50. VIN
VIN
Sophie is laid out in the third row back seat, not speaking to me, which is fine. Her eyes are closed and she’s curled up with her knees to her chest. Fuck, she’s beautiful. Let her rest. This isn’t a conversation she needs to be a part of anyway.
“Look out for her,” I tell the driver and guard before I get out. “Protect her at all costs.”
They nod, and give me a ‘yes boss’ as I get out of the car.
Ronan is at the door to greet me, his face stony. He doesn’t invite me in. Instead he stands with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression blank.
“What is it that you’re here for, Vin? Hardly seems like a sound decision given your choices of late.”
I nod. “You’ve been hitting our guys, so we hit back. But we didn’t start this shit, Ronan. My goal here is to end it.”
Ronan frowns. “The fuck you didn’t start it. You and Ashlyn ran your little scam then you started hitting our guys.”
“We ran our little what?” I’m trying to stay calm but I’m on no sleep and I’m done with all of this. “Ashlyn didn’t want to marry me. I didn’t want to marry her. We tried to make it work for the sake of the alliance but at the end of the day, it’s not how either of us want to spend our lives.”
“Fucking great!” Ronan explodes, grabbing me by the collar. “So why the fuck didn’t you say something?”
I grab him back and it takes everything in me not to slam him on the ground. This is a peace deal I’m trying to broker. But… fuck it.
We hit the ground hard. “Why didn’t you talk to your fucking sister about this shit before you pushed it out to me? Why didn’t you fucking talk to me before fucking bombed Aurelio’s funeral and a half dozen other Demonio sites?”
“Wasn’t my call, fucker! My father set this up with your father.”
He lands a fist hard on my shoulder, the one with the stitches and I wince, which pisses me off more. I roll him onto his back and pound my fist into his jaw. “Who’s in charge? You or your fucking old man? Because I’m not working with that fucker. I’m working with you or fucking no one.”
But Ronan’s not fighting back. He’s laying on his back looking up at me, looking confused and angry. He blinks and it’s not because I hit him. “Fuck. My old man.”
He shoves me off him and I let him, sitting back on the ground, my knees bent, elbows on my knees.
“You hit us because you think we bombed Aurelio’s funeral?”
I run my hands over my face. “You saying you didn’t set that fucking bomb? Come on, man. We both know that’s bullshit.”
He holds up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t. That wasn’t me. I didn’t know about it. Two of my best guys were injured in the blast. No way I would have been anywhere near it.”
“That’s not what your boy Gavin said when you sicked him on Sophie.”
Ronan’s face flushes red then goes pale.
“That fucker. He’s my cousin. You know that.
But he’s never liked me, never liked my place in the family.
He’s been vying for my spot with my father and fucking winning for awhile now.
I didn’t think it would be a problem. I have the backing.
I’m the heir, and when my father’s dead, I intended to take over and deal with him then if he didn’t like it.
I knew Gavin has been working with my father of late, but I didn’t realize they were making moves without my say so. ”
“So your father sent Gavin to spy on me and Sophie? He ordered Gavin to set the bombs?” I punch the ground next to me, bruising my knuckles.
“That would be my guess.” He shakes his head.
“I’m fucking sorry, more sorry than I can say.
You know my father and I don’t see eye-to-eye, and you know I would have stopped it or warned you if I knew.
But he’s desperate for an alliance with you because you have the loyalty of all your father’s men, your men, Matti’s guys, and Tommy’s as well.
That’s a huge army. My father wants to trade access to the ports for access to your men.
I do as well. I’m guessing Gavin wanted to use that army against me as soon as he got the chance. ”
I grunt. “Killing those men off and blowing up the Demonio Brotherhood doesn’t sound like a smart move if that’s his goal.”
“Eh, he was just looking to scare you. If he’d wanted you wiped out, it would have happened. You know we’re better than that. Especially with bombs.”
I concede that with a head tilt, but my brain is spinning through the last year on hyperspeed. “Did you bomb Sophie’s restaurant?”
Ronan frowns. “I didn’t bomb any restaurants. Nor did I bomb your father’s funeral. Anything that Gavin and my father did was without my input. And on purpose, likely. My father knows how close you and I are.”
“Are we?” I don’t feel like I can trust anyone anymore. No one but my brothers.
“Vin, you’re my brother. Always. No one’s coming between us. When I finally get rid of my old man, it’ll be you and me taking over this city. In the meantime, I’ll be having a discussion with my father though. I need to put a stop to Gavin gunning for my seat and fucking up our alliance.”
“He’s not gunning for anything anymore.” I stand up and brush my clothes off then extend my hand.
Ronan looks up at me doubtfully for a moment before accepting.
“Not anymore, eh?”
I pull him to standing. “He threatened my family, Ronan. He pointed a gun at the mother of my child.”
Ronan’s eyes widen slowly. “I’m assuming you’re not talking about Ashlyn.”
“I’m not.” My phone buzzes in my back pocket with a text from the driver letting me know that Sophie is up and asking to go home. I text back and slide it back in my pocket. “For what it’s worth, I would never support anyone against you, Ronan. Not a fucking chance.”
“I know that, brother.”
My phone buzzes again. And again. And again.
“We’ll figure out another way to forge this alliance, but on our terms. Not our fathers.’” I hold out my hand to him, and he grabs it, pulling me in a for clap on the back at the same time.
“Nothing comes between us. Now go, be happy.”