Buttons and Blame Read online

  “I don’t think I can handle weeks of this…” He rested his fingertips against his temple like he was fighting a migraine. His black wedding ring matched his exterior, cold, dark, and hard. It was difficult to believe he loved a woman with all of his heart.

  “It’ll be over soon. Pearl can come home, and you can get ready for the baby.”

  He rubbed his temple. “I don’t know shit about babies…”

  “But Pearl does. She’s got that natural maternal instinct.”

  “You’re right, she does.”

  “You could always go to Greece and wait it out with her. I can take over the manhunt and let you know when it’s all over.”

  He grabbed the glass from the table and took a drink. “As tempting as that sounds, I don’t want anyone to follow me. It would be a moot point if I led the trail back to my most prized possession.”

  “True…”

  “I’m staying until this is over.”

  “Alright. Then let’s buckle down.”

  “How’s Adelina doing?” Crow asked.

  “She’s handling things pretty well, actually.” I closed the folder when I didn’t find what I was looking for. “She’s resilient. Anyone else would still be shaking. But she’s holding her head high. She’s strong.”

  “Reminds me of Pearl. I never felt like she was a victim. More like a survivor.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I’m sure you have something to do with her calmness. She feels safe around you.”

  “Yeah…I think she does.”

  “Have you told her how you felt?”

  I shook my head.

  “Are you going to?”

  “I don’t know… I feel like it’s pointless.”

  “How so?”

  “I risked my life as well as yours to save her. It’s pretty damn obvious how I feel about her. If she doesn’t already know, she’s an idiot.”

  “She might just think you’re a good guy.”

  I snorted. “She knows I’m not a good guy. She knows I’m not evil, but not good either. That’s why I like her so much. She knows exactly what I am and accepts it.”

  “And you know where acceptance comes from? Love.”

  “I’m not sure how she feels. I’d think she was a little crazy if she fell in love with me when I accepted her as payment…”

  “Pearl fell in love with me.”

  “But she is an idiot,” I said with a smile.

  His eyes narrowed.

  “Come on, you know I’m kidding.”

  If he didn’t know that was a joke, he would have murdered me right then and there.

  Bran approached our table with straight shoulders. He was always a serious guy, but he seemed more serious than usual. “There’s someone here to see you.”

  “Who?” I asked. Judging by the expression on his face, it was the Queen of England.

  “Constantine,” Bran said quietly. “Says you know him.”

  I wished I didn’t know him.

  I exchanged a look with Crow.

  This was bad news. And even worse timing.

  “Where is he?” I asked.

  “At the entrance to the warehouse,” Bran answered. “Has a few men with him.”

  Of course he did. “I’ll be there in a second.”

  “Alright.” Bran walked away, so we were alone once more.

  Crow’s expression didn’t change, but he was tense. He was harder than a steel beam. The anger lurked behind his eyes, as it often did when he felt threatened. “We both know this isn’t good.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “We’ll handle it together.” Crow rose from his seat.

  My brother had already risked his life to save my woman. He already had his issues with the business with Constantine, so I wasn’t going to make him deal with that too. “No. You said you wanted nothing to do with this. I’ll handle it.”

  “It doesn’t matter if I want nothing to do with this. You’re my brother. We’re in this together.”

  “Not this time. You’ve done enough for me. Stay here.”

  Crow continued to stand, but his arms rested gently by his sides. He bowed his head slightly, backing off.

  “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

  “Cane Barsetti.” Constantine was always dressed to impress. He didn’t wear jet black like most of us did. He always wanted to make a statement. He always wanted to be remembered. He wore black jeans that had holes all up and down, and he wore a bright yellow shirt with a skull in the center. A red handkerchief was tied around his neck, and every inch of his skin was covered with black ink from his tattoos.

  “Constantine.” I met him outside, wearing a confident expression and not blinking an eye over the men he brought. They were all packing. But the hundred men inside my facility were packing too. No matter how ruthless these guys were, they’d lose.

  We both knew it.

  “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” I asked.

  “A beautiful day to do business,” Constantine said. He crossed his arms over his chest, revealing the assortment of blades that hung along his belt loop. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said…peaceful coexistence.”

  “Pretty good idea, if you ask me.”

  “I’m not so sure.” He nodded to the warehouse. “I know you’ve got a lot of inventory in there, a lot more than I have.”

  “Your point?”

  “Not sure if there’s enough competition for two big fish like us.”

  The key was not to be a pushover. If they detected fear, even the slightest hint, they’d run with it. “You’re right. Maybe there’s only room for one of us.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’ve always liked you, Constantine. I respect your fire, your brutality. As dark as it is to say, I think you’re essential to the food chain.”

  “How so?” he asked.

  “You make problems go away. Problems that can’t be solved. And I would hate to lose you.” I didn’t threaten him directly, but I did drop a veiled threat. Even if Crow and I folded and left the business to them, we couldn’t do it easily. It had to be some kind of a fight. Otherwise, they would haunt us forever.

  Constantine smiled even though my words pissed him off. Everything about him was contradictory.

  “Did you hear about Tristan?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Heard his compound got wiped out. No one knows who did it. And we know we didn’t,” he said with a laugh.

  “I know you didn’t,” I said. “Because I did.”

  His smile faded away.

  “I hit him hard and annihilated everyone. Tristan was flourishing, and now he’s a nobody.” I snapped my fingers. “Just like that. He was a good client. But he crossed me in a way I couldn’t forgive. The only solution to the problem was to end him.”

  Constantine smiled again even though there was nothing to smile about. “Looks like you learned a lot from us.”

  “I did…and I picked up a few other things elsewhere.”

  Constantine’s crystal blue eyes bore into mine. He was studying me like a wild animal caught in a cage.

  “I have a lot on my plate right now. Worrying about competition over business is boring. Bones operated for decades without any clash. I couldn’t pick up his clients even if he wanted me to. You act like you could handle my business when you’ve been in the game for only a few weeks. So why don’t we be eyes and ears for each other? With our long history, I think that’s pretty reasonable.”

  Constantine’s expression didn’t change. “We do have a long history.”

  “If there’s nothing more to be said, I should be getting back.” I pulled out my wallet and grabbed the business card I’d just acquired. “I picked up a new client today, but I’m maxed out on inventory. Tell him I recommended you.”

  Constantine eyed the card before he took it.

  “Have a good day, gentlemen.” I turned my back and walked back into the warehouse. Exposing myself to potential bullets was stupid and risky. But I had to
take the chance. I had to tell Constantine that I wasn’t scared of him.

  That I wasn’t scared of anyone.

  I walked back inside and found Crow exactly where I’d left him.

  “What happened?” he blurted.

  I told him the story, including the dialogue that I could recall.

  Crow pinched the bridge of his nose and accompanied his actions with a sigh. “You’re playing with fire, Cane.”

  “Trust me, it’s how it has to be. If I cave right away, they’ll take us for everything we’ve got. Our houses…our women…they don’t respect weakness. Only strength.”

  “But to threaten them?”

  “I had to do it, Crow. Trust me on this.”

  “Now what?” he asked. “What do you think they’ll do?”

  “They’ll use my contact and fill the order. That’ll either satisfy them and they’ll forget about it…or they’ll get greedy and try to overrun the business again.”

  “And if that happens?” Crow pressed.

  “I don’t know.”

  “We both have women we need to protect now. We should abandon it.”

  “This business has been in our blood for generations, Crow. We aren’t just walking away from money. We’re walking away from the legacy our parents left us. It would be an insult to let someone take it from us. It would be one thing if someone offered to buy it. But to steal it?” I shook my head. “I can’t let that happen.”

  “All things come to an end. And we are their legacy. Just as our children will be ours. Cane, it’s a superficial, physical thing. It’s not worth fighting for. It’s not worth dying for.”

  “I know…I get it.”

  “I don’t think you do.”

  “Think about it,” I said. “If Pearl and Adelina weren’t around, we’d be giving these guys hell. We wouldn’t let them walk all over us like this. It’s turned us into pussies, and I never thought that’s how I would end up.”

  “I’m not happy about it either, but I’m tired of looking over my shoulder all the time. I’m tired of my wife complaining that she can’t go anywhere alone. We can always go into the wine business together, and that will be a legacy we leave behind. It’s clean, it’s legal, and it’s something to be proud of.”

  “Crow, you know I don’t know shit about wine.”

  “It’s not like you can’t learn.”

  I turned my head the other way and sighed, frustrated by the overwhelming events. I just got Adelina back a few days ago, Tristan was still missing, and the Skull Kings wanted to pick a fight.

  “Maybe this is personal,” Crow noted.

  “What is?”

  “Constantine. Maybe they’re doing this to antagonize you.”

  “Why?”

  “Maybe they’re mad you left.”

  I shook my head. “I left seven years ago. They’re over it. It’s not like I left on bad terms.”

  “Maybe Constantine doesn’t see it that way.”

  “That guy has a lot of pride, but he wouldn’t hold on to that kind of resentment for seven years. They’re just hungry for money and power. They always want more. What they have is never enough. They see a perfect opportunity to monopolize the market, even though it’ll be impossible to fulfill orders in that magnitude. They’re so greedy they can’t think.”

  “What do you think Constantine will do?” he asked.

  “I really don’t know. It’s a coin toss.”

  Crow rested his fingertips against his lips. “Fuck, maybe I will just move far away with Pearl…”

  “Doesn’t sound too bad, honestly.”

  The second I walked through the door, Bellissima was on me.

  She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me in the doorway, embracing me like a wife welcoming her husband home from work. Her kiss was exactly what it used to be, full of tongue and affection.

  My hands explored her body, and I immediately fell into the passion. My heart was broken over what she’d been through, but my body couldn’t deny its carnal desires. I viewed her as the sexiest woman in the world—regardless of what happened. My desire wasn’t quenched. My respect never faltered. I saw her as a shining jewel that would never be covered with dust.

  She pulled away with her hands on my cheeks. “I’m glad you’re home.”

  “I picked up on that,” I said with a smile.

  “I made dinner.”

  “That sounds great. But I should be cooking for you.”

  “No. I want to cook for you. I miss it.” Her fingertips trailed down my arms and to my hands.

  “I miss it too.”

  “You wanna eat now?” she whispered.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “I thought we would sit on the terrace and watch the sun go down. We never do that…”

  “Yeah, that’ll be nice.” Sometimes it worried me how easily she brushed off her nightmare with Tristan. But if this was how she handled her demons, by moving forward without letting it haunt her, then I respected that. Not too many people were strong enough to do that. Pearl was the only one I knew.

  We sat at the table outside and shared a bottle of wine. The sunset cast a perfect glow over Adelina, highlighting her cheeks and perfect nose. I began to understand Crow’s affection for Pearl, how his entire world changed once she walked into his life.

  I knew my life would never be the same.

  I didn’t want another woman.

  Bellissima was all I wanted. I would do anything for her, do anything to make her happy. I never wanted to be with anyone else. She made me a better man. She made me do the right thing when it was easy to do the wrong thing. She made me want more out of life. Her innocence made me less callous.

  She felt my endless expression on her face. “I like it when you look at me like that. I don’t know what it means…but I like it.”

  My hand moved to hers on the table, and I squeezed it. “It means I love you.”

  Her smile slowly faded away like the setting sun. Her eyes were lit up by the glow over the horizon. Instead of pure happiness coming into her gaze, she looked at me like she hadn’t been expecting me to say that.

  I felt her pulse quicken under my fingertips. I felt my own pick up in pace as I waited for a reaction. I’d never said those words to another woman, other than my mother. But I meant these words in a whole other context.

  Still, nothing came out of her mouth.

  I started to worry. Maybe she didn’t feel the same way.

  “I…I don’t know what—”

  “It’s okay, Bellissima.” I had to swallow the hurt in my throat and push forward. I was so certain she felt the same way that I would have gambled my life on it. But she didn’t, and letting the tense moment linger would only make her uncomfortable. I’d just gotten her back. The last thing I wanted to do was push her away. “You don’t need to say it back. I just wanted you to know how I felt.” I pulled my hand away so I could grab my glass and take a drink of the wine. I only did it to cover up my disappointment, the painful burn inside my chest. I’d never put myself out there like that, and it hurt like hell to get shot down.

  I’d given up so much for this woman.

  And she still didn’t feel the same way.

  18

  Crow

  I searched through the kitchen until I found something to eat.

  A frozen lasagna.

  Lars always prepared for the worst.

  I popped it into the oven then called Button.

  She answered before the first ring could even finish. “Please tell me you found him.”

  This separation was hurting her a lot more than it was hurting me, even though I was pretty miserable. I knew it was because she was pregnant. She was scared I would never come back to her, and our child would never know his father. She wasn’t usually this emotional, but I understood that she was alone and sad.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She growled into the phone. “I hate this.”

  “I know, Button. But it’ll be ove
r.”

  “When?” she pressed.

  “Soon. Just be patient.”

  “How can I be patient when I spend all day reading pregnancy books?”

  “You know you’re in Greece, right?” I challenged. “One of the most beautiful places in the world?”

  “It’s not beautiful without you, Crow. I would love to be here with you, to make love all day and then look at the ocean over dinner. But this isn’t a vacation when you aren’t here. I’ve been spending all my time with Lars, and that’s driving me nuts.”

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  “Nothing. He just constantly waits on me all the time.”

  “That’s his job, Button.”

  “Well, he can take a break. I’m just sitting around and getting fat.”

  “Pregnant, not fat.” I eyed the oven and the timer that was ticking down. “At least you have someone to cook for you. Thankfully, Lars froze a lot of meals for me. But they aren’t as good as fresh.”

  “I’m glad Lars did that for you.”

  “He’s always prepared for a catastrophe.” A sound erupted in the house, like a locked door being yanked.

  “Now if only Lars could hunt down Tristan and kill him.”

  I kept the phone pressed to my ear as I walked out of the kitchen. I flicked off the light then stuck my head out into the entryway. Just when I got a view of the windows, gunshots fired.

  Fuck.

  I dived down with the phone still at my ear.

  I’d never heard Button scream like that. “Crow!” She heard the gunshots as loud as I did. They were unmistakable, nearly blowing out my eardrums.

  “I don’t have time to say anything else, so listen to me.”

  She held her breath.

  “Call Cane. Tell him I’m at the house. Follow my tracker.”

  “Okay—”

  “I love you.”

  She was already crying. “I love you too—”

  I hung up and pulled my pistol out of the back of my jeans. Button was the last thing on my mind right now. All I could think about was survival, how I was going to take out at least a dozen men alone. There were no guns stored in the kitchen because this was Lars’s fortress.