with that, so yeah, I was creating openings in the family. All them up there on the council knew about it too. They were helping me turn evidence on my family so I could step into the leadership role and bring the sex trade down here. I also had to scope out the competition. There’s a big ring in Ohio, but we had plans to eliminate them. Just hadn’t gotten to that part yet, if you know what I mean.”
He stared at Kai for a second before continuing. “Those three were never going to bring the rest of you in on the trade. Too much money and too messy with the fact that none of them were cleared to be doing sex trafficking. Only one cleared for that was the Guaranno family, who…” He looked, then frowned. “I don’t see up there anyway.”
Kai pushed the gun against him again, just a slight pressure before stepping back. “Is that all of it?”
“Yeah.” He eyed Kai warily. “That’s all of it. Except, my family didn’t know what I was doing. Just me. They got their asses handed to them from another fight down here against a rival family, so after they did the hit, they got paid, and that was it. I’m the one who reached out, said I could help bring it all to Milwaukee. I targeted your sister, told that group I had power over your family. I was supposed to get some bad shit on her, then blackmail her to get to you. They wanted to take you down. Those three are ambitious fuckers, if you ask me.” He waved to them. “The only reason they let me in was to get at you, because I’d already started boning your sister.”
“Right,” Kai clipped out, turning to the council again.
Two guards now stood behind those three council members. Rose. Richard. Ritzo Senior. Tanner had moved back, his eyes closed. He was counting to himself, his chest heaving.
“You’ve heard enough,” Kai said. “I motion to execute Rose Montieth, Joseph Ritzo, and Richard Delaney immediately. Cora, you start.”
The last woman raised her right hand.
The man beside her did as well.
And again.
Again.
Tanner was the last, but in his right hand was a gun, and before Kai could say a word, he pressed it to the back of the old guy’s head and pulled the trigger.
I watched this time. I couldn’t look away.
In a sick way, this was riveting.
After all this work, all this planning, bringing everyone together, waiting all those years, and having it all come to fruition now—Kai could never leave this life. This was who he was, how he thought, how he lived, how he breathed. Or was it? Pulling my gaze away, I felt him watching me, and I winced at the pain in his eyes.
Maybe…
I began to pull away from the wall.
Maybe this wasn’t how he wanted to be, but I heard Jonah’s voice in my head again. If he fell, they all fell. Then I thought about what they’d wanted to do, what they’d wanted Levi to do to get at Kai. I didn’t know what to think, how to determine what Kai might possibly think.
Without a word, Kai raised the gun to Levi, his eyes holding mine.
He pulled the trigger.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
After the executions concluded and both rooms had been cleaned, Kai faced the council.
“There will be an opening at Bruce Bello’s company. I would like to insert his daughter as CEO. She can be acting or the real deal. We will use Bello’s trucks and his distribution line for the rest of our businesses, and we can expand farther south at a later time.”
Four members were gone from that council.
Tanner hadn’t sat down. He remained in the back, but his eyes were blazing.
“If he has a board?” Cora asked. “If there’s pushback for some reason?”
“Then we push back.” Kai scanned the rest of the members. “All in favor?”
One man chuckled. “As if we’re going to refuse you anything right now, Kai.”
Kai didn’t smile back. “All in favor?”
Four right hands raised.
“I have another proposition, and it’s one you will not like.” He glanced in my direction, though his eyes didn’t quite meet mine. “There is tighter legislation forming against sex trafficking. I would like the council to pull out completely from that trade.”
Cora’s forehead tightened. “It’s good money, Kai. We’re in the business of making money.”
“It’s stupid money. It won’t be worth the risk in the future.”