Chapter 46 #3
Santiago leans forward, intrigue marring his features.
“You couldn’t have been involved at that point.
You would have been too young. Sorry, that’s presumptuous of me.
” He shakes his head like he’s slowing his thoughts.
“I should have led with Aleksei giving us a rundown of how the agreement between Victor and Ivan came about.”
I nod, agreeing, but keep generalizing to see what they know too. “Something happened years ago.”
Santiago takes another sip of his wine, putting the glass down so he can use his hands as he talks. “It’s hard to put all this into order, but I think now is the time I need to tell you about me and what I am involved in.”
I sit back again, holding my glass of wine so I don’t fidget.
“My father is Cartel. And like the Russians, the Irish, and the Italians, the setup of the business is similar, in that one holds the ultimate power, and he rules over other men who each rule over other men. A pyramid of power. My father sits at the top. I’m his illegitimate son, but that’s not an issue for either of us.
My siblings are mostly women, which, given the very patriarchal mindset of the Cartel—something I’d like to change—means the leadership falls to me or one of my two stepbrothers.
But they are way too young. Either way, my stepsiblings all know about me and support our father’s decision that I will take over from him when the time comes.
His men know, they support him to his face, and I guess, upon his death, we will find out if they are men of honor or if they’re going to be an issue with me taking the position. ”
Santiago stops talking and studies me. Perhaps he’s worried he’s going to overwhelm me, but I’m enthralled with his story. I want to know everything about him.
“Keep going,” I say, switching my wine for a glass of water that Kade offers. I need my wits about me, because what they’re saying is true, our paths were crossing way back then.
“Now that you know that,” he continues, “you have to go back a number of years.”
I lock up, and none of them miss my spike of anxiety.
“At that time, I was relatively new to the scene. I was at an event, kind of like an underworld conference, but there, I met a handful of other men, similar age and background to me. Your lawyer is a De Luca, but I knew her husbands before they took over the Italians. I also met the son of the Irish underworld boss, Ronin O’Connor, and some of his pack. ”
I breathe slowly through my mouth as my tension mounts, but we maintain eye contact.
“We fell into a casual friendship of sorts, but a few years later, something happened that turned us into brothers. Particularly Valentine, Ronin, and myself.”
I nod for him to go on.
“Ronin’s youngest sister was abducted, and we uncovered people in the mob were involved, as well as some associates of my father’s.
Unknowingly, we fell headfirst into a child trafficking ring set up in Croatia.
And the age thing from before comes from the fact Ronin, Valentine, and I probably weren't old enough to be dealing with what we found there ourselves, but someone had to.
“Another time, I’m happy to go into the details with you, but suffice to say, what we found there was fucking awful.
We came pretty close to killing each other.
What saved us was believing our paths had crossed for a reason, and doing whatever we could to eradicate child trafficking was our purpose.
In Croatia, surrounded by human atrocity, we set up the Trinity Alliance. ”
I stand up suddenly, and they surge to their feet with me. “Excuse me, I need a moment.”
Failure pulls my thoughts away from them. Guilt follows, flowing through my system like pollution.
Santiago’s story, his involvement with Trinity Alliance, and the very reason he initially set up his alliance with his friends is a heavy revelation. But it feeds my shame and the sense of inadequacy I’ve always harbored.
Fumbling my feet into Aleksei’s boots, I race outside and sit on the bench in the yard. Roshka and Nalla follow me out, disappearing from where I’m staring when they split up.
Within minutes, they join me, each of them bracketing close. I fold forward, slumping against their bodies.
I always knew what I stumbled upon was bigger than Victor said it was. I saw through his lies even then, but I didn’t anticipate the size it actually was. The thought of us sharing DNA makes me want to vomit.
I let my thoughts and emotions happen instead of fighting against them. I put my energy into not fixating, and tunneling my focus into slowing my breathing and stopping the nausea swirling around.
It takes a while of regulating my inhales and exhales against Roshka’s fur, but eventually, acceptance replaces the horror of the discovery.
It’s hard pulling myself together, but I have no choice. Later, I’ll fall apart, but we don’t exactly have the luxury of time at the moment. Now more than ever, I need, and want, to kill my asshole father.
I focus on my revenge, and as part of that, I have to reluctantly accept I did as much as I could back then. I did what I thought was right. Most people would have assumed reporting a crime was enough. Sadly, it was nowhere near enough. Neither was burning his warehouse to the ground, it seems.
I’m not the naive girl I was back then. Despite my current meltdown, I’m not defined by my emotions or the fact I am an Omega. And now, more than ever, I know I won’t fail; my pack won’t let me. As individuals, they’re all too personally invested for this not to be something we accomplish together.
Sitting up, I see them instead of heartbreak and problems.
The three of them are standing against the wall near the back door.
They didn’t rush in and try to save the day.
They know I can look after myself. It’s a gift, the way they do it, a loud proclamation I’m strong enough, but it's also very telling of how they’ll always be close by for me, when I need them.
“I’m the reason Victor missed his flight to Croatia.
” My words carry over the snow and the wail of the wind.
“We were having a meeting because, the night before, I had burned a warehouse to the ground, after I’d unlocked rooms and helped a handful of women and another handful of children escape.
I had evidence of what he was doing and sent it to the police and the ambassador at the time.
“Victor obviously got to them first. They didn’t show up, and no one came to see me to talk about it.
Anyway, apparently it was a Russian warehouse, and they were not happy that I’d messed everything up.
In Victor’s words, someone had to pay, so it was either me or my sister.
No-brainer there. But I had different proof of Victor’s own involvement, which was more disgusting than just trafficking. I blackmailed him because of it.
“I blackmailed him into paying for my education to become a doctor and leaving me alone until I had to be a Bratva wife. I needed time, anyway. I was only sixteen and freshly designated. Now I’m ready to take him down and every other person who was, and is, involved.”
“It’s a long list, maya. We will be old by the time we have finished,” Aleksei warns, though his expression isn’t a deterrent.
He beams at me with his pride and his personal promise of protection, along with his confirmation we are together forever.
I don’t think he will ever actually leave my side, irrespective of what our day holds.
“Can I come to you, bebe?” Santiago asks as soon as my eyes move off my husband onto him.
His designation shimmers around him, but he’s not forthright or expectant.
He is gentle and hesitant, waiting for my invitation.
It’s a side of Santiago I haven’t seen a lot of.
Some Alphas can’t drop their dominance, and they force things.
Not him or Aleksei. They change constantly, adapting to situations but, more importantly, to what I need.
It’s a beautiful confirmation, reinforced by the perfection of his scent and the way our bond radiates that these men are my pack.
I know it, but the reminder comes at a good time for me.
I smile softly at him and start to nod.
He’s striding across the courtyard before I finish. He pushes the dogs apart and squats in front of me. “Destiny marked you as mine a long time ago, Quinn. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to you.”
He wraps his arms around me, his forehead resting on mine, our breaths mingling. I inhale his scent, and he does something similar. I can feel his emotions clashing through our bond.
Cupping his face in my hands, I whisper against his face. “No wasted moments, Santiago.”
“None at all.”