Mutinous Relations (Crimson Bonds #6)

Chapter 1 Puppet Master

The man sitting across from me cowers, and I want nothing more than to hang him by his entrails, but I need to keep my composure, as grating as it is. I cannot allow myself to stoop to their level. Still…

“You let a high-value target escape,” I growl.

“I didn't let them do anything,” he snaps back. “They came into my house in the middle of the night. Killed people on my property! Good men! They were decorated officers of the law who were just looking to make some extra cash. They didn't deserve to be taken out like animals.”

“Your first mistake was assuming they wouldn't kill to get what they wanted. I told you to hire more security.”

“My wife would have been suspicious; I couldn’t afford to let her in on what was going on. She would have been terrified. And damn good thing I didn't since they came into my home. I feel violated now! I don't want to stay there, but what am I supposed to tell my wife?”

I shrug and lean back in my chair. “Not my problem. I gave you a job and am severely disappointed that you failed so epically. You're lucky you hold the position you do, Chief. Otherwise, I wouldn't hesitate to remove you. Maybe I will anyway… Fire Chiefs are so easy to replace after all.”

He blanches. “I'm sorry, sir. I hope you can still trust me; I won't let you down again.”

I sigh. “I know. Now, go. Get out of my sight before I toss you in front of them. Think about your poor wife once they get a hold of you…”

He scrambles up. “Thank you, sir. I promise, I'll do better.”

“Of course, you will. You don't want to disappoint me again.”

“No, sir.”

“Get out.”

He leaves and I rub at my temples. Fucking incompetent idiots. You'd think he would have known better. No matter… As I said, Fire Chiefs are so easily replaced.

Picking up my phone, I dial the number from memory.

“Sir?”

“I need you to take out the Fire Chief. I don't care how, but I want it done by tomorrow morning.”

“It'll be done…” I can feel the hesitation in his voice, and I bite back a sigh at having to stay on the line with him for any longer than I need to.

“My contacts…they gave me some interesting information this morning. You beat me to this phone call.”

“Get on with it…”

“The Martellis and Amatos…apart from the Bosses, have left the Martelli mansion.

I don't know where they went, or why—I'm looking into it now—but…

this could be used to our advantage. If they're trying to cover more ground, or split up for safety reasons…being divided means we have more opportunities to grab them.”

“Or it could be a trap. Don't let your idealistic side get too far ahead, boy. You're my proxy, but you still have a lot to learn about this life.”

He sucks in a breath. “Yes, sir. I’ll try to dig more. But as I said, this could be a boon for us.”

“We’ll see,” I say, making sure the doubt can be heard in my tone, even as I’m thinking of all the ways this could go in our favor. “Bring me more information, not speculation or your useless ideas, Kieran. I want results, not ifs or buts.”

“Yes, sir.”

I hang up without another word. Fucking useless children. I don’t want rumors and speculation, I want facts, things I can use to take those fuckers down. If Kieran doesn’t start pulling his weight soon… Well, then I’ll just have to marry Cecily off so I can still have an heir.

Pushing those thoughts to the side, I pick my phone back up to call the child that’s actually useful, hoping she can shed some light on her brother’s dumbassery. Because I’ll give the boy one thing, he might be useless, but his contacts aren’t.

And something tells me we’ll need every single one in order to reach our end goal. Those assholes think they’re smarter than I am? I’m about to prove them all wrong…