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“No, he won’t because you’re going to be the one to release him.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been blackmailed enough by pieces of shit like you.” He waves a hand dismissively and goes to turn. “I’m not interested in your threats.”
“It isn’t a threat,” I say.
“Oh, what? It’s a promise? Grow up.”
He reaches the door as anger heats my ears. I understood when I showed up here why he would be afraid to see me, of all people, knowing the things I’ve done to his colleagues. I understood he would see us as enemies. I knew it would take time for him to wrap his head around the fact that we want thesame things, that I may be Bratva but that I’ve turned my back on my own family to protect his daughter. I came here with patience, but my patience thins.
We’re on the same god damn side.
“I love her.”
He pauses with his hand on the doorknob, his back stiff.
I step toward him while he stays facing the door.
“I will doanythingit takes to keep her safe, but I can’t do that if you’re constantly sabotaging her life behind my back. The Bratva wants her dead because of your actions. Only your actions can fix that. I will go to Nikita today and tell him his arrest had nothing to do with you, but if we agree to lift the hit off your daughter, you will dump the bullshit evidence we both know you planted. You’ll slowly remove the agents you have infiltrating our organization and shift your focus elsewhere. We’ll go back to coexisting like we did before.”
Arthur turns to face me, appearing years older with his sunken, defeated face. He drags his hand over his neatly groomed beard and closes his eyes. “If only it were that simple.”
It never is.
“Why isn’t it?”
He shakes his head.
I already know. All this bullshit with the DEA, all thiscleaning up the streetsnonsense and wasted lives weren’t Arthur’s doing. They were the Irish’s.Cormac’s. It was just a ploy to tear us apart, drive our organization into the ground until we no longer saw our leadership as worthy.
I almost laugh. I always knew there would be an assassination attempt on Nikita one day. I just didn’t know it would be so well executed.
“Do they have something onyou, or do they have something on Olive?” I ask, but I know the answer to that too.
When he doesn’t answer, I sigh. “Do they know she killed her ex-boyfriend?”
His eyes widen as he finally looks at me. The question is apparent in his eyes.She told you?
He takes his time answering, and I let him. I don’t have any more guesses to prompt him.
Finally, his Adam’s apple bobs, and he nods. “They have a video.”
A video.
Ouch.
That’s a slam dunk for the Irish. Lights out for Olive. And Arthur, for that matter.
“I just want to protect my family,” Arthur says, his voice cracking. He rubs his face when his eyes water. “Olive is a danger to society, I know that. But if this gets out, it isn’t just her life that’s destroyed. You don’t know what this has done to my wife. I couldn’t even tell her that her own daughter was in the hospital without worrying she’d be stuck in bed for days. If Olive went to prison…” He shakes his head. “It’d kill her.”
I frown, but I don’t quite feel sympathy. Perhaps it would be challenging having a murderous child. Perhaps that’s why my mother left me; maybe she could tell what was inside.
I don’t know. I don’t really care.
Olive isn’t an animal to be caged. She isn’t a menace to be kept from society.
She’s perfect. It’s too bad Arthur can’t see it.
“Your family will be fine,” I reply. “Work on getting Nikita out. I’ll take care of the rest.”
