagued by his conscience. Grey was fucking smitten. And Parker was being his typical shit-stirrer self. Trying to keep these bastards alive was going to send me to an early grave.
I huffed a laugh to myself. I’d consider it a win if I died of natural causes over being on the receiving end of an assassin’s gun.
My phone rang, and I glanced at the screen.
Speak of the fucking devil.
Twisting in my desk chair, I seriously considered not answering it. What were the chances that he knew something was up? I was confident we didn’t have any leaks in our house, but I could never be too sure. And that uncertainty had kept me from getting a full night’s sleep the entire last decade.
Right before it stopped, I hit the green button. “Vicente,” I greeted coolly.
“Andre,” he returned mockingly. If I were there in person, I was sure I’d see that sadistic grin he wore so often. “You didn’t call me back after the last job. I assume you took care of it to my exact specifications?”
“You know I did. When have I ever failed?” I spun around to face the windows.
As usual, it was a gorgeous day outside, with the sun shining behind light, wispy clouds.
Some of our men trained in the courtyard, while others walked the perimeter.
When they were inside the wall, they were more relaxed.
The guards on the other side were vigilant and somber.
We’d never been attacked, but these men knew as well as I did that it was a matter of when, not if.
The million-dollar question was, who would that enemy be? Because we had many.
I was glad he’d called me while I was in my office.
It was the place I did my best thinking and felt the calmest. Of the four of us, I was the only one who had an office and used it.
Parker had a dedicated suite, but it was more of a gaming system setup than an actual office for work.
I wasn’t even sure if he did work out of here.
He had leagues of men from the top schools in South America monitoring business for him.
How he found them and kept them loyal, I had no idea.
If only he’d put as much energy into keeping our family together, I wouldn’t need to ride his ass so hard.
Not that he gave a fuck.
“Oh, I don’t know. If you ask Lafe, I’m sure he could find one time you failed. Or failed him , anyway…” The amusement trickled down the line, souring my stomach.
Gritting my teeth, I didn’t answer. Lafe didn’t want to admit it, but I’d saved his life in the only way I knew how. He could hate and despise me all he wanted; I didn’t regret it.
Vicente chuckled. “Still a little testy over that, I see.”
“Why are you calling?” We didn’t have the typical father-son dynamic. How could we when people didn’t matter to Vicente except for how they benefited him. We were all tools to be used and discarded as far as he was concerned.
“Andre,” he cautioned, but there was a note of dark humor in my name. “You always have so much more bite whenever you’re not here in person. Why is that?” he asked as if the question intrigued him.
I swallowed. He was right. I did have more of a backbone to stand up to him when I was in my own home.
It could have been a false confidence from having scores of men surrounding the compound willing to die for us.
It might also be that I could momentarily forget his cruelty when he wasn’t sitting in front of me.
The reason didn’t matter. I also didn’t care, outside of the fact that I couldn’t act like this. My disrespect would only bring more trouble down on our heads.
“I apologize,” I said through clenched teeth. “What brings you to call me? A new job?”
“Why yes, as a matter of fact, I do have a job for you and your brothers. My doctor, who is on my generous payroll, I might add, is attempting to strike. He’s refusing to treat my men or allow them in his clinic because of the role they play in the Institution.
” He sniffed. “I need someone to remind him of why that’s not a smart idea.
I don’t care how messy you get, just as long as he changes his tune by morning.
” There was a long pause. “And he’s left alive to pursue his passion another day. ”
Sighing, I dug my fingers into my temple. My headache was nearing migraine territory. If I didn’t get it under control, I’d have to sequester myself into a dark room for a day or so.
“No preference on discipline?” I hated to ask. But it was better to know what he expected going in before finishing a job and realizing he was displeased. He usually showed that displeasure in very private but painful ways.
Hence, why Lafe hated me.
“Have fun. Get creative. Just make sure when the men show back up tomorrow morning, they’ll be let in and given the red-carpet treatment. Donnie is lucky none of my men were on death’s door.”
The phone clicked off, and I dropped my head gently against the back of the chair.
Donnie was a soft man at heart. Not a fighter either. He’d been our doctor growing up, giving us suckers when we visited or making house calls.
Rage built in my chest, all directed at the doctor. He would know who would be sent in to persuade him to treat the men. We should make it hurt for putting us in this position.
The bright side was, this job only required one of us to see him.
Lafe was out. He was too sensitive and sentimental, even if he refused to acknowledge it.
Parker was a crap shoot right now. He’d been so erratic in behavior lately; I couldn’t trust he wouldn’t push Vicente’s buttons just for laughs.
Grey it was.
The door to my office banged against the wall as the man himself sauntered in. At least he was making this easy for me. I wouldn’t have to track him down.
He popped his gum and tossed himself down in the chair on the other side of the desk. Grey didn’t offer a greeting. He watched me, his cold green eyes not giving anything away.
To draw this out, I rummaged in the top drawer of my desk and grabbed the bottle of Excedrin. I popped two in my mouth and swigged it down with cool water.
Sharp pressure was building behind my right eye, but I still looked him dead in the eyes. I wasn’t about to break the silence. He barged in here like he had something to say, so he needed to say it. Then I could send him on his merry way. To Donnie.
Eventually, he rolled his eyes. “You need to get Lafe off my back. He’s called me ten times today about Amorette. He can’t have her back.”
Now the pressure was building behind my left eye until my entire head was a throbbing cock with no orgasm in sight.
I completely ignored his comments about Lafe. He could sort his own shit out with our brother. “Did you get her last name? I noticed you didn’t text any information to me last night.”
He leaned forward and braced his elbows on the desk. Great, now there would be greasy skin prints on the glass top. I wasn’t typically concerned with such things, but I liked my office space to be uncluttered and clean. It was the one place in my life where I felt like I had control.
And Grey just fucked with it.
“Amorette Black. From Virginia, just outside of DC. I tried to get more than that, but she was having a moment. That should be enough to get your background check started.”
“Age?” I raised a brow. I had connections, but it helped the process go faster if I had more than a few sparse details. If they were determined to truly keep her, I wanted everything on her, including her last shit, by the time he got back from this job.
He lifted one shoulder like he didn’t give one fuck about making my life easier. Typical. “She’s at least in her twenties. If I had to guess, I’d say between twenty and twenty-five.”
“She looks eighteen, if a day.”
A slight grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You only think that because she’s barely over five feet tall, with a young face. She’s older, though. I’d bet on it. Talk to her for ten minutes and you’d know that.”
Shit, I hadn’t talked to her at all. I’d shoved the gun under her chin then tossed her in the spare bedroom.
Nevertheless, she’d surprised me. I didn’t take surprises very well. Especially surprises which could get one or more of us killed because at least one brother was thinking with his dick. Parker, I’d expect that from, but not Grey.
Or even Lafe, not anymore.
As soon as I’d set eyes on her, my heart had started pounding in my throat, and I saw our lives flash before my eyes. Bottomline, she was a threat that needed to go. I’d just have to find a time to make her disappear.
Speaking of opportunities…
“I’m glad you stopped by. I need you for a job.” The words had barely left my mouth before Grey shook his head.
“No, I have to prepare for this fight. I also promised her I’d train her.”
“What? Fucking train her?” Did he really want to give this girl more tools to take us down? Grey was an excellent teacher, and I didn’t want her to be any more dangerous to us than she already was.
“Yes.” That was it. One word accompanying that unblinking stare. He’d decided, and nothing could change his mind.