Page 247 of Lethal Obsession

“You didn’t break anything up, Mickey. Lourdes did. And when it comes to family, there’s never a choice. We choose each other, every time. No matter what.”

His eyes narrow on mine. “Family, huh?”

I nod. “That’s what we are, brother.” I raise my hip flask to him. “Like it or not. And I’m well aware you haven’t always liked it.”

“No.” His mouth twists at one edge. “I haven’t always liked it. And, obviously, if you ever hurt my sister, I will kill you.”

I nod. “Obviously.”

“That being said, I’ve never seen anyone overhaul their entire fucking personality like you seem to have done, in lightning-fast time, too.” He raises his glass in a salute. “I barely recognize you, asshole.”

“It wasn’t fast, Mickey.” I meet his eyes. “Seven years of loving your sister gave me a lot of time to think about what kind of man I’d have to be to deserve her. The fast part happened when I decided I could actually become that man.” I give him a small smile. “I suppose I have you to thank for making me see that.”

“Not me.” He answers instantly. “Lars. I just passed on the message.”

I nod, swallowing hard, and unscrew the cap on my flask.

It’s Mickey’s turn to grip my shoulder. “To Lars,” he says quietly, raising his vodka.

I raise my flask to the ether. “Motherfucker,” I say, not trusting myself to say his name without losing my shit.

We drink.

Mickey’s phone rings. “Hell,” he says in way of answering. “I almost forgot.” Grinning, he hands me his phone.

“Yo.” Dima’s voice comes through the speaker.

“Brother.”

“Sorry I’m not there.”

“I’m not. You can’t wear a tux to save your life.”

“At least my head isn’t mangled like yours, you one-eyed bastard. Besides, someone has to stay here and kick this useless pack of geeks into shape.” He doesn’t sound remotely unhappy. In fact, for Dima, he sounds positively cheerful.

“I take it you’ve been doing a little training, then,” I say, grinning.

“Believe it or not, they all know how to throw a punch. And shoot, for the most part. They also speak Spanish, which is a definite bonus.”

“Sounds like you’re on vacation, you slack prick.”

“Oh, they’ve still got a lot to learn, believe me.” He gives a dark laugh. “Should have seen their faces the first time we fed the gators.”

“Ha. I can imagine.”

“I’ll keep this short.” I hear him light a cigarette on the other end. “I’m happy for you, brother. Truly. And don’t give any thought to our swamp. The kid’s got a brain like yours, and some balls to match. By the time I’m through with him, he’ll be running a half-decent operation.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“He was a good call for pakhan, Lex. Even if I wasn’t convinced at first.”

“I’ll be sure to pass that on—”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Dima says warningly. “Until I say otherwise, he’s in training.”

I grin. “Copy that.”

“Go and get married, you ugly prick. And don’t send me any photos. The last thing I want is your fucked-up face on my wall.” He covers the phone for a moment, then comes back on. “The boys say they’re all raising a glass to you.”