Page 117 of Vicious Heir

“Your brother, of course.” I flip to another image, showing more mutilation. “I assure you, he’s very much alive and feeling all of that.” I flip to another. His fingernails are missing. His lower lip was sliced off. Bloody drool covers his chest.

“You’re a fucking monster.”

“Here are my terms.” I turn off the phone and put it away. “Gray Wolf calls a truce. You send a new man to run your North American business. You back away from Philadelphia and focus your efforts elsewhere. If you do all that, we’ll come to an arrangement. I’ll step into the vacuum you leave here and funnel most of my stolen goods through your organization. It’ll be mutually beneficial.”

Hakan’s face twitches, and his jaw works. “You’re insane.”

“I’ll also end his suffering.” I mime shooting a gun. “Quick and easy. No more pain.”

“You’llgift memy brother’s death?”

“At this point, you really don’t want him back. Trust me, he’s not exactly in good shape.”

“You’ll release himimmediately. You’ll beg our forgiveness. You’ll burn for this fucking insolence.”

I sigh and shake my head. “I don’t think so. Demir’s finished. The best I can offer is easy release. Or we can go to war, and every single day you drag it on will be another day I spend some time in my basement inventing new ways to hurt your brother. This is mutually beneficial, Hakan. Take my offer to your superiors. I suspect they’ll accept it.”

“Fucking madness,” he says, his voice quavering. “You’re sick.”

I get to my feet. “I told you, I love my wife. And your brother decided to hurt her.” I show my teeth, reveling in the pleasure of my own wickedness. “Run along and leave my city. The longer you take, the longer Demir will suffer.” I make a shooing gesture before I turn and walk away.

It’s a beautiful afternoon. Behind me, Hakan is probably shitting himself with anger. Let the man burn all he wants. When he speaks to his bosses, they’ll make him see reason.

Demir is an easy sacrifice for peace and a future business agreement.

I catch up with Lucy several blocks away. She gives me an espresso from the coffee place I like. Luca’s waiting nearby with some guards, watching discreetly.

“How’d it go?” she asks.

“Demir’s brother wasn’t happy, but I think he’ll come around.”

“You’re a master negotiator.”

“It’s easy,amore mio. All you need is leverage.” I bend down and kiss her. “Now, shall we continue having a nice day together? Or do you want to return to the mansion and spend the afternoon in bed?”

Her lips press together in thought. “How about we walk around here for a while longer,thengo to bed for the rest of the night?”

“What a perfect compromise. You really should be the one making the deals for me, you know.”

“You’re such a prick.”

“But I’myourprick.”

We walk arm in arm down the Philly street.

Chapter 45

Lucy

Two Weeks Later

The DeLuca manorisn’t all that great. The entryway has lots of marble and a vintage chandelier worth more than an average suburban house, but still. The decorations are tacky as heck. For a family that allegedly loves beauty and art, the DeLucas come off like a bunch of idiots.

“Right this way.” The head of the house staff leads us into a sitting room. This one is slightly better appointed than the entry. The couch is subtle and designer, while the paintings are a bit more muted. Outside, they tried to show off their wealth and power. But this is where the real deals happen.

“Are you sure about this?” Adriano asks, looking bored as he flops down into a chair.

“I’m positive.” My lips press together. “At least, I think I am.”

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