Page 64 of King of Desire

I’m glad that Honeyeh’s health and safety trumps my trip to the whorehouse. Mason doesn’t realize they’re of the same piece, but knowing his priorities helps me to have this conversation from the right angle. “I have no intention of hurting her, as I’ve stated several times.”

“Making her your flavor of the month is the definition of hurting her.”

I had that coming. But the idea of Honeyeh being like the rest of those women makes me bristle. “Flavors of the month do notsleep in my bed, nor do I rush off to whorehouses to rescue them when they’ve stepped in over their heads.”

“What the fuck are you talking about.” He spits into the phone.

“Look on Dimitri’s website.” I jog down the stairs, firing up my espresso maker, listening to Mason click several buttons.

“What the fuck?”

I sigh. “Dr. Lawrence had a possible liver, but he needed a substantial down payment before he’d perform the surgery.”

“Keep explaining.”

In clipped tones I tell him about Brittany and her offer. “The funny thing is, she’s an average blonde at best, and not at all the type Dimitri usually hires.”

“You said she met Honeyeh at Killian’s wedding? She could be a plant.”

My thought too. I tell him about how she came to the party with Chairman Waltham. He rumbles, “Waltham is in Dimitri’s pocket. It’s those kinds of connections that make him so fucking hard to remove from Vegas.”

I take a sip of my espresso shot. “Listen, Mason. I think it’s time we face the facts. Things are going to escalate with Dimitri. We’re likely to end up with a lot of blood on our hands like we did with the Vendettis.” The last year was a bloody war with the Italian Mafia. It’s why the meeting at the benefit with the Andrianis was so important.

But we just put that conflict to rest, I’m not entering another one with him.

“I’m trying to remove Dimitri legally,” Mason fires back.

“I know, but he’s Bratva. And Killian has threatened his family. He’s going to strike back and it’s not going to be legal and then what’s our move?”

He lets out another breath. “Charlotte’s pregnant.”

“What?”

“Early.” I hear the worry in Mason’s voice. “But I’d like to avoid violence.”

“Then you might have to cut a deal with Dimitri.”

“No,” Mason says, his voice hard enough to cut glass. “He attacked me once. Letting him stay in Vegas gives him the chance to hurt us again.”

“Then you have to cut the head off the snake,” I say, but I don’t like it.

“Killian can…”

“No.” I straighten. “He’s out of that game. My brother is not the man who does this deed.”

“It’s his job.”

“His job is intel. Which he has provided in abundance.” If Mason wants to start a war, I won’t compromise, but that is on him and his family. I will be his partner in real estate, but not in blood feuds. I’m drawing a line and money can be damned.

Mason rumbles. “You started this when you walked into that brothel yesterday.”

“That’s bullshit. This day was coming after you pulled his tunnel access and he?—”

“He made a deal with the Italians, bombed Temptation.” Mason is practically yelling again.

“Make your choice, Mason. But my job is to keep my family safe first, and I won’t cross to the other side with you.”

“You’re the one who said we need to cut the head off the snake.”

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