Page 4 of The Butcher
“Retaliation without control,” I said without hesitation. “If we strike back immediately, we give them exactly what they want. Escalation followed by justification. They’ll have a reason to turn this into something bigger.”
“And if we don’t respond?” Viktor asked, the bloodlust thick in my uncle’s voice.
“They keep pushing,” Father said.
“Yes,” I said. “They do, and then it’s an all-out fucking bloodbath.”
That was the problem because every option moved us closer to the same place. War.
My father quieted for a moment, his fingers tapping once against the table before going still again. When he spoke, his voice was calm, measured, and decisive.
“We can’t afford a war with the ‘Ndrangheta,” he said.
A murmur of agreement filled the room.
My father’s gaze moved to me again, sharp and deliberate, and I knew before he even said it whatdirection he was taking… how to diffuse this before too many ended up dead with no real solution.
“We don’t escalate,” he said. “We control the situation before it forces our hand.”
“And what the hell does that mean?” Viktor asked, frustration creeping into his tone.
I exhaled slowly, working through it, already seeing where this was going before he put words to it. “You want proximity,” I said.
His attention sharpened, and he nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“Not peace,” I stated. “Access.”
“Control,” he corrected.
“Through them,” I said.
“Through us,” he replied with a smirk.
The distinction didn’t matter because the outcome was what mattered.
Viktor leaned forward slightly, his expression hard. “You’re talking about aligning with the same family that just tried to cripple one of our primary operations?”
My father’s gaze sharpened on his brother, silently reminding him who was in charge. “I’m talking about preventing this from turning into something that costs us more than our supply and distribution,” he said.
“And how exactly do you expect to secure that kind of alignment?” Viktor asked, though there was already a shift in his tone, like he was starting to see it, too.
My father didn’t hesitate in his response. “We bind the families together.”
The words settled heavily in the room. They carried weight that couldn’t be ignored once they were spoken.
Viktor let out a low curse under his breath, and the other men in the room shifted under the weight of that proclamation.
My father leaned back in his seat, his expression unreadable now, but there was tension in his shoulders that hadn’t been there before.
“You’re serious,” Viktor finally said.
“I don’t speak lightly about things like this.”
“No,” Viktor said. “I know you don’t. I’m just shocked this is the route you’re going, even if I can see the benefit.” He ran a hand over his jaw, contemplating. “But if they suspect we are trying to gain the upper hand, if they see this as some kind of setup?” He continued, “They could use this to get closer and finish what they started.”
“Then we’ll be close enough to see it before it happens,” my father said. “And close enough to endit.” His gaze shifted to me. “I don’t have to ask your thoughts. I know you’re on board.”
I nodded. “Always. Do you think they’ll agree to it?”
