Chapter 2
Marriage. No damn way.
I was going to my grave as a bachelor against my dying mom’s wish. Love and marriage weren’t in the cards for me, and I wasn’t stupid enough or hopeful enough to think differently.
Lucky for me, Mom had three additional boys who would likely give her grandchildren and maybe my sister would. Not that my mom would get to enjoy them now that she was gone. Still, it was her wish, and while I wasn’t inclined to fulfill it, my brothers didn’t seem to have my hangups.
However, the proposition gave me pause. Half a billion dollars? Financially, my family was in trouble. Of course, that was a tightly held secret. The burden on our family business had grown heavier in recent months. We’d made some tough choices three years ago, and the consequences were starting to bite. It was a daily struggle to keep the family solvent.
It was the right move, though. Mom asked, and as head of the family, I’d delivered and in less time than I’d planned. My siblings and I were cleaning up the area. At least, this was a wish I could help my siblings fulfill. Our streets would be safe for other little sisters. Another family would never bear the heartbreak of loss as we did. Not if we had anything to do with it.
What I didn’t understand was why Claire Benoit thought she needed to pay someone to marry her. I’d noticed her the moment she walked in the door, mostly because she stuck out. It wasn’t often we had the high society of the likes of a Benoit in our restaurant.
Aside from that fact, she was beautiful. The type of beauty meant for opera houses, upper-class parties, and dinners with kings and queens. Not tattooed thugs such as me. I wasn’t unattractive by any stretch, and at one point, the revolving door to my bed could’ve proven it. None of them held the air of grace and sophistication the woman across from me did.
There wasn’t a stitch of makeup on her face. Her eyes were green jewels, and her jasmine scent had wrapped around me the second I was in her gravity. Her skin looked so soft that I had to fist my hands to keep from touching her, and then back up arrived in the form of my unwitting sister. I guess I should say I was saved since I was seconds away from losing all willpower.
Claire was petite and delicate, with shapely legs. She was a flower in her soft pink billowy blouse and gray pencil skirt. No heels. I liked that. She wasn’t trying to be something she wasn’t, unlike everyone else around me.
Dark hair, neatly braided, draped over her shoulder and nearly touched parts of her I had to work on not to think about it. Just how long was her hair? How soft? I could picture myself running my fingers through it. I suspect it was like satin. A feathery kiss against my skin.
Her glossy pink lips were pure temptation. Did she know how sexy she was? How could she not? I pushed away less-than-admirable thoughts about what I could do with them. In my gut, I knew it’d be a battle to keep them from the forefront of my mind long after she left my establishment.
“I’ll sign a contract. I’ll make sure it’s airtight just to put you at ease. All I need is a few weeks of your time. We don’t even have to live together. I just?—”
Wait. Did she mean divorce? Because that wasn’t our way. Yes, we needed the money, but I wasn’t getting married just so I could get a divorce. My mom was weeping as she looked down from heaven at the mere suggestion. Kalantzis didn’t get divorced. The ‘til-death-do-us-part in the vows was a threat, not a pledge.
“No,” I said, hoping the firm tone conveyed the finality of the decision. No marriage. No divorce. No chance.
“What?”
“I said no.”
“But I know you need the money.”
It may as well have been daggers she’d thrown at me. In an instant, I was a bottle of fury. “Get out.” I stood and pointed to the door. “Get out now.” It was less about my need to get her out of the restaurant and more about my need to keep my hands from wrapping around her throat.
I was already halfway to my office, confident she sensed my anger and split. When her cool fingers tugged on my hand, shock was an understatement. The girl had nerve; I’d give her that.
“Mr. Kalantzis, you didn’t even hear me out.”
Jerking my hand away, I didn’t even slow down as I threw my reply over my shoulder. “I don’t have to hear you out. The answer is no. I will not marry you. You could offer to rope the moon and kiss the sun with your bare lips, and I still wouldn’t marry you.”
She rushed ahead of me and held out her hands in an attempt to stop me. “Please. Please hear me out.”
I didn’t normally try to scare women. At least, not anymore, but I loomed over her. I wanted her to feel so small that she’d tuck her tail and run. Step after step. I didn’t stop until her back was firmly pressed against the wall, and her eyes were wide as saucers. “Get out and never, ever darken the door of my restaurant again for as long as you breathe.”
I expected fear in her eyes, but what filled them wasn’t anywhere near that. It was agony. Her skin turned almost as green as her eyes. My anger was tempered by my curiosity.
The door to the restaurant opened, and she stilled the moment two men stepped inside. Their voices carried, and we both knew at least one of them.
Franklin Benoit.
Her manicured fingers dug into my lapels. “Where’s the back door?” The demand was sharp, her words laced with a tremor that hadn’t been there before. Her eyes, wide and a little frantic, darted in the direction of the voices growing closer. “Please.”
I pointed, indicating she needed to walk straight and then take a left.
Claire’s intense gaze made my heart rate spike. It felt like she was peering into my soul, and I felt naked under the intensity. “Don’t believe anything he says.”
Before I could respond, she was in a full-tilt run. As confused and hungry for answers as I was, I was more interested in the man who made her run.
Franklin Benoit. The name itself sent a jolt through me. Years of whispers and rumors coalesced into a living, breathing person now in my restaurant. On the outside, he was a saint, but inside, he was the devil. He had his hands in unspeakable things. Hurting women. Hurting my baby sister. Sunshine and rainbows and gone far too soon from this earth. We’d buried her and my dad only months before Momma died of a broken heart.
If it was the last thing I did, I was going to kill that man. I was going to paint the walls with his blood and hang him from a bridge with his sins written out for everyone to see. My family would see justice, even if justice didn’t want to see us.
I met my baby brother, Ari, and the short, thin-faced devil accompanied by his French equivalent of an enforcer, Remy Durand, and steeled my features until I knew they were unreadable. “Mr. Benoit, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”
The man smiled. He had at least twenty years on me, age-wise. I based that on the salt and pepper in his hair. “I thought it was past time that you and I officially met.” He extended his hand and shook mine. “Your brother also tells me you serve the best lamb in town. I love lamb.”
It took every ounce of constraint I had not to lay him flat where he stood, even at the risk of destroying our business. I would have, too. If it weren’t for the fact that we didn’t want to just wreck him, we wanted to wreck his entire empire. If he was here, there was a reason, and it wasn’t because the lamb was exceptional.
Franklin looked at his enforcer. “Wait outside for me.”
The man eyed me and then Ari. It was obvious the guy didn’t like that idea. He didn’t voice it, though.
“Go,” Franklin said in a firm tone. “I’ll be fine.”
Remy took one more look, turned, and stomped out of the restaurant.
Franklin exhaled. “Forgive Remy. He’s rather obstinate at times.”
I smiled. “Nothing to forgive. Loyalty is a rare trait these days.”
The man held my gaze for a fraction of a second and nodded. “Yes, it is.”
Instead of the booth I’d shared with Claire, I led Franklin deeper inside the restaurant. Neither of us wanted the light to shine on us while we were sitting across from one another, nor did I want us to be overheard. The servers were well aware of what sitting back here meant and took measures to make sure no one was seated close enough to overhear.
While Ari seated Franklin, I stopped by the bar and grabbed three glasses and the best Scotch we had.
After I’d poured our drinks, I took my seat and waited. He’d come to me, so he’d be the one to speak first. It didn’t take long.
He swirled the amber liquid. “Mr. Kalantzis.” His eyes leveled with mine. “Or may I call you Lucas?”
“That seems acceptable, Mr. Benoit.” I’d pretend to lick his boots for the moment. Avenging my sister’s death was worth every ounce of pride I had.
“Franklin. We’re equals here.”
“Thank you for that honor.”
He sat forward. “I won’t beat around the bush. I have several things to discuss.”
“I’m listening.” I smiled as I cut a quick look at Ari. An unspoken understanding passed between us. We needed to be careful. This man had plans for us, and they weren’t good. We both knew it. Once this meeting was over, the family would gather and discuss the strange turn of the tide.
“I believe I have a proposition that could mutually benefit us both.”
Two Benoits in one day offering proposals of mutual benefits. I didn’t know if I was lucky or marked. To be safe, I went with marked.
Then another thought struck me. Was Claire trying to outmaneuver her father and take over? Maybe she’d looked innocent, but the devil in her father touched her as well. It wouldn’t be the first time a child usurped their parent.
Franklin cleared his throat. “I also hope that what is spoken between us stays that way as well.”
I took a moment, pretending to weigh his statement. “Our conversations are between us. Anyone caught wagging their tongue will lose it.” I laced the words with more than enough venom to get my point across.
A smile thinned on his lips, and he dipped his chin in acknowledgment of my words. “I’m sure you’re aware of the vigilantes plaguing Chicago and many of the families.”
“I am. We’ve been hit several times now.” It was tricky attacking your own operation and making it look legit, but my brothers and I had pulled it off. “We’ve suffered by their hand.” Another reason the family was hurting. We had to make it look good. Recovering too quickly would turn eyes in our direction.
“Then we share the same nuisance. I plan to find out who they are and make examples of them that will leave no room for a return.” He took a drag of his Scotch. “However, we’re not as strong as we once were, nor are our finances. One of my soldiers decided to dip his fingers into my pocket and steal from me.”
“I’m to assume that this soldier was buried with one less digit.” I smiled.
Satisfaction flared in Franklin’s eyes. “It took a few days, but yes.”
I sat back and took a sip of my drink, letting the liquid roll around in my mouth before I held his gaze and replied, “Glad to know we have similar standards.”
“Indeed.” He licked his lips in what I suspected was to be a sign of distress, but my gut said that flick was calculated. I wasn’t sure where he was trying to move his queen on the chessboard, but I wasn’t taking the bait. I wasn’t even willing to sacrifice a pawn at this point.
Franklin lifted his glass, pausing just before he put it to his mouth. “Which brings me to my situation and, hopefully, a solution that will find us both in a better position.”
I waited.
Franklin finished his drink, not quite slamming the glass on the table. “My daughter comes into her trust fund in three weeks when she turns twenty-one. My parents wanted their granddaughter to start her life with her husband on equal footing, and the size of her fortune would be a daunting task for anyone to match. To rectify that, the man she marries will receive half of it.”
“That must be one mountain of a financial problem to climb that they would give her husband half of her trust fund.”
“You could say that. Half a billion.”
For now, I wouldn’t let him know that I’d met with Claire earlier. I took a breath, raising my eyebrows. I shook my head as though this was the first I’d heard of it. “So, Mt. Everest.” I eyed him. “What does any of it have to do with me?” I had a feeling I knew, but I wanted to hear it from him.
His lips twitched up, and I could feel the evil radiating from him. “That fortune is rightfully mine,” he spat, and quickly regained his composure. “I’m suggesting an alliance formed by the union of you and my daughter. I’d also hope that the butcher of West Loop could persuade my daughter to be generous enough to share her good fortune…us being family by then.”
What was he saying? He wanted me to kill his kid for money? Surely, I heard him wrong. In our world, family meant everything. The only time that ever came into question was betrayal. That was when things could get dicey. What had Claire done to him? Or was he simply trying to cut the head off a snake? I didn’t know either of them, so in my mind, it was a toss-up. “I’m surprised you wouldn’t want all of it.”
“My daughter is not the purest nor the most attractive. Her husband needs to be paid for his inconvenience. If it were me, I’d want compensation for my trouble.”
If Franklin was looking to call me his son-in-law, then he was clearly willing to break fingers until the money was signed over to him. It wouldn’t happen, but the thought rippled through my mind anyway. Two hundred and fifty million was a lot to just sign away for inconvenience. “How can this individual be assured that you wouldn’t just take his half, too?”
He took a breath. “I can see where someone would be hesitant. That’s why suggesting the alliance.” He held up his hands. “I know your family isn’t as strong as it once was, no disrespect intended, and this alliance could bolster us and give us a better advantage.”
It would, and were this three years ago, I might have truly considered it. “It sounds like your daughter isn’t exactly thrilled about giving up half her fortune. Two hundred and fifty million seems like a steep price for such a contentious plan.”
His obsidian eyes glinted. “She’ll do what I tell her to do. As for the trouble, there’s a reason the vows include ‘til death do us part.”
Holy…“ And you wouldn’t seek revenge for her death?”
His chest rose and fell twice. “I’ve used my power the past twenty years to hide her mother’s unfaithfulness from the public, and the only reason Claire’s lived as long as she has is because of that trust. I don’t care what happens to her once I get what’s due.”
The news that Claire wasn’t even his blood made the situation even more convoluted. I couldn’t help but wonder if she knew.
“I know I sound harsh, but my soul belonged to her mother. I worshipped the ground she walked on. I’ve never loved anyone as deeply as I loved her. My heart was ripped from my chest the moment I discovered her betrayal. It was my love for her that kept that child alive, but it’s come to my attention that she’s got plans to take over the family before I’m ready to relinquish my position.”
Now, the picture was growing clearer. This was a vie for power. It made me wonder which of them was the bigger snake. Claire hadn’t struck me as the cutthroat type, but she was a Benoit. Why I’d even given her the benefit of the doubt made me feel like a fool.
They’d both made a play and now I was going to use them to get what I wanted. I looked at Ari. “I’ll need time to think it over.”
“I figured you might say that.” He pulled open his suit coat and withdrew an envelope, handing it to me. “I’m having a dinner party tonight at my club, Nocturnal. I’d consider it an honor if you’d attend. You can meet my daughter, and maybe that will help with your decision.”
Without studying it too hard, I nodded. “Thank you for the invitation. I’ll see what I can do about attending.”
We finished up our business just as the club’s traffic began picking up for the night. Ari and I were quiet until we were safely behind the door of my office.
Ari was the first to speak. “He’s playing us.”
“Don’t I know it. Claire Benoit was here right before him, wanting the same thing,” I said as I took a seat behind my desk.
“Wait. His daughter was here?”
“She left just as you walked in.”
He set his hands on his hips. “They’re both playing us.”
“Agreed.” I pulled my phone from my pocket. “We need to call the family in.”
I already knew what was going to be said and the sacrifice I would be making. Still, I wanted the backing of my family. Alexander, Dimitris as well as Thea needed to know who and what we might be up against. If the Benoit’s were making a power play, there was a chance it could make it harder for us to continue to make good on our promise.
Either way, I was about to throw my grenade between Claire and Franklin and see who flinched first.
My bet was Claire.