Page 50 of Savage
“Have you taken care of it?”
“I found one of his pawns and have extracted the shipments he has procured.”
“And what of the cop?” the old man asked, sipping from his glass.
“He received messages of the trucks and all the details to be approved.”
His wrinkled face dipped as he frowned. “Not one but multiple traitors? Do I not provide handsomely for this family?” The old man threw his glass, and it shattered against the fireplace, shards of glass raining down. He snapped his fingers, and a maid bustled in and poured him another drink.
“Come back later and clean this mess,” He waved her off. Once the door closed again, he spoke. “Find all the idiots who thought it was best to follow the orders of that ungrateful son of mine.”
I nodded. “But leave him be?”
The old man downed his drink and leaned back in his chair. “I was only able to have one child. Who do I hand the family over to if not him?”
I didn’t care who was the next boss. Either way, I was to serve the next one as I served this one. Loyalty wasn’t something I was allowed to have, not when I never knew if I’d have to kill someone I’d potentially warm up to in the family.
After careful research and hunting down lead after lead, I had something I knew the old man wanted. “I have also found something else.”
He lifted his brow at me before a sly smile appeared on his face. “You want something in exchange for the information?”
“You didn’t ask for me to find it.”
A grave chuckle came from the old man. “What is it that you want, Elio? You’ve never required anything from me before.”
And in any other case, I would have kept it that way. Still, it was no longer just me. I couldn’t have my past repeating itself. Especially if the old man decided he wanted to teach me a lesson.
“They are to be left alone. No one touches what’s mine,” I said.
The old man stared at me for a long while. “You are asking a lot of me. They aren’t family and won’t be pledging themselves to us.”
I didn’t correct him. My boys weren’t Laureati property. They were mine and mine alone.
“Fine,” the old man said.
I didn’t dare show him an ounce of the relief that flooded through me. I’d still be taking precautions, but having his word would help.
“Out with it, boy. I’m not getting any younger sitting here.”
“He has a child.”
The old man’s eyes widened. “Boy?”
I nodded. The child was only two years old but finding where Rocco had hidden the woman with his child had been fairly easy once I learned about their existence.
The old man leaned back in his seat, resting his hands together. “Starting over at my age…But leaving everything to that degenerate.” He sighed, and his steely gray eyes focused on me. “If only you had been born of my blood and not my bastard brother’s. I would have chosen a different path for you.”
I didn’t want it. Where I stood with the family was perfectly fine with me. Keeping to the bloody shadows dirtying my hands was what I was made for, not to be at the head, having vultures steadily circling me due to greed.
“He’s on a few drugs. How many?”
“Fentanyl and coke. He doesn’t dip into the supply he has moving into the area. He’s set up more than a few shops.”
“Right under my nose. That boy—” The old man held out his glass, and I stood up and poured him more of the smoky bourbon. “Who is supplying him? Have you found out?”
That had taken more time than I’d liked, but once I figured out who it was, I knew exactly why we hadn’t known. “Yes, he’s in bed with the cartel and heavily so.”
Another glass bit the dust as he threw it. I stood up, grabbed another, and poured him a fresh drink. His face reddened with rage as he glared at the amber liquid. Minutes passed, and I was ready to leave. I wanted to be home with my boys. The picture Sayge had sent me flashed in my mind.
