16. Vince
Vince
“My strongest Crow,” Damius tapped the edge of the knife on the desk, staring at me. “Is responsible for creating three of the weakest to carry our name.”
At a young age, I had learned, giving him any reaction only fed him.
“I gave you those boys, expecting you to mold crows. Not to create three low-level thugs.”
“You didn’t give them to us.” I kept my hands in my pockets, meeting his cold stare. “We made a deal.”
He got me. He fucking broke me. And in exchange, Nikolai and I got our siblings.
“And as I said, we handled it.”
“You.” He pointed at me. “You handled it. My Crow handled their fucking mistake.” He threw the knife across the room, it only just missing the portrait of my father.
He wanted me to bite back. To fight. Instead, I stayed calm. I raised men, not broken boys. I stood by mine and Nikolai's decision.
“I have asked Bastion to join us.” he stepped away from the desk, and there were few things that would get a reaction out of me. But threatening them was definitely one.
“Damius, as you said, they are my crows, my responsibility. So, I’ll take the consequences.”
His eyes lit up, and that’s when I realized I had fucked up.
“But Vincent, hurting them, hurts you more. Consequences for both. Sounds fair, does it not?”
It took everything inside of me to control my reaction.
“Would any of the crows you made last in the basements? Because every crow I made did.” He stepped forward, ready for a challenge. “What did I always tell you? Your weaknesses are my opportunities.”
I slowly nodded. “I remember the all the vows, Damius. So, what shall it be, then?”
That sick, twisted look in his eyes.
I took a step forward, “But my right is to take both punishments. According to the oath, correct?”
“And if I’m to punish all three of them? Then what?”
I shrugged. I highly doubted there was something he could think of I hadn’t endured.
His cold stare slowly turned into a smile. “Always my strongest.” Laughing, he hit my back, “Come, the rest of my crows are waiting.”
I followed behind him. There wasn’t anything I hated more than the formal sit down with my cousins every second month. Over thirty of us waiting to be scolded. Nine out of ten times, it was my family he targeted. Unless one of the others really fucks up.
Then if by some miracle he doesn’t target a member of my family.
He targets Villain. Somehow finding a way my city has disappointed him. Considering our trade was down because of the laced drugs. Three buildings went up in a fire. And there was that massive fuck up with Roman and the guns.
It would take something serious to not have his full focus for tonight.
This whole meeting I enjoyed Damius ripping shreds off Jamison and Marcel.
Nearly starting a war. Honestly, it was just a bonus that Madeline’s cousins were the ones to make them look bad.
“Like you said, grandfather. The actions were careless. So careless it looks staged.” Jamison was glaring at me.
“Is there a reason you’re looking at me, Jamison?” I turned my chair to look down the table at him.
“Perhaps I just want answers.” He shrugged, staring at me.
“Answers to what exactly?” Tapping my finger on the table as I looked from him to Marcel. “Are you two trying to say that this giant fucked up mess is somehow our fault?”
“Your fault. To be exact.” Marcel glared. “Do we look stupid, Vincent? The attack was so staged, you might as well of signed your name with blood at the scene.”
“Lacking accountability, don’t we have a vow about that, Damius?” I asked, not taking my eyes off them. “A Crow is as weak as the mistakes he fails to admit.”
Marcel hit the table. “Don’t you fucking sit there, baiting us, when we know it was you.”
“I flew to your territory to blow up the Thorne’s shipment yards, all to create a supply and demand problem that you would benefit from?”
“It’s not about the money. It’s about that bitch that used to be glued to your side!”
Holding my reaction. I could feel Damius watching me.
“And last week when Jamison held a gun to Felix Thorne, was that me, too?”
“You fucking?—”
“Enough.” Damius spoke to him. “It is best for both of you to remain silent while I have some respect remaining.” As he stood up, “I have spoken with the Thornes. Seeing the significant damage to both sides is impossible to forgive and forget. We have decided a family merger is the best option.”
Family merger .
Pure white panic runs through me. Their family only has one person not married.
It took all my effort not to break the fucking armrests.
“Considering the bad blood is in your territory, Marcel. I am suggesting Oliver or August.”
Marcel's lips curve up, still staring at me. “August.”
Her marrying into another family was nearly impossible to live with. Her marrying one of my cousins. I couldn’t survive that.
“No. She’s mine.” I lifted my cold stare from Marcel to Damius. “If that is a problem. August and I can take it outside.” Not even giving that fucker the respect of being looked at as I challenge him.
Twice I had seen my grandfather surprised. The first when I admitted to killing my father, and now.
“Vincent, you once said you’d never marry or take another oath for this family.”
My weaknesses were his opportunities.
I tried to think of the right way to not spike his interest in her. But fuck it, what life or sanity would I have if she married my cousin?
“She will marry me, even if I have to step over a dead body on the day.”
Silence.
The type that is normally followed by pain or, in our family, a bullet. Threatening death to another family member is punishable. Considering the look in Marcel’s eyes, he was waiting for Damius’s command.
Instead, like a madman, Damius started laughing.
Sick. Twisted. Bastard.
“What do I always say, my strongest Crow.” He grabbed my shoulders. “No threats, promises.” Walking around me, down the length of the table.
“Now these accusations, Marcel,” Damius stood across from him, behind Bastion.
I shifted on my chair, ready to get involved if he touched him. Nikolai seemed to have the same idea.
“You were correct when we looked closer at Vincent's location. He wasn’t in town the day of the shipment fire occurred.”
What the fuck.
“When traced, and location thoroughly checked. Vincent was found to be with Sofia.” He tapped Bastion's shoulders. “Like a good brother, or some may say, father.” Letting go of him, he walked past Luca. “Now your location wasn’t to be found, Marcel, and Oliver.” Damius slowly eyed them.
“A pattern of large gaps where no location data can be found, even on yourself, Jamison.” He clicked his tongue.
“So, shall I keep digging to find out why?”
None of us were stupid enough to think he didn’t know.
“No grandfather.” Marcel turned to look at me. “We accept accountability for these…unfortunate events.”
“Very well,” Damius stood at the end of the table. “Vincent is to take the oath with the Thorne girl. This matter won’t be spoken about again. Now,” he clapped his hands, the side doors opened. “We shall celebrate, Marcels announcement on my first great grandson, to be named in my honor.”
Too bad if they didn’t want to name their kid after him. Damius the fourth. Fuck that for a first name.
I shared a look with Nikolai as the drinks started to be poured.
I had never needed a drink more. How was I going to explain to Madeline she didn’t have a choice about marrying into our sick fucked up family?
The car ride back with Nikolai was silent. Every possible way I thought of telling her seemed to just not be right.
The only choice I could give her was me or August.
My stomach twisted. What if she wanted to marry August?
“I blew up the Thornes yard.”
What the fuck.
I turned to look at Nikolai. Who had been silent for the last two and a half hours on the drive home.
“So, under no fucking circumstances are you to let Maddy marry August, understand? She doesn’t get a choice between you and him.
It’s just you.” He turned to look at me.
“I didn’t carefully plan, start a war, keep all our hands clean, for you to fuck up my plan at the end.
Then for us all to end up in a worse position. ”
He started their war. So Marcel was right. Knowing they really hadn’t been responsible infuriated me more.
“Clearly you’re not very fucking busy.” I shook my head. While I was carrying this family, mister arson was flying up the coast starting wars. “When did you put all this in motion?”
“That night at the club, when I found you in the hall.” He checked his watch. “Honestly, you’re unbearable without her. I forgot how bad you could get.”
“Unbearable?”
“Worse than when you were sleep deprived because of the twins.” He shook his head, “and I’m not letting you slip back to how bad you were at twenty-five. Just before you met her. I nearly lost you.”
Gritting my teeth.
The car stopped at his front door.
“Her engagement falling apart just before it made it easier. I had already organized a hit on Noah.” He opened the car door. “Maddy belongs with you and our family, so don’t fuck this up. Understand? She doesn’t have a choice. Do I need to be the bad guy and be the one that tells her?”
Not getting out of the car, he waited for my answer.
The bastard waited until the last possible moment to tell me on the drive home.
“Vince, do I need to tell her?”
Shifting on the seat. “No. I’ll handle it.”
“Good.” He got out, closing the door.