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Within any organization there were rules and rituals, oaths of honor and loyalty. That didn’t matter if it came by signing a contract with a pen or with making the commitment sealed in blood. Membership in the Brotherhood was sacred, something bestowed on only the best. I’d heard that from day one of Constantine organizing the first meeting, his rules not to be ignored.
We were all considered kings, yet rivals in a dangerous game of supremacy, ruthless predators who would stop at nothing to get what we wanted. And any of us who ignored the sanctity, breaking the sovereignty of the invisible ‘round table’ would face punishment.
Including the possibility of death.
It wasn’t to be taken lightly so when my own brother heated a sharp blade in the flickering flame, I studied it carefully. This was my future, something as a kid I’d thought I wouldn’t need to face. But things changed within every family, our power more desirable than ever before.
So when the blade was sliced across my palm, I looked each man in the eye, giving them a nod of respect.
When it was finished, I clenched my hand, allowing drops to fall to the table. Only then did I grab my drink once again, lifting it in a toast to the added strength of the alliance.
“To the Brotherhood,” I offered.
“Hear, hear,” Gabriel muttered.
“To the future and the power of us all,” Constantine added.
They would now be required to come to my assistance should it be deemed necessary.
We would see.
Less than thirty minutes later, I walked out into the bright sun, buttoning my jacket as I headed for the SUV. I normally preferred to drive myself, but I could handle a few aspects of business while Brock drove.
He grinned as I approached, acting like my chauffeur as he opened the door. “Good meeting, boss?”
The brute of a man made a damn good bodyguard. When not flanking my side by request, he worked one of the casinos, walking the floors and ensuring that no one was cheating the house. The guy was damn good at what he did.
“It was workable.” The dull ache in my hand remained, the wrap of gauze already irritating me. The cut wasn’t deep, but even though I’d taken a couple of bullets before, a cut was always more painful.
“Back to the house?”
“For now.” I eased inside, immediately grabbing my phone to check my email. I was in charge of handling various corporate business activities as well as the duties on my own ranch. While I had an extremely reliable foreman, I preferred handling several aspects of the horse ranch myself, including some of the day-to-day tasks. Chores cleared my head, keeping me from resorting to methods of anger.
As I checked out the email sent by our accountant with the month-end financials, I was pleased that our predictions had come true, the money spent on the new ads for the casinos paying off tenfold. Business was up by over fifteen percent, a far cry better than this time last year. We had plans on continuing our expansions into Oklahoma City, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis in the upcoming years. We were on track to achieve our goals.
The two men talked as we headed through the city back to the house. I would enjoy the time away more than I’d originally believed, not only to spend time getting to know my bride by to refresh my mind. I’d been working sixteen-hour days for over a year. It was starting to take a toll, something I wouldn’t have said ten years ago. Now I was on the cusp of turning forty, which made my bride far too young for me.
I smirked as I shifted from one set of budgets and balance sheets to the other, also responsible for keeping a good financial hold on our less than scrupulous businesses. Even if Danika was responsible for their success.
When the vehicle slowed at a traffic light, I took a deep breath and lifted my head. A flash coming from my right immediately caught my attention, but it was too late.
The hard crash sent the heavy SUV spiraling out of control, glass shattering everywhere. I was pitched against the driver’s side, the momentum knocking the wind out of me.
I heard the echo of Brock’s strangled yell, yet the roar of the crunch of steel was deafening.
Spinning in a circle, it seemed all time had stopped. When the vehicle flipped, soaring through the air, I was certain this was it, my soul soon to be hand delivered to the devil.
With another savage thud, it landed on the roof, the horrible creaking sounds and hisses of steam erupting from burst hoses all I could concentrate on. Yet as the reality started to sink in that I was still alive, I took a deep breath, ignoring the agony.
I had to get the fuck out of the vehicle.
By the grace of God, I managed to crawl out, gasping for air. People were running toward the crash, every noise and yell echoing. Another sound drew my attention and I could tell the driver of the vehicle that had crashed into us was attempting to break free.
The fucking wreck had been no accident. My leg stiff, the stench of blood and gasoline ripe in the air, I struggled to convince my body to move while jerking out the weapon. When I finally cleared the front of the crushed rubble, I’d hope to recognize the goddamn assholes so I could hunt the man behind the near massacre down. Unfortunately, the guy was someone I’d never seen before. However, he wasn’t alone, someone in the passenger seat as well.
The driver continued to fight to get the driver’s door open, but the force of the impact had crushed the metal frame. Good for me. Bad for him. If the son of a bitch thought he was getting away, he was a fucking idiot.
Without hesitation, I fired off several rounds, not stopping until blood covered the windshield.
