Page 31 of Brandishing Betrayals

Jason smirked. “You know we would.”

“I guess I’ll go talk to Kara tomorrow,” I said. “Tonight, we need to talk business with the club.”

Marcos

An hour later we were sitting around the large wooden table in church, waiting for the last of our guys to file in for our weekly meeting. Usually, I held it on Saturday nights, but I had Luke last night, and I still wasn’t ready to bring my son around the clubhouse yet, and definitely not on a party night. The kid was still too young for that shit.

“Next order of business,” I said, looking around the table. “With things calm now between us and the Ravager Knights, we need to have a sit down with the Italians.”

Nico sighed from his spot to my left.

“Probably should have done that a while ago,” Jerry Langford spoke up.

I nodded slowly. “I agree. The Knights have agreed to end the Coke trade with the Seratelli’s. I think it’s only right we approachthe Italians as the replacement. It would give us a way to earn a steady income again and we can push it through the same trade routes we’re using for the Heroin.”

“Why did the damn Mafia go to the Knights in the first place? We’ve always run their Heroin. Why the fuck did the Knights get the Coke?”’

“Not sure,” I shook my head. “Whatever deal Mac Taylor struck with the Seratelli’s; Johnny didn’t know about it. It was toward the end of Mac’s life, maybe he was getting greedy. It’s anyone’s guess, because he went against the Bratva too.”

A rumble of murmuring went around the table.

“Nico, I need you to speak to your cousin,” I said, turning to my buddy. “Set up a meeting.” I had to say this formally in front of my club, even though I knew Nico already went to Leonardo once. We had to do things above board.

Nico eyed me warily, this was a dangerous game to play in front of the club, but we needed the brothers to agree to Nico meeting with his family on behalf of the club, otherwise he would be considered a traitor. He nodded at me. Things may be rocky between Nico and his family, and they had enough unresolved family drama to write a book about, but Nico would reach out—again—simply because his club president had asked it of him.

“We looking to smooth things over with the Seratelli’s or are we vying for the coke trade?” Bear asked, crossing his large arms over his chest.

“How do we feel about both?” I asked, looking around the room once again. “I was hoping to smooth things over, clear the air. The shits that happened with the Knights and Seratelli’s and the Bratva, it would be nice lay everything out on the table.”

“You’ll never get the Russians to agree to a sit down with the Italians,” Jerry Langford said. “And what about the Irish? Howare they going to handle things if we start working with the Italians?”

I rubbed a hand over my scruffy jaw. My brothers were asking legit questions that I myself had thought about over the last several weeks. I nodded solemnly. “I have those same questions. This is why we need a sit with the Italians. They’re in our backyard. We have to deal with them every time we head into Mourningside, and they’re Nico’s blood. We need a better understanding of what we’re dealing with here. And the Irish know we’ve got ties to the Italians. It’s only a recent development that we haven’t.”

“And you think Leonardo Seratelli will agree to meet?” Jerry asked.

“He will,” Nico said gruffly.

“You can’t know for su—”

“I can.” Nico said, cutting off Jerry. “My mother is his Godmother and aunt. Her brother was Leonardo’s father.”

Murmurs rumbled around the table. While it was common enough knowledge, they didn’t talk about it often—Nico didn’t talk about it all.

“And you see your cousin often?” Jerry raised an eyebrow, already knowing the truth. He knew Nico well enough over the years, being Jason’s best friend and all.

“Not in ten years,” Nico admitted. “He’s been asking my mother about me.” Nico shrugged, running a hand through his wavy blond hair.

“I think it’s a solid plan,” I said, jumping in the conversation. “We let Dagger set up the meeting with his cousin, and if Seratelli doesn’t want to meet with him, I’ll make a formal call through Giovanni.”

A rumble of murmuring went around the room.

“So you sit down with Seratelli, discuss the coke trade and the backhanded dealing with the Knights? Then what?” Phoenix asked, drawing my gaze across the table to the brown eyed man.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“What are we doing about Las Serpientes? Vince Carmichael? I feel like we still got unfinished business there.”

“Carmichael is in County without bail, awaiting his trial. The District Attorney is working with the Knights attorney Freddy Danvers and my sister, to make sure Carmichael stays behind bars for a very long time. As for the snakes…” I trailed off, glancing between Phoenix, Blaze, and Axel. “What do you suggest?”

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