In an instant, all the air went out of the room. A cold reality took its place as earlier suspicions were confirmed.
“His—wait,” Devin’s voice dropped, his confusion evident. “You’re saying?—”
“I doubt he’s been the most present parent to the girl, but from the way he’s tried to keep her existence under wraps, clearly he values her on some level. Word on the street is he was hoping, planning, that Ernie would win her.” Anthony’s smile widened, more wicked than ever under his sleekly-groomed mustache. Meanwhile, I was seeing red at the idea of a scumbag like Ernie Simmons laying a single, vile finger on Frankie. Dad went on, unaware of my building rage. “My sources even tell me he had marriage in mind. Butwegot to her first. She was supposed to be his perfect political pawn, but now, she’s inmyhands.”
My fist flexed involuntarily. As if to say,Notyourhands. Mine.
A heavy silence followed as all three of us processed the revelation.
The full weight of what he’d just said sank in, and for a moment I felt sick to my stomach.
Still pissed as hell, but utterly horrified at the way these powerful men used the women in their lives. The more vulnerable, the better.
“Ferrara put his own daughter on the auction block to be sold off like a piece of property?” I didn’t mean to speak the words, much less let them sound so…strained.
Any sign of emotion was seen as weakness to my father. But maybe he had some sort of conscience, because he didn’t shame me for the display. He didn’t even blink.
“That’s the business, son. You know how it works. And now, we’re keeping her for as long as it takes to really let the message sink in that this is Butera territory. Robert certainly won’t like that.”
She’s just a fucking bargaining chip to them, I thought bitterly, even as the thought of keeping her a while heated my blood in a more pleasant way.
Devin slammed his fist against the table only a foot from my father’s face. All of us knew better than to jump, even at the startling volume of the sound.Don’t do this.
“This is fucked up,” he spat. “I’m not playing along with this.”
For the first time, I saw my father’s smile falter. His eyes narrowed on Devin with a laser focus. “You really think you want to challenge me, Lay? Think it over carefully. Use that brain you were so famous for on the streets.”
Devin didn’t back down, his posture defiant, his jaw rigid. “Intimidation won’t work on me. I’ve proven my worth to you a hundred times over, and we all know how key I am to this whole operation staying afloat.”
He wasn’t exaggerating.
Though my father liked to play mind games, to try and get people like Devin and Alex who weren’t blood-tied to feel theweight of their inferiority as non-Buteras, all of our crew knew that Devin was the mastermind behind most of our biggest successes.
Anthony owed a good chunk of his millions to Devin’s planning, and an even more sizable portion of his intimidation factor to the man’s infamous fists. “You might be the boss, but I’m no one’s puppet. I’m not in the business of taking young women hostage, either.”
The tension in the room was suffocating. I stood, ready to step in, but before I could say anything, Alexei finally spoke up, his voice calm and devoid of emotion.
“There’s no use abandoning the girl now,” he said, his tone as cool as ever. “It’s not a perfect situation, but it’s the hand we’ve been dealt. Besides…” He smirked without an ounce of genuine humor in it. “Fucking the girl again seems a small price to pay to keep our hold over the city.”
It wasn’t the most moral argument to be made, but it was effective. All three of us had been bewitched by Frankie last night—the responsive sweetness of her body, the surprising boldness of her spirit, the feel and taste of her velvet skin. As if these erotic memories were playing out in his head, too, Devin seemed to relent. He let out a long breath, the fight going out of him.
“Fine,” he muttered. “But there’s a line, Anthony. And you’re getting closer and closer to crossing it every day in your old age. Someday, we won’t follow you across it.”
My father had no concerns about his fitness to lead or his hold over us, so he didn’t rise to this bait. Instead, choosing his battles, he gave a satisfied nod. “Atta boy, Dev. One of thesedays, you’ll learn to play your part without arguing. And more importantly, when Ferrara comes sniffing around looking for a real war, we’ll all be ready.”
Sure,wewould be ready. But Frankie would have no idea what was coming.
The longer the knowledge turned around in my head, the darker, more nauseating it felt.
The girl had no idea what kind of man her father was, even if she knew a particular facet of his amorality none of the rest of us could. And worse, she had no idea the kind of men she’d given her body to so sweetly the night before, either.
I stood there, feeling a surge of protectiveness over Frankie, even though I hadn’t known her for more than a day. My mind raced, wondering what kind of woman she truly was.
And how the hell we were going to get out of this mess without her hating us—or worse, hating me.
I was already planning, already thinking of how to make this all less terrifying for her.
Something in me wanted to protect her from this world. If there was any hope that I could undo some of the damage both our fathers had done, the damage I’d already done by laying a hand on her, I had to make herwantto stay with us.
