Chapter 28
RANSOME
“Boys…” My dad paces the floor of the warehouse in front of the line of trucks. He has a brick of cocaine in his hand and he’s bouncing it with a nod. “We are very much in business.”
“I gotta say, that is the purest shit I’ve ever seen,” one of the drivers says. “Or tried…” He laughs at his own joke.
My dad shoots him a warning look. “Don’t get sloppy.”
“I would never dust and drive.”
“Not on the job. Not otherwise,” I double down. “We don’t hire users.”
“I shouldn’t have to tell you this, gentlemen.
” My dad’s voice gets louder, echoing through the building.
“This is the biggest job we have ever taken on. We are the number one seller on the streets of New York. Not just city, but state. And I think it’s safe to say we are now covering the surrounding areas too.
You can’t get snow this pure anywhere else.
And our suppliers aren’t selling this to anyone else.
Which means twice the responsibility. Twice the precaution. ”
“Twice the cash,” someone jokes, and both of us whip our attention around.
I grab the guy by the jumpsuit. “Twice the brains extracted mummy style from your face while you watch me do it, if you don’t shut the fuck up and take this seriously.”
The guy’s face pales. He nods quickly and falls silent. I drop him to the floor. I’m tempted to follow through on my promise anyway—drivers can always be replaced—-because fuck anyone who thinks they can mouth off to me.
Except her.
Or maybe especially her.
My dad goes on about the job and the stakes while I cool off.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Baron studying me.
He knows me. He knows me better than anyone, other than Maverick and my own mother.
My mother, of course, isn’t a part of these conversations.
She doesn’t like knowing much about this side of things other than the level of danger we are in so she knows which poker face to wear to the cocktail parties and how hard to pray over me when she goes to bed at night.
On the flip side, Maverick isn’t a part of meetings of this caliber. While we see him as family, he’s a loose cannon. A liability. And my dad doesn’t trust him.
I know what Baron is thinking. Or what he is trying to figure out at least. He knows something is on my mind.
Something that’s making me short with people, distracting me from the job at hand, and putting me on a knife’s edge about it.
It’s bad enough that I think this job is a risk.
But to be dealing with Amara in the middle of it, well.
I wouldn’t recommend that combination to anyone.
My dad takes the opportunity to talk to the drivers about the details of their jobs for the hundredth time. The first run was successful, but they could do better. While he roasts them, Baron pulls me aside.
My eyes are on the white brick wall of inventory from the first run. My mind, however, is about thirty minutes away in a one-bedroom penthouse with a view of Staten Island.
“Everything alright, boss?” Baron’s voice comes from behind me.
“Fine.”
“You seem… frustrated.”
“I said I’m fine,” I snap.
I’m not trying to be a dick. Baron is the definition of good people, but even so, I don’t like being pushed.
“Let me guess. You’ve got a woman on the brain.”
“Barry…” I warn him.
“I can see it on your face, Cuz. You’re being tormented. Women will do that.”
I want to tell him to fuck off. That it’s none of his business. To focus on the job and leave my personal life to me.
On the other hand, Amara is driving me crazy.
“It’s my assistant,” I finally admit.
“Figured as much.” I shoot him a glare. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Baron gives me a knowing look. “She really stirred things up at the party.”
“Yeah, well, you won’t have to worry about that again. I’m working on teaching her the etiquette.”
“So you’re invested,” he concludes.
“It’s complicated.”
Baron nods slowly. “And you’re sure she’s worth it?”
I turn to face him. “Are you questioning my choices?”
“No. But I am questioning your motives.” I stare at him, but he goes on. “Listen, I get it. She’s a lovely girl, don’t get me wrong. If I had to guess, she has substance, too. More than Jenica. But Jenica is the logical path.”
“Jenica was chosen for me.”
“There are rules to becoming a pakhan,” he unnecessarily reminds me.
“And you’re making the assumption I plan on following those rules.”
“Oh, I never assumed you’d follow the rules,” he says with a grin. “I just want to make sure, if you’re going to run the car off the tracks, that you have a plan. There’s a lot at stake.” Baron looks at the trucks. “Especially now. And the Chadovichs can smell it. Tristan can smell it.”
“I know that,” I bark out. “And that’s part of why I’m doing what I’m doing.
Amara can be useful . She’s smart. And she’s not tied to a family that is trying to yank the rug out from underneath us.
I may not believe in old-school Bratva traditions most of the time, but I do know the pros to having a partner if I am in charge. ”
“I understand that. I’d just make sure she isn’t tied to anything else either. Including your heart.”
I don’t like what Baron is implying. But it does make me think. He’s good at that, I’ll give him credit. I don’t let my guard down with anyone, but Baron knows me.
I turn to him again, losing the fangs a little. “She fights me on everything.”
“She’s a woman,” Baron laughs. “What did you expect?”
“No, I mean…” I rake a hand through my hair, frustrated, looking for the words to describe her.
But Amara Parker defies description. “She wanted me. Bad. And I’m used to that.
But now, she fights me. She’s always rearing up, looking for ways to make my life harder. What am I supposed to do with that?”
Baron fights a grin. “I’d start with not holding her hostage.”
“I’m not holding her hostage,” I snap.
Baron looks at me. “Can she leave?”
“When I say she can.”
His eyebrows rise.
“She knows too much.”
“What does she know?” he asks.
I don’t say anything. Because I don’t fully know that, either.
Baron goes on. “I'm just saying, it gives Beauty and Beast vibes. She’s not going to come down to dinner if you threaten to break the door down. You can’t force connection.”
“I don’t need to connect with her. I just need her to obey me.”
“I don’t think that’s how this works. If you want everyone to believe that you can’t marry Jenica because your heart is elsewhere, they need to see it. And they’re not going to see it if it’s forced.”
“So what are you saying, then? Fall in love with her?” I snort. “Because fuck that.”
“Maybe not love. But it wouldn’t kill you to romance her a little. Might be helpful, even. In more ways than one.”
Baron’s words rub me wrong. And that’s usually a sign that he’s right, which I hate. But I know that, if my plan is to avoid matrimony with the Chadovich queen, I am going to have to convince people that we are real.
Hell, at this point, I’d settle for Amara not hating me.