Chapter 6 Seth
SETH
“Do we have a deal?”
I slid the contract across the desk, knowing Vince had no choice but to sign it. With sweat beading across his forehead, Vince Pennington stared at the paperwork regretfully.
He was pushing sixty years old and had a face that had seen too much plastic surgery.
Even the fullness of his white hair didn’t look natural.
The man was a gambler and let his ego get in the way.
And because of that, he lost his luxurious hotel in a single poker game.
His loss was my gain. All I wanted to do was enjoy an evening in the casino, and when Vince wanted to join my table for a round of Texas Hold’em, I happily agreed.
The bid became too high for him, and I warned him not to put his hotel on the line, but the arrogant prick didn’t listen.
My world had no room for stupidity; it could quickly get you killed.
Vince thought he would get out of the bet, but when I told him who I was, I thought he would shit himself. The Michelson name was well-known in Vegas.
There was a time many years ago when Vince almost lost his hotel to my father.
I knew he wouldn’t dare join my table last night if he had any idea who was sitting there.
Vince picked up his pen and signed each dotted line, face paling with each passing second.
Once he was done, he pushed the contract back to me, looking like he would vomit all over his desk.
“What am I going to do now? The hotel is all I have.”
“Had,” I corrected him.
I grabbed the papers and stood, not feeling sorry for him in the least. He looked up at me and I stared right into his dark eyes that were now full of tears.
“I warned you and you didn’t listen. The only person you can blame is yourself.”
His voice quivered when he spoke. “What about my staff? Will they need to find new jobs?”
He didn’t know that I’d already had my people research his workers and how little they were compensated. Once I was done taking over, their lives would change for the better.
“They’re more than welcome to stay,” I explained matter-of-factly.
“They’re probably going to want to.” My eyes never wavered from his, and I could see the fear eating away at what remained of him.
“You haven’t been a good boss, Vince. Overworking your employees and not compensating them is bad business.
When I give them the raises and perks they deserve, they’ll be happy to see you walk out that door. ”
Even he knew it was true.
I spun on my heel and left Vince to wallow in his regret. Seven days was all he had to get out of my hotel, or my guys would do it for him. I had no doubt he’d be out by the end of the week.
As I strolled through the lobby, the hum of business enveloped me. The hotel was mine. It didn’t belong to my father or the Michelson family like all the other hotels we owned.
For once, this one was for me.
Before I could make it outside, my phone rang. It was Benny Santone, the only man in my circle that I trusted with my life. He was always by my side, except for today. I wanted to deal with Vince on my own.
Once out the doors, I answered. “What’s going on?”
There had to be a good reason for Benny to call me. “You have visitors waiting,” he replied, his voice low. I hopped in my car and waited for him to elaborate as my engine roared to life. “They’re your father and a couple of his guys, including my uncle.”
The news hit me unexpectedly. My father rarely left New York these days unless something big was about to happen.
I held the phone to my ear and sighed. “I’ll be right there.”
* * *
Two black sedans were parked in the driveway when I drove up to my house.
Benny and his uncle, Darion—who had worked for my father since he was in his late teens—were waiting on the porch.
Both bore a striking resemblance with their tall physiques and shaved heads, the only difference being that Darion was in his fifties while Benny was thirty-four.
I pressed the button on the remote for my garage door and drove inside, parking next to Benny’s car. As I stepped out, Benny was right there.
“Did Pennington give you any trouble?”
A wry laugh escaped my lips as I shook my head. “He knows not to mess with me,” I said, smugly picking up the hotel contract from the front seat of my car.
Benny snorted. “Yes, but your father doesn’t understand that. If anything happened to you, it would look terrible for me.”
I placed a hand on his shoulder. “It was my choice to go alone. If anything happened to me, it’d be my fault, not yours.”
Benny flourished a hand toward the door. “Tell the boss that. He’s by the pool. I’m going to stay out here with my uncle.”
I went inside and walked through the kitchen toward the living room, which had a whole wall of windows giving a view of the Vegas Strip in the distance.
I wasn’t planning on buying a house in Sin City, but I figured it’d be a good investment with all the earnings I’d made with the fights at the Labyrinth.
My father was standing on the far side of the pool with his back to the house, gazing out at the Strip in the distance. I walked outside and he didn’t even turn around when he heard the door shut behind me.
“You have a beautiful place here, son,” he called out.
“Thanks,” I said, joining him.
He glanced over at me and smiled, but there was tension behind the gesture.
Julian Michelson was a force to be reckoned with.
He was both admired and feared among other mafia families.
It’d been a few months since I’d seen him last, and it seemed he’d aged quite a bit.
His hair was the usual gray, but it used to be sandy blond like mine and Nikolai’s.
There was a tiredness on his face I’d never witnessed before.
My brother and I looked exactly like him, but I didn’t share the same icy blue eyes.
I had inherited my mother’s golden hazel.
His gaze dropped to the contract in my hand. “What do you got there?”
Smirking, I held it out to him. “I think it’s something that’ll make you happy.”
With furrowed brows, he read over the first page, and a genuine grin took over his face. “Well, I’ll be damned. I haven’t seen Vince Pennington in years.”
I chuckled and took the contract from him once he had finished reading it. “I don’t think he’s changed. He’s still an arrogant jackass.”
My father placed a hand on my shoulder and laughed. “And a Michelson finally took that hotel from him. Good job, son.”
His smile faded as he turned his attention back to the horizon. Silence filled the air, and I could feel the trepidation rolling off him.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Is everything okay in New York?”
A heavy sigh escaped his lips. “It would be better if you were there. You haven’t been back in months.” And he knew exactly why.
“There’s a reason for that,” I grumbled.
He sighed again. “I know. Your brother’s been a little unpredictable.”
I could feel the anger well up in my chest, but it wasn’t directed at him.
“A little?” I challenged, stepping in front of him so he’d have to look at me. “He’s lost his fucking mind. Surely, you can see that, right?”
He stared at me for a few seconds but then nodded in agreement. “This last fiasco with him helping Martin Fairchild abduct Peyton Emerson was the last straw with me.”
I narrowed my gaze at him. “But you were fine with him getting revenge in the beginning.”
He looked away and shook his head. “I know, but I didn’t think Nik would take it to the level he has.
” My father clenched his jaw as he turned back to me.
“I was angry all those years ago when the Dark Side got shut down, and it was all because of those goddamn fighters. I had to watch my back for years after that, wondering if the FBI would catch on that I was behind the operation. Luckily, they never did.”
“How did Nikolai even get started on this revenge shit anyway?”
My father slowly reached into his navy suit pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper that was discolored from age. He carefully opened it up and I could see list of names written in his handwriting, some of which had been crossed out. He handed the list to me, and I read down the line.
Scar
Tyler Rushing
Ryley Jameson
Camden Jameson
Paxton Emerson
Kyle Andrews
Danny Ramirez
Phil Parker
“As you can see, some have already been dealt with,” my father explained.
“Nikolai killed Scar, and I’d put away the other two almost thirty years ago when I wrote the hit list.” He looked at the piece of paper again, then ripped it into tiny pieces.
“Killing them doesn’t benefit me at all.
I would’ve blown them away without a second thought, but things have changed now.
Those fighters don’t mean anything to me now. ”
“Have you told Nikolai that?” He nodded, but I could see the turmoil in his eyes. “But he’s still going to do what he wants, right?”
All my father could do was stare at me; I had my answer.
Nikolai’s first mistake when he decided to seek revenge for our father was going after Ryley Jameson’s eldest daughter, Emma.
Nikolai didn’t know that I knew Emma and cared deeply for her.
We had dated several years ago, but in the end, it didn’t work out.
Nikolai planned to go after Emma first, knowing very well the other fighters in her group would come to her rescue.
He’d managed to wrangle in Carter Reynolds, Kase Rushing, Emma Jameson, Ethan Jameson, Reagan Jameson, Braden Emerson, Peyton Emerson, and Hunter Andrews .
. . all of whom were the children of the men on the hit list.
To help save Emma, the guys were forced to bear the Michelson signature dragon insignia on their backs.
It was a contract saying they would fight for us.
Nikolai had gotten them all to agree to fight for him in our underground fighting operation.
It was then that I took it upon myself to protect her and her friends.
A rivalry between Nikolai and myself had been growing for many years, especially since I was the one who had our father’s favor. Unfortunately, the tension and animosity have led us right into a war.
My father moved closer, his serious gaze on mine. “I’m ready to step down, son. That’s the reason I’m here. I want you to take over as head of the Michelson family.”
I knew the day would come for him to ask me, but I didn’t realize it’d be so soon. Nikolai had been quiet for the past few months, but this news would surely have him on the rampage.
“What are you thinking, Seth?” my father asked. His eyes searched mine as he waited for a response.
Blowing out a heavy sigh, I hung my head. “I’m already at war with Nikolai. This is going to drive him over the edge.”
My father didn’t even try to argue. “It will,” he agreed. “But it’s something that has to be done.”
I turned to him. “When are you going to tell him?”
He patted my cheek and stepped back. “Soon. But right now, I’m taking a break. If you need me, I’ll be at the Bellagio. Your mother’s flying in tomorrow and meeting me there. She said she wants to see you.”
“Sounds good,” I said, not looking forward to when he told her his plans.
If anyone hated violence, it was her. She didn’t know half of what my father and I had done. My father squeezed my arm and started to walk away, but he stopped with my following words.
“You know what will happen when Nikolai finds out, right? He’s going to come after me.”
He didn’t even turn around. “I know.”
“And are you ready for the consequences?”
He turned his head over his shoulder, but he didn’t meet my gaze. “If you’re ready, then so am I. I know what you have to do.”
He disappeared inside, and a few minutes later, I heard the two sedans out front start up and drive away. As I watched the sky turn from bright blue to dark, I tried to think of all the ways I could deal with Nikolai.
Unfortunately, there was only one way . . . I had to kill him.