Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
Ronan
If there was any life in my brother‘s eyes when I met him, it was effectively gone now. I wanted to ask questions, demand answers, but I couldn’t bring myself to make him re-live that.
Instead, I swiped the papers he’d dropped when he stepped outside.
He may not understand the reach that the Crows have, but I did. In time he’d realize the truth.
There was something in the way he studied those words, like he knew he would never accept that reality. They had stolen his chance to see the body, and to me, it sounded like a damn cover-up.
But, now wasn’t the time to push it.
After another hour of deep silence, we finally arrived back at the compound. Luca was waiting as I parked the car, his eyes flickering to mine and then the man that stood next to me.
Obviously, he knew everything. Our pack was close and I had no intention of keeping secrets. He knew exactly where I went and why.
The real test would be getting past my father. I told him more than once of my intentions, but Victor Crowe didn’t seem to think that it was necessary to bring his ‘bastard children’ into the fold.
I froze outside, staring up at the house as the two men who made up my pack waited.
“He’s not going to be happy to see me, is he?” Nikolai asked, his voice still hollow.
There was no sense in lying to my brother, so I didn’t.
“No, but I don’t care,” I told him firmly. “You shouldn’t, either.”
“If he tells you to throw me out of this place—”
“He won’t,” I cut him off. “Despite what my father thinks, he’s not the only one with leverage and support in this family.”
“It’s not him you have to worry about, anyway,” Luca said pointedly. I groaned internally, not ready to cross this bridge but I had no choice.
My brother looked at me and Luca, then back at me, and raised a single eyebrow. His silent and grumpy way of asking me who the fuck Luca was and what he meant.
“This is Luca, my pack mate,” I introduced him. “Luca, my brother Nikolai.”
They each gave one of those imperceptible nods and nothing more, but I didn’t question it. I knew this was right.
I was standing by this decision.
“And he’s speaking of our other brother, Alessio. He’s a fucking snake, trust nothing he says. Ever.”
“Noted.” Just like that he trusted me.
The world always talked about meeting your omega and how impactful that was.
But finding a pack was similar. The brotherhood that formed almost instantly was just as strong of a connection.
I knew the moment that I met Luca who he was to me, and when I was looking into my father’s illegitimate children, Nikolai was the only one who stood out.
With everything, I was careful. I didn’t dive in and seek him out. I watched, surveilled, did what I was good at, and the more I saw, the more I knew I had to seek him out.
Nikolai was pack, even though he’d all but given up on life.
After he settled, I’d ask the right questions, find the right resources, and track my omega down.
I had all the information I needed in my pocket. The rest I’d learn over time.
“I need a fucking drink,” I said, rolling my shoulders and clapping my brother on his back.
He jumped, tossing the glare my way, but I simply grinned back, leading him to the parlor.
“This is one big ass house,” he finally said as we walked in through the garage.
I’m sure he thought so. I saw the trailer he grew up in. I couldn’t help but wonder why Victor chose to lower his standards and fraternize with someone so out of his league.
We all knew his standards were bullshit, but he swore by them. My father fought his way to his riches, stepping on the backs of others. He used violence and blackmail as a way to control the world, and his men were no different.
As we walked further inside, I tried to see our place from my brother’s eyes.
The marble floors were polished, the art on the walls more money than he could fathom.
Everything was meticulously placed and cleaned to perfection.
The staff he had yet to see worked day and night to keep this place running and were paid handsomely for their silence.
They were just as loyal to Victor Crowe as his men.
The hallway branched off to the west wing and I followed it down to the side of the house that was mine. Far away from Alessio and his constant string of women and fuckboy friends.
There was a reason I was first in line for the Crows. Not just birth order, but the fact I worked hard, had standards, and didn’t have my head up my own ass.
He couldn’t say the same.
“Here we are,” I said as I pushed into the parlor. The room Luca and I spent most nights in. It was painted a deep emerald green. The furniture and floors were polished until they were gleaming. The dark wood of the floors and furniture paired with the dark paint made the whole room seem dim.
An overly fancy black and bronze light fixture hung down over the bar. It was studded in leather, and behind it stood just about every expensive bottle of liquor you could dream of.
“Drink, dear brother?” I questioned as I moved behind it and snagged a glass for myself and Luca.
He rolled his eyes at me.
“I don’t drink,” he said.
“Makes sense,” I offered, glad he at least wasn’t storming out. “Will it bother you if we do?”
“Would it matter if it did?” he countered, though, he made no real protests.
“It would,” I said, meaning it.
He looked skeptical, but didn’t question it as he dropped into a leather armchair in the corner, his back to a wall so he could watch us. He didn’t say either way, so I poured a drink for myself and my pack mate.
“And Victor?” Luca questioned me.
“What about him?” I feigned ignorance.
He scoffed and shook his head.
“You know damn well. What’s he going to think of this new arrangement?”
“Doesn’t fucking matter. The Crows will be mine someday,” I argued back, voice sharper than I intended.
“Unless Alessio has his way,” Luca said darkly. He wasn’t affected by my mood, simply taking it in stride as he always did.
“Why is Alessio such a problem?”
I didn’t expect Nikolai to be listening, but now his eyes were locked on me. Maybe he wasn’t as checked out as I thought. His gaze was sharp and I had a feeling he’d be far more of an asset here than I even anticipated.
“He’s a...” I trailed off, trying to find the right words to tell him that he was a useless pain in my ass.
“He’s the kind of man that wants to take over the Crows, to run them with an iron fist like my father, only he doesn’t have the control my father does.
He’s greedy, manipulative, and he does not have the loyalty.
My father, at least, has some charm to round out his rougher side.
Not to mention, he’s not impulsive and spoiled. ”
“He’s putting it mildly. He’s a fucking weasel, and he always has been.”
“Can’t wait to meet him,” Nikolai said sarcastically.
I chuckled, a bit surprised that he was even joking.
“Dear brother, are you cracking jokes because you’re warming up to me already?” I cooed, letting out a gleeful laugh that even made his lips twitch.
“Is it just you and your father and your younger brother? Did he raise you to be some fancy assassins?”
If anyone else had asked me that question, I would assume they were being assholes. With him, there was an open curiosity. My brother didn’t seem the type to toy with people. He was blunt and didn’t bother to shy away from difficult questions. I respected that about him.
“I genuinely don’t remember much about my mother.
She was quiet and kept to herself more than she probably should have.
I’m sure my father didn’t give her an easy life.
She had me and my brother a few years apart.
We were raised by a team of nannies and maids.
I don’t even remember her voice or scent.
There are some fancy portraits around the house of her. ”
“He must have a knack for women who don’t have any maternal instinct,” my brother said, almost too quiet to hear what he was saying.
“She was gone by the time Alessio was old enough to talk,” I admitted with a shrug. That old wound was long healed over.
“So, when did you start training for all this?” he gestured around, but I knew he meant this life.
“My nannies were the type to teach discipline and order. Their entire purpose was to teach us to follow my father’s orders implicitly. We were meant to be mindless drones.”
“And when you didn’t?” Nikolai’s words had me stunned.
“There was no other option back then. I followed them because I saw what he’d done to others. That fear was enough. He took me to my first kill at ten. By fourteen, I was regularly used in operations and had an array of guns and blades in my arsenal.”
Luca made a noise and poured a stronger drink, swallowing it down. I waited for him to look at me before continuing.
“I was a pretty cute kid, the kind that you didn’t think much about. Everyone just assumed we were a normal family and that got us in and out of places that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to. We blended into the background, were just unremarkable enough to not catch eyes.”
He opened his mouth to say something else but I waved it off.
“Let’s not talk about topics like this tonight,” I said, waving a hand between us. “I’d much rather focus on what’s to come.”
“Other than telling me I was going to be part of your team, you didn’t give me many details,” he pointed out.
“An alpha needs a little bit of mystery,” I shot back with another grin.
There was that look again, the slightly exasperated one that he loved to give me.
The one that told me he was going to be just fine here.