“That bother you?”
“No.”
Rubi’s gaze turned shrewd. “Would it bother you to know more?”
“No.”
He nodded, as if my answer convinced him of something, and I liked that about Rubi. That he thought about other people in every word he spoke. “How would you feel about taking an official title?”
“Like what?”
“Enforcer. You’ve been taking the weight from Mateo’s shoulders already. Only seems fair that you get paid for it.”
“I don’t care about money.”
“I know, brother. But you’d get it anyway. And a seat at the table. A louder voice. Nothing else would really change. Alexei hogs you for a reason.”
“What about Locke? He has just as much to offer.”
“Way ahead of you. He’s going to job-share with Decoy, with a bit of the old health and safety thrown in. Not sure what we’ll call it yet, but we’ll think of something if he takes the offer. Nash is going to talk to him later.”
“Locke needs a house. He’s got kids he hasn’t spent a whole night with in years.”
“We can help him with that—if he wants us to. Pretty sure Cam already offered, though. Like, months ago, and the big man said no.”
Sounded like Locke. Proud to the point of stupidity. For his sake, I chose my words carefully. “Trapping him with kindness is still a trap.”
Rubi’s face fell. “That’s not what this is. We love Locke. And you. And when we love someone, we do everything we can for them. It ain’t a manipulation, mate.”
“He knows that. He’s just scarred by the people who came before you.”Literally. But that was Locke’s story, not mine. “Can I think about it?”
“Let me guess,” Rubi said. “If Locke says no, you will too?”
Possibly. Probably. “I’ve got a lot going on right now. Don’t want to commit to something I haven’t got the headspace for.”
Rubi nodded. “Take as long as you need. Like I said, nothing’s gonna change while we’re dealing with this fuckery up north.”
“Thought you weren’t dealing with it?”
“We’re not fighting. But trust me, the Sambinis are gonna move heaven and earth to change that now they know we haven’t got Alexei’s fairy godfather protecting us. Maybe the Albanians too, if they see enough weakness down here.”
“The Sambinis are your biggest problem.”
Rubi’s friendly gaze turned keen. “My problem? Or ours?”
“They were my problem long before I met you. Rocco always said they were the worst people he ever dealt with.”
“He wasn’t wrong.” Rubi’s expression brightened as he noticed my empty bowl. Then he sobered again. “They’re duplicitous bastards. At least the Albanians are honest about what they want and what they’ll do if they don’t get it. These arseholes... fucking hell. They’re our best mates one week, trying to kill us all the next.”
“They were always trying to kill Rocco. He thought it was Frank Crow. Then Butch and McGif, but the truth is they weren’t sharp enough to know how clever he was. Viktor was, and he liked it. Lorenzo didn’t.”
Rubi grunted. “That cunt was a walking ego.”
I hummed my agreement and leaned back in my seat.
Rubi waited to see if I had more to say. When I didn’t, he leaned over and gave me his signature bro hug. “Listen, if you don’t want this life, no one’s gonna make you stay. We’re family now no matter what.But, if you’re all in, there’s a place for you. That’s all I pulled you in here to say.”
“You didn’t pull me in to feed me?”
