My uncle Endo sits back, clearly shocked by my statement. I crafted my words carefully so that they wouldn’t come off as if we were asking for approval. We’re not. We’re asking for a blessing. And resources.
“You must have known this was coming,” I say.
“I did. But you’re not ready.”
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Endo shakes his head. “You suffered a head injury. Come back in a month, and we’ll talk about it.” He picks up his cigar. When I don’t move, he looks up. “Dismissed.”
“I’m going with or without your help.”
Endo’s jaw clenches. “I will have you confined to the dungeon until you recover.”
“Guys, I can’t believe I have to be the voice of reason over here,” Connor says, “but we should all rejoice that I am. Finally.” He scoops up some egg and makes us wait for what he has to say. Last time I rolled my eyes, it hurt, so I make an effort not to do it now, even though I want to.
A moment later, I say, “Spit it out.”
Connor smirks, happily annoying us. “Declan works best in chaos.”
“And?” I ask.
“And now all of Selnoa is chaotic. People are on the streets, the chief of police has the cops all over the town stretched thin, Ivan’s watching his own shadow, and some new faces are moving in trying to grab a piece of the pie. People won’t know where to go, who to turn to. They’re lost. But if the Crossbow twins show up, then the legacy is established. The city will settle because we represent something familiar.”
“Good point,” Endo agrees. Just when I think I have his blessing, he adds, “One of you two can establish the legacy. Connor, you get the honors. Once Cass recovers, he’ll join you and help you with the business. Dec, you will recover fully here in the Keep.”
“The decision to claim Selnoa is mine and mine alone.”
“But I’m the head of this family.”
“We are not the same family.”
Endo sucks in a breath.
Connor does do.
I think I broke something inside me. Maybe inside all of us. But I know my uncle. He means what he says, and changing his mind can only be done by brute force. A punch to the heart. I would never physically assault him. He’s been my anchor in a turbulent sea for many years, and I look up to him.
Endo gets up and dusts off his pants. He picks up his phone and says, “My nephews need the plane. How soon can you have it ready?”
I smile.
Next to me, Connor relaxes. “I thought I was going to die.”
Endo hangs up. “The plane will be ready at one thirty. Take as many men as you think you need. I’ll send you enough weapons to seize twenty Selnoas. However, I have a request.”
“Name it,” Connor and I say at the same time.
“That you stay together. Like brothers. People will try to divide you. They will deploy women who will bed you and then whisper in your ear like snakes. You must watch out for bed snakes.”
“Dec has a hooker, so he’s fine, and I don’t like anyone enough to stick my dick in them, so we’re good,” Con says.
“I’m serious, Con,” Endo says. After a pause, he frowns. “You have a hooker in Selnoa? Why didn’t I know that?”
I feel the need to explain myself, or at least defend Dina’s honor, but since Endo has agreed to help us take over Selnoa, I just let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
“You have two weeks to tame the chaos,” my uncle says as he walks out. “After that, I’ll come get you, and you two better be alive.” The door to the morning room closes after Endo leaves.
My brother continues to eat his eggs.
