Page 85 of Corrupted Bride

“We don’t need to discuss that right now. Sit down, boy.” Don Nardo waves Ruben away.

“No, Pops, this is important. Aren’t you always saying I need to step up and take more ownership?”

“I have, but now⁠—”

“But now’s the time!” Ruben’s bouncing on his toes excitedly. I’m suddenly aware of the glass windows and how there’s very little cover in this tight space. “You see, the Escalante have been unhappy lately. You know it as well as I do, right, old man?”

“Enough.” Don Nardo slams his palm down on the table and gestures to me with his cigar. “We do not discuss this in front of outsiders.”

“You mean, Bastiano? But he’s our ally! We’re working together in mutual respect and trust!” Ruben glances at me. “What do you do again, Bass? Oh, right, you’re a glorified middle-man.”

I watch him carefully and don’t respond. My hand drifts to the gun I have hidden in a holster at my waist.

“Stop this now and sit down. Don Serafino is an important ally and we will not speak of him in such a way.”

“That’s the problem with you old-timers. You think respect is owed, but it’s not. You know what I learned a while back, Pops?”

“Ruben, enough! Continue this outburst and I will call in my men⁠—”

“I learned that a bastard has to be twice as hard, twice as strong, twice as ruthless if he wants to survive,” Ruben says, ignoring his father. “And if this little offshoot of the Escalante wants to survive, it needs to be twice as profitable. Which will never happen with you in charge.”

The men watching start shouting in Spanish. I get the feeling they aren’t happy. Don Nardo is fuming, face bright red, and I start wondering if he’s about to have a stroke.

“Enough of this. I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but it’s finished.” He pulls his phone from his pocket and hits a button. “Eduardo—” But he frowns at the device.

“There’s no reception down here, old man, and I made sure they turned the Wi-Fi off. God, you’re so fucking clueless.” Ruben draws a small Uzi from beneath his jacket. It’s a semi-automatic weapon. “Which is why I have to kill you.”

The shooting is vicious. Ruben rips his father to shreds. He doesn’t bother with a single bullet to the skull, and instead pumps lead into the old man’s body, sending blood splattering all over his lieutenants.

I throw myself backwards. The glass shatters as Ruben’s men in the hall start shooting inside. I hit hard, rolling as I draw my gun, the remaining Escalante men spraying blood, guts, and brains across the back walls, drenching me in the process. I clench my jaw, staying down as the worst of it begins to recede, and I come up with the barrel steady.

Ruben stands over his father’s corpse with his Uzi aimed at Cruz’s forehead.

“Careful, Bass,” he says, eyes gleaming in his skull. His face is slick with blood. He wipes at his lapel like that will do anything against the tide of gore. “Don’t want to get your little brother hurt, do you?”

“What the fuck are you doing, Ruben?” I bark the words at him, staying as calm as I can.

Nico has to be close. He’ll be on the way with a small army of Serafino soldiers. But if there’s no reception down here, I won’t have any idea where he is.

I could be alone right now.

Fuck. This is bad.

“I’m taking control,” he says like that’s the most obvious thing in the world. “I’ve been in control for a while now, honestly, but my father has been a pain in my ass for too long. Him and these old farts.” He gestures dismissively at the corpses of the old guard.

“You staged a goddamn coup.”

“Exactly! I knew you were smart.” Ruben giggles manically. “I can’t believe it went so well, honestly. Dad had no clue!”

“Why here? Why right now?” I want to keep Ruben talking. The longer he spends in this room, the more likely it is Nico will get here in time.

Because without Nico, I won’t get Cruz back.

I’m outnumbered and outgunned. I need backup and I need it fast.

And there’s also Mari upstairs in our room.

Oh, God. Marisol. With only two guards on her door. What if Ruben decides she’s worth more to him dead? Or in his custody? I don’t know if my men will be enough to keep her safe.