Page 19 of A Ruthless Arrangement
He nods and gestures to the half-beaten, bloody man on the floor. He’s groaning, rolling to his side to spit out blood. “Business as usual. You know how it is. But no complaints. I’d shake your hand, but…” He gestures to the blood that’s on it.
I laugh. “Of course. I do know how it is. Glad to hear business is going well.”
Marshall chuckles. “Yeah. I was surprised to hear you were coming into town. And then hearing what you were coming into townfor…I didn’t even know Astero’s granddaughter was anoption.”
I have to hold back from growling.She’s not an option. Not for you.“Yeah, well, special strings were pulled. It’s a necessary arrangement.”
One of his men hands him some rags, and Marshall starts cleaning his hands. The white tank top he’s in shows off the multitude of tattoos that cover his skin, but the fabric is ruined. No way he’s getting all that blood out of it. “Yeah. I get it. Even if I’d known she was an option, I wouldn’t have taken it. I’m not eager to get myself tied up with Astero ever again. Granted, it's different for you—he’s never going to try to control you. He’s not that stupid. But I’m glad it’s beneficial for you. It’s made him let up on me a bit, so I’m thankful.”
I arch a brow. “I thought you two were on better terms now.”Christ. Did I get myself involved in some American squabbling by accident?
He nods and sighs, still wiping his hands on the rags. “Yeah, we are. But sometimes he’s still a pest. Speaking of, I advise you don’t bring up the Nameless. He’s uh…a bit peeved that he hasn’t been invited. Especially since I was. In fact, he may ask you to put in a good word for him, especially since you’re going to be his son-in-law and all that…”
I pinch the bridge of my nose between my fingers. That’s just what I needed, Astero begging to join an order that didn’t want him. I didn’t want to deny him and then cause him to be more of a pain in the ass than he already was.
The Nameless is an association of mafia leaders from around the globe. We’re all powerful individuals that’ve gained control of their regions while remaining mostly unknown. The average person has no idea we exist, even as we influence their dailylives. It’s both great business connections, but also necessary. We all have the same standards and honor codes, so when rivals rise up thatdon’tfollow those same standards, we know the other members of the Nameless have our back. It’s a highly exclusive club, and most people in our industry don’t even know about it.
Marshall was recently invited to it, which is the only way you’re allowed to join. Astero, on the other hand, has been waiting for his invite for years now. An invite that’s never going to come.
He operates under an old style of leadership that doesn’t align with the Nameless’ codes of conduct. He’s greedy but doesn’t have the modern business sense to back it up. His dealings with Marshall prove that. He tried to control him until he couldn’t anymore.
There was no respect, no appreciation of Marshall’s potential. If he’d handled it differently, then maybe Marshall would still be working for him, and Astero’s business would better prosper. It’s a pattern we’ve noticed, making Astero ineligible to join our ranks.
But Marshall, on the other hand, has shown his merit. How he handled Astero alone would’ve been enough to warrant an invite, but he’s done so much with New York City since taking it over from Astero, and already contributed to the Nameless immensely.
“Thanks for the heads-up.” I shake my head. “He’s desperate, and then he wonders why he’s not invited.”
This makes Marshall grin. “Yeah. That’s classic Astero for ya. Speaking of, is he coming?”
I nod. “Yes. I arrived a bit early to see if you have any information regarding him. And you’ve already provided me with some. But I’m wondering if you heard anything regarding the docks. Is he going to try to pull something?”
Marshall pulls out a cigarette and lights it as he looks over the bloodied man still on the concrete floor. “The one in New Jersey he has access to?” He looks over to see my nod. “As far as I know, he’s been telling everyone about his granddaughter’s upcoming wedding. He seems pretty eager, you know. He’s betting that you’re going to bend over backward because you’re married to his grandkid. He’s bragged to me about how he’s going to make deals in Ireland, getting into the Nameless, the whole she-bang.”
I scoff. “Then he’s going to have quite the wake-up call. The only thing we’ve agreed to is that his son’s debts are forgiven, his family isn’t killed, and his granddaughter is kept safe.”Not that he had even asked for that. But I’m including it regardless. Piece of shite didn’t even think of her safety as an afterthought.
“Wonderful. He needs a wake-up call or two. I gave him a good one, but he’s shifted his view on that to make him the hero of the story. Like hegavethe territory to me and is my mentor or something. As if he taught me instead of sabotaging me. It’s a testament tomyskill that I was able to throw him out of his own territory. He didn’t have a choice, otherwise he knew I’d put a bullet between his eyes.”
I chuckle lowly. “Yes. You’ve already put him in his place and proven yourself a worthy member of our ranks.”
Marshall grins, and now that his hands aren’t covered in blood, he runs them through his black hair. With his tattoos and ebony locks, he looks like he could be in a rock band.I’m sure the ladies love him.“You know it.”
We chat idly for a few minutes as Marshall’s men finish the bloody mess on the floor, putting the man out of his misery before starting the cleanup work. Except they’re doing a shite job of it. I let out a low whistle. “They could use some training.”
Marshall scoffs. “You have no idea. They’re even trying extra hard with us watching. But they’re shit. Think your janitor couldtrain them? Or at least recommend someone better for me to hire?”
“O’Brien?” I think about myjanitorand chuckle. “Maybe. O’Brien is…peculiar. I can speak to her and see if she knows anyone in the States that she’d recommend. I know Sasaki has been asking to work with her, too.”
The eyebrows on Marshall’s face shoot up. “She? Your legendary janitor is a woman?” He laughs when I nod in confirmation. “Jesus. I’d love to see her work. I’ve heard she’s a master. But what does Sasaki want with her?”
I think about the Japanese crime boss who’s a fellow member of the Nameless. “He has a project he wants her for, but she doesn’t want to go to Japan.” I shrug. “I get it. There’s nowhere like home, especially when business is good. I keep my nose out of her business unless she asks for help. I get why Sasaki wants to work with her, though. I’d be pissed to lose her, but unlike Astero, I know better than to try to control my people.” I can’t help but grin. “But I sure as hell gave her a raise to keep her.”
Marshall laughs. “I’ll keep that in mind for wanting to work with her, too. If there’s a bidding war between you and Sasaki, then she’s probably too expensive for me. But I’d still appreciate a possible recommendation from her, if you could.”
I nod. “Happy to.”
Astero chooses that moment to walk in, the warehouse door banging open. Marshall’s men jump at the sudden sound, and all of our hands’ twitch to our guns hidden in various locations on our bodies.Of course the old man had to make a grand entrance.
Everyone relaxes when they see it’s just Astero and his men. The old man walks in with his shoulders back, his balding head reflecting in the overhead lights of the shitty warehouse. “Afternoon, gentlemen. I hope I haven’t missed anything.”
