Just one more thing about this situation that stinks in the worst way possible.
“And once Lorenzo gave you Montrose’s name, I knew I had you where I wanted you. I was hoping you’d take the bait, Xander, and you didn’t disappoint. You ran straight to my daughter because you knew she was in danger and lost sight of everything else, just as I knew you would. You had all of the answers right under your nose, but because you were so blinded by lust, you missed them all. You chose Charlotte over your family. I’ve had to make choices like that, too,” he muses, tapping the gun on the side of his pinched face.
“Dad, what are you talking about?” Charlotte’s voice quivers.
Sharp breaths slice away at my lungs, and dragging in oxygen hurts like a bitch.
“You cleared the path for us to take exactly what we wanted. I knew I could count on you, Xander. I knew you’d play right into our game. And now, tonight, the whole reason why we’re celebrating is because of you. Bringing you here, making sure the rest of your useless family found their way here...it was a slam dunk. There was no way we’d lose.”
“You sonofabitch!” my father shouts.
“Are you finally getting it, Marco? Your family has been playing it safe ever since you took over this territory. You’ve made me lose hundreds of millions of dollars because you’re too much of a pussy to take any risks. You make your money and you don’t give a shit who you step on to do it,” Charles snarls. “So I brought in a partner, someone who has the balls, the fucking muscle, and the reach we need to grow and expand our enterprise. With my money and your old friend Moretti’s connections, we’re about to take everything. Because you fucking slept through every opportunity to work with us! And if you’re not with us, you’re done.”
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter. He was fucking us all along! And I actually bought his bullshit! I launch my fist, my target his smug-ass grin.
“Do it and I shoot the old man,” Charles hisses before smashing the barrel into my father’s cheek.
“Daddy! Stop!” Charlotte screeches.
My father groans, his shoulders sagging in the chair. My eyes dart over to Jase and Phoenix, silently willing either of them to mentally supply me with a plan for how we’re gonna survive this shit show.
There are two guns too many pointed at the people I love, and it’s gonna take more than hope and a prayer to get out of this one.
“What do you want out of this, Charles?” my father mutters, wincing as a trickle of blood runs down the side of his face.
“I want your empire,” he replies. “I’m going to do all the things with it that you were too much of a pussy to tackle.”
“So, what, you’re just gonna kill me and my sons? You think that’ll give you free reign to take over?”
“I don’t really need to kill anyone,” Charles says with a nasty smirk on his face. “Your crew has had it with you. They want a new leader, one who’s not going to screw them over, one who’s going to make them rich. Look at Lorenzo. It wasn’t hard to get him to sell you out. Just dangle a little cash in front of the greedy fuckers and they’ll gladly bend over.”
“And if they need a little extra convincing, they can talk to me.”
I twist around toward the intruding voice. I didn’t even hear the doorknob twist open. I’ve never seen the man before, but the hairs on my arms stand at attention the second his voice pierces the air.
I know him.
Moretti.
He’s short and heavy with eyes like black marbles. Thick, dark eyebrows furrow as he walks toward me. “Xander Iazetti.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. I can fucking take him. Let him try to make a move on me!
“The rising star,” he continues, lifting an eyebrow at my father. “But you never gave him a chance to spread his wings, did you, Marco? You gave the keys to the kingdom to Jase instead. If you’d have taken a chance on the one son who actually has a brain in his head, you might not be sitting in that chair right now.” He snickers. “Ironic, but good for us.”
Charles snickers. “Very good.”
Moretti looks at Charles and gives him a quick nod. “You’ve all played the game well. Now it’s time to announce