Chapter 4

Killian POV

“So, I take it that he is leaving?” Dad asked, and I shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t trust that he would be leaving as easily as he said he would.

“As an initial, yes,” I said, and Dad raised an eyebrow. “He might end up trying to find a different way to negotiate. He knows that he can’t afford to fail, seeing as he won’t be getting what he and his other inmates wanted him to do. I know that he might classify that as a failure on his end.”

“And what do you plan on doing?” Mom asked, shaking her head in question.

I put both my hands on her shoulders, gently massaging them. She smiled and shook her head at me, knowing that I wasn’t the type to like her getting worried. If anything, her being part of such discussions was not something I liked, but I knew that I couldn’t do anything about it. She would be where she wanted to be, and as her son, I was to respect her decision regardless of what it was.

“We are going to wait and see what happens, but I am not going to allow him to stay. You know that they have been enemies for years now, and the last thing I am going to do is make an enemy think that I would be willing to work with him or ‘share’ territory,” I said, assuring Mom, who nodded. She put her right hand on mine, tapping it twice for me to remove my hands, and I nodded. “Rest assured, Mama, I won’t be doing anything that would harm the pack or the family. The Bernardis will be put in their place. If I allowed them to stay, it’s because the pack is benefiting. But they will be leaving after the wedding.”

“Who is the fucker marrying anyway? Last I checked, he was never one to announce a relationship with anyone,” Dad asked, and I shook my head.

“I didn’t bother asking about it. You know that it’s the least of my concerns who he marries or is with, to begin with. The woman is here, but he didn’t introduce her to me, and he didn’t need to,” I said, and Dad nodded.

The last thing I needed was to find myself interfering with the Bernardi women. Anyone in that family could be manipulative, as far as I was concerned, and the last thing I needed was for one of us to have a weakness that could end up being fatal. I didn’t repeat mistakes from the past. If anything, I learned from them.

“As long as he leaves without causing a fuss, he could marry a mouse for all we care. I just don’t want him roaming around you, nor do I want you associating with him. The drinks you bought are enough, and the girls that were sent here are to be trained before leaving the house,” Mom said, and I chuckled. I knew she would mention it. I was thankful that she was open to allowing them inside the house to begin with. I had actually feared her saying something when she saw the car pulling up. Thankfully, she didn’t speak, but her expression said more than she needed to anyway.

“Don’t worry, Mama. I will find their proper positions, and they will be out of the house soon enough,” I said, and she nodded. I smiled at her and looked at Dad, who got up from his chair, clearly hearing Vladimir outside.

The two of us were still heading to one of my clubs, as it was having its opening, and I needed to check on the positions I wanted the girls to fill. It was one of the main reasons I needed them trained by next week, and judging by the fact that they came from the Capo’s place, I knew they would be ready. I just needed to ensure that they were loyal. Otherwise, we were going to have a problem.

“The girls have settled in and are speaking to Liana, getting the necessary instructions right now. Mom is already calling the doctors to arrange for them to be checked, and then we will be able to start working with them,” Vladimir said, and I nodded in response.

Mom smiled and got up from her chair. Dad wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his chest, wanting to reassure her that things would be under control. The last thing we wanted was for her to worry about where things were headed.

“Well, I guess we’ll leave you two to tend to what you have to do,” Mom said, and I smiled before walking up to her. Dad unwrapped his arm from around her, and I cupped her cheeks, kissing her forehead.

“We’ll be back within a few hours. We might be a little late, but I don’t want you worrying, okay?” I said, my voice softening as she nodded. I smiled and nodded at Dad, who wrapped his arm around Mom and guided her out the door.

We waited a few seconds before Vladimir turned his attention to me. I wasn’t stupid; I knew something was wrong—or at least that something had happened. He simply hadn’t spoken so as not to disturb Mom, who I knew would grow nervous if something was off.

“One of the girls is missing.”

“Which one?” I asked, frowning in confusion. He shook his head, and I raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not sure. Alexander said he brought five girls over. There are only four. The girls were questioned, but none of them knew who the missing girl even was. One of them said she was bleeding,” he said, and I nodded, pinching the bridge of my nose. This was the last thing we needed right now, but then again, I knew better than to expect anything else from the Italians.

“Find the woman and bring her to me,” I said, glaring at the wall ahead of me. “And I don’t want anyone finding out about this. The last thing we need right now is for a problem to arise, and if Elton thinks this is a way for us to agree to work with him, then he’s in for a surprise he’s not going to like.”

“Also, I want all the girls in my office when we’re back from the club,” I added, walking out of the office, knowing that Vladimir would follow once he’d given the proper orders.

“Let’s see what we have to deal with this time…”