Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Sergei had taken in Alina, and he was doing everything he could to protect her from her asshole ex. It wasn’t easy. She had heavy connections to the Russian mafia. It was a life Sergei had fought hard to walk away from, but with Bog's help and ours, he’d managed to forge a life of his own. Alina was a threat to his new life, but the old softy couldn’t turn her away.
In no time, he fell for her, and I’m pretty sure Bog did, too. It would’ve been hard not to. He was with her day in and day out, and when they came for her, he put up a hell of a fight. Unfortunately, they got the best of him, and we lost him.
I’d gone over that night a million times, but there was nothing any of us could’ve done to stop it. Regardless, it was a shame to lose him. “Bog had style. This Deen character is just a dick.”
“Admit it.” Memphis elbowed me. “You’re jealous.”
“Why the hell would I be jealous?”
“He’s prettier.”
Creed choked on his own spit, and Memphis started rolling with laughter. Deen glanced over at us, giving us a scolding look, and I wanted nothing more than to punch the asshole right in the nose. “Prettier, my ass. The man looks like he wrestles grizzly bears for foreplay.”
“Maybe so but look at that jawline.” Memphis cocked his brow. “While you got…”
“Say it.”
“Personality.”
Creed burst out laughing again. I didn’t flinch. I was used to their bullshit. It came with the brotherhood—unprovoked disrespect at all hours of the day. I shook my head and grumbled, “I hate you both.”
“No, you don’t.” Memphis threw his arm over my shoulder, grinning like the Cheshire cat. “You’re just mad that Deen’s out-Goosing you.”
“Not possible.” I brushed him off. “There’s only one Goose around here.”
“Thank God for that,” Creed scoffed.
I flipped them both off, then turned my attention back to the door. The crowd had trickled down to nothing, and the lights had dimmed. It was a good feeling. It wouldn’t be long before we’d all head out to the parking lot and make our way home. I was thinking about how good it would be to have a cold beer and a hot shower when Creed announced, “You know, I think our time here is about done.”
“What the fuck you talking about, brother?”
Creed shrugged like he hadn’t just tossed a bomb on us. “We were brought in to keep the trouble off Sergei’s back and keep the locals from causing bullshit. We’ve done that. Things are smooth now. Have been for months.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Other than the bit with Alina, things had been good. Damn good.
That didn’t mean I liked where this was headed. Memphis didn’t either. His brows furrowed. “So what? Things are going good, so Sergei’s gonna cut us loose?”
“No. We’d be cutting ourselves loose.”
“Prez know about this?”
“Yeah, he’s the one who mentioned it to me.” Creed kept his voice low and steady as he explained, “It’s time we either buy in, and I mean, really buy in. We get a say and a stake, or we walk away and let Sergei and his brothers take back the reins and run the place their way. They’ve earned that.”
I let out a deep breath.
Change and I had a complicated relationship. Mostly because change was never good in my book. It always seemed to come with a swift kick in my ass, and I wasn’t feeling an ass-kicking tonight. “So, that’s it? We just put all this work in and leave?”
“Wouldn’t be as simple as all that, but that’s the gist of it.” Creed’s eyes moved across the room, taking in the guards and the pit bosses still wandering around collecting last-minute slips. “This place isn’t ours. It never has been.”
“That doesn’t feel right.”
“Doesn’t make it any less true.” Creed crossed his arms. “We were never meant to stay forever.”
“Damn.” Memphis leaned back against the bar. “Didn’t think we were there yet.”
“Can’t keep spending our time guarding someone else’s empire. It’s time to think about our own.”
“What’s Sergei gonna say about all this?”
“Not sure. If I had to guess, I’d say he’d be good with it. They’ve got a hell of a crew working for them.”
“Except for Deen,” I grumbled. “Dude’s an asshole.”
“So damn jealous,” Memphis teased.
“Eat shit.”
Creed looked between us, then added, “Might be time for us to think about adding onto the Vault or opening up another across town.”
“Why don’t we put up a bar next door?” I suggested. “We can get folks feeling good on gin and send them over for a couple of rounds of blackjack.”
“Definitely something to consider. But for now, we hold down the fort and consider all options.”
“I’m up for anything, as long as Deen isn’t involved.”
“You’re gonna have to get a grip, brother.”