and he pulled out a goddamn blow torch. Said next time, it’d be my ass getting singed.”
“Shit,” I mutter.
“So yeah, I know I fucked you guys over, but I got a sick wife I need to take care of and a kid at home. I can’t lose the club. So if you’re coming in here and asking me to turn my back on Moretti right now, I’m screwed.”
Phoenix holds up a hand. “Relax. You fucked up, but I don’t want you to turn your back on that fucker. I want him close. It’s the only way we can get to him and figure out what we’re up against.” He slams both hands on the wooden table. “But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, Lorenzo. You owe us. Now, Moretti lost every bit of power he had when he was being investigated by the Feds. His businesses were too hot and they raked his ass over the coals. The family he was in charge of took a big hit when he fell out of power, so he doesn’t have the manpower to go to war with us, especially here where we own and control so much.”
“He’s betting that your dad has a lot of dissatisfied guys on his crew,” Lorenzo says with a sheepish look.
Jase’s eyes widen and he clenches his fists.
Lorenzo holds up his hands. “Easy, Jase. I’m just telling you what I know, okay? I didn’t say it myself. But let’s face it. Your dad hasn’t made any big moves lately and people question if he will. Hell, I don’t know either. And it matters to me because if his guys go somewhere else and I stay, I’ll be holding my dick in my hand in the middle of an empty club, you know what I’m sayin’?”
“Are you saying Moretti is trying to buy our guys?” Jase hisses, flinging the bowl of chips against the wall.
“Not that I know of. But people don’t always tell me everything. They know I have loyalty to your pops, so they don’t always trust me. Nobody wants their ass torn apart by him.”
“And what about you, Renzi? How attached are you to your ass?” I ask. “Because we need information. Real information, not bullshit you spew because you’re afraid of taking heat from Moretti or my father.”
“I have something for you,” he says in a low voice, his head twisting left and right to make sure we’re still alone. “But it can’t have come from me. If it does, I’m dead. I wanna do right by you guys, I do. But I got a lot to lose. So you need to give me your word.”
Phoenix lifts an eyebrow. “Like your word really meant much?”
“I know. I said it before and I’ll say it again. I fucked up. Now you know why. It doesn’t fix shit, but at least you understand why.”
“Let’s have it, Lorenzo,” Jase seethes. “Give us something and it had better be good.”
Lorenzo looks between all of us and swallows hard, his hands shaking slightly. “The investors I told you about.”
We nod.
“Well, there aren’t really investors. There’s really one big backer, one who’s gonna dump a ton of cash into Moretti’s businesses. A partner.”
“Who the fuck is it?” Phoenix growls.
“Guy named Carl Montrose. A real pompous prick.” Lorenzo nods his head. “He’s the guy you want to watch. He’s got a shit ton of cash and he’s throwing it around like he wipes his ass with it. Follow his cash and you’ll figure out what Moretti’s plan is.”
Jase’s chair scrapes along the floor as he jumps up, hovering over Lorenzo. “Why don’t you save us the trouble and just tell us?”
“I told you, I don’t know!” Lorenzo says in a trembling voice. “I gave you as much as I could.” He recoils when Jase’s fist comes to a halt right in front of his jaw.
“Jase,” Phoenix says in a threatening tone. “Don’t make a scene.”
Jase pulls away, his dark eyes menacing.
There are some more hushed threats being tossed around, but all that resonates between my temples are two words — Carl Montrose.
Blaine’s father.
The words Blaine spat at me last night bubble to the front of my mind…
You’re going to be sorry, Xander. This isn’t the end. But the end is coming. Oh, yeah. It’s definitely coming.
The end.
Of fucking what?
I don’t say a word. I just shove my chair back and walk out of the restaurant, raking a hand through my hair. My brothers call out to me, but I ignore