Page 36 of Empire of Carnage
Innocence could be perceived as weakness.
It made sense.
I didn’t change my expression, and I didn’t acknowledge her little attempt to disarm me.
I wasn’t the same man who entered that basement wondering how my own flesh and blood could stomach to hurt me. I was the man who came out of it.
And at my core, I knew it wasn’t a me problem.
But maybe if I’d been stronger I could have saved Celia from all of the pain that was born in that basement.
Maybe the real torture would be living with that knowledge forever.
I opened the door and shoved her in. Ronan was leaning back on what was obviously César’s chair, his feet propped up on the table. He was laughing about something with the guys who were still at his side, but the laughter cut short once Susana walked in.
“Bratva Princess,” Ronan chided.
“Not anymore.” She raised her eyebrows at him, but he just looked at her with disbelief. “You don’t believe people can want to change?” she asked.
“I think violent people keep breeding violence,” he told her.
“Was your father a violent man, Ronan Zerkos?” She crossed her arms over her chest with interest.
“No. He was a weak man. Cheated on his second wife too and ended up dying of cancer. Got what he deserved.”
“Hmm.” She sauntered over to him crossing one leg over the other. “So where does your violence breed from then, I wonder?” She leaned her elbows on the table and stuck her ass up too high in the air. She was wearing jean shorts and a tank top with the MC’s logo on it. Maybe her goal was to try to seduce Zerkos into leaving her the fuck alone.
“None of your fucking business,” he grit through his teeth leaning forward on the desk so that his face was just an inch away from hers. “Where do your people play?”
She slumped into the nearest chair, looking around the room and taking in the rest of the men who sat waiting for information with blank stares on their faces.
“You’re signing my death warrant,” she said, a bit of anger rising to the surface.
“Heard you were getting real comfy out here in Grimm fuck nowhere,” he challenged her back. “Would be a shame if our enemies found out you were hiding here.”
“What do you want, you son of a bitch?
“I want to kill my rat, that’s it. But if a few Bratvas get in the way, they might have to go as well.”
She let out a defeated sigh once she looked around the room.
“If he’s under my father’s protection you’ll find him at Club Moscow, if he’s just clutching his coat tails you’ll find him with the lower crowd, at Vosk. I can’t help you otherwise. I wasn’t privy to every safehouse he kept.”
Zerkos nodded over to Liam, one of Taylor’s henchmen in the tech lab. He wrote down all the information and made his way out of the room to start researching.
“Now, forget me. Haven’t we had enough of each other? Unless you mean to fuck me, please, get a hobby Ronan.” She chuckled and stood from the seat, getting up without permission.
She was a gutsy bitch and it worked in her favor. Ronan let her leave, and no one seemed to mind.
“You’re good with this?” I asked him.
“I think we milked Sokolov's daughter for all we could, let her live her miserable life in peace. If she’s happy in the Diablos compound let's wash our hands of this mess and call it a win.”
“And Dezmond?”
“Let’s go into the city. Tonight.” Zerkos rubbed the blond scruff growing on his chin before he pushed up from the chair and left the room.
Another night in the Diablos Locos compound, meant another night drinking to forget we were away from our girl. I would have rather killed a man instead of getting belligerent and coming into my hands to forget the only thing I cared about was south of the border, probably still getting railed by Mateo Kane.
