Page 74 of Whispers in the Dark
I drag my forearm across my brow, clearing the sweat, my gaze sweeping over each man in silence. Then I give a single, deliberate nod.
“Good,” Vin remarks. He turns to face them, his voice cutting through the room. “That’s enough for today. Be back here atseven a.m. sharp for artillery training.” His eyes narrow. “Miss a single shot, and you’ll be packing your bags before you can sayarrivederci.Capisce?”
A sharp chorus ofYes, sirfollows, echoing off the walls as they all depart.
“So, honestly,” Vin starts, “how did they do? Any actual contenders worth adding to our team?”
I slide my phone from my pocket and type,A few. They still have much to learn, but with time, they should make adequate guards.
He rolls his neck, loosening his tie. “We can work with that.” He leans against the corner pole, crossing his arms over his chest. “My contact gave me a heads-up that the Vasilievs planned on using the Boston port tonight, so I spoke with the head of the O’Brien family, Niall. They’re currently waiting for them as we speak. Ready to ensure it doesn’t happen.”
And what about the women?
“He’s assured me they’ll be taken care of. No funny business. They take this shit just as seriously as we do.”
I nod. Another failed import attempt by the Vasilievs is a good thing. Just one more successful step in taking them down.
“Speak of the devil, and he will call,” Vin murmurs, placing his phone between the two of us. “Mikhail, what a pleasant surprise.”
My brows shoot up.
“Vincenzo, you’ve really done it this time.” Mikhail’s voice sounds even colder than I remember, his tone laced with an undertone of fury.
“Sorry,” Vin starts, “I’ve been so busy lately running an empire, you’ll have to jog my memory as to what it is I did that has apparently pissed you off.”
Mikhail breathes heavily over the line. “First, you intercept our imported goods, costing me a fucking fortune, and then you go and blow my distillery to the motherfucking ground!”
Vin tsks. “You sound like you could use a drink. Oh wait…” He grins. “Hard to enjoy your own product when you can no longer produce it.”
“Why you fuckingmudak—”
“Let’s get one thing straight right fucking now.” Vin’s playful demeanor morphs into something dangerous. “If you decide to partake in something as sleazy and barbaric as kidnapping and selling innocent women and children on the black market, I will stop you. And the fact that you thought you could pull that shit on my territory just proves to me you’re even stupider than you look. If you want a war, Mikhail, I’ll gladly bring one to your door.”
A thud echoes over the line, probably Mikhail hitting something. “Up until this point, we’ve played nice with you and your brothers, but this is your final warning. If you stick your nose in my family’s business again, there will be consequences to your actions. Ones that will impact those closest to you.”
“Threaten my family again, and see what I do about it.”
Vin ends the call, staring down at the dark screen. His breaths come out labored, his body too tense.
I step toward him, gripping his shoulder.
He quickly drags a hand down his face, shaking his head. “It’s hard not to lose it when he threatens my family. At least it wasn’t Kazimir. That fucker always gets under my skin.”
One side of my lips lifts. That is undeniably true. Vin’s never shown much patience when it comes to Kazimir.
He sighs, standing straight, and I drop my hand to my side. “Although it appears we’ve started chipping away at Mikhail’s usual calm demeanor. That’s progress.”
I nod. If Mikhail is losing his cool, that probably means we’re affecting them more than we realized. Like dominoes, they’ll slowly begin to fall, one by one. And I, for one, can’t wait to witness their demise.
“But enough about him. There’s something else I came here to see you about before returning home.” Vin rubs his hand along his jaw, studying me for a beat longer than necessary. “I noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time here since we got back from our little vacation. You wouldn’t happen to be”—he waves a hand in the air—“avoiding someone, would you?”
I scowl.
“That’s what I thought.” He checks his watch, then straightens his tie. “Well, I’m getting out of here. I have a meeting with the Blackridge family shortly to finalize our deal. By morning, we’ll be taking a cut of Montana’s finest whiskey profits.” He flashes a two-finger salute as he strides toward the door. “Later, brother. And for the love of God, go home to your wife.”
I grab the rag hanging from the bench and swipe it across my forehead before tossing it into the laundry bin. My muscles ache as I cross the room to the locker area, heading straight for the showers. I twist the knob all the way and step beneath the scorching spray.
Heat pours over me, loosening tight muscles, stealing the edge from a day spent pushing my body too hard.
