53

Joshua

Anger was a part of my world and had been for as long as I could remember. My father had tried to provide methods of relieving the rage including requiring and encouraging physical activity including boxing. Occasionally, I still boxed, something I’d enjoyed through college. Then business had taken precedence, keeping me from the gym far too often.

On this day, I wished I could spend hours in front of a punching bag to relieve both the tension and the fury that continued to build. I knew the reason why, the lack of control. It was killing me, eating me up inside; my inability to process what little I’d learned to provide a clear-cut answer was debilitating.

That didn’t bode well for anyone who crossed me.

I’d been right in that Pops had kept some fascinating and rather incriminating evidence on the Baranovs, details that could be used against them. I would keep the info in reserve. What I had in mind was more hands on. If necessary.

From what my sources had told me, Shawn had managed to lay low after my discussion with him less than two weeks before. He’d spent more time in his upper scale penthouse than handling business, ignoring his usual draw to his sister’s bar. Of course, in my mind that was a red flag if I’d ever seen one, telling me in no uncertain terms that he was guilty of doing everything he could to undermine my business.

All while betraying his own family. This time, I hadn’t contacted the patriarch of the Clinton family. If Ryan was aware of what his son had done, that would force our hand in initiating a war. That wasn’t something I wanted to see happen. While I couldn’t turn my back on the possibility, at this point I would continue fact checking every scrap of information prior to making a difficult and possibly rash decision.

Even if it was also killing me.

“Stay here, Mike. Keep the riffraff away,” I told Mikey.

“You’re certain, boss?” he asked, concern in his voice.

“Yeah. I don’t want things to get ugly today. Not unless absolutely necessary.”

He cracked his knuckles, which always made me laugh. “Damn. You know how to jerk all the fun out of the situation.”

“As you’ve told me more than once.” Today we’d act with prudence, taking the time to mull over our decisions. I was still angry with my father for keeping the dark secret for so fucking long. Yeah, he had his reasons, hopes that the future he worried about would remain at arm’s length. However, in my mind, he of all people should have known better. Men like Omar Baranov held grudges better than most. From what little I’d read on the way over, I’d learned he’d been very close to his wife, especiallygiven she’d had four miscarriages, finally bearing three sons, only one of which remained alive given their penchant for violence.

That had been easily found on the great wide internet, but her death seemed to remain a mystery today. That was likely so the man could continue saving face. No wonder he’d planned his retribution carefully, avoiding the obvious methods of striking back I’d seen and heard about dozens of times. There were always wars going on between rival syndicates, ours included, even though many were determined to go legit. I also couldn’t blame Omar for hiring people to handle the obviously messy stuff, keeping his hands clean until the last minute.

Destruction from the ground up, saving my father for last.

It appeared that the family would have a difficult and long few months ahead of us.

Greg eased onto the sidewalk beside me, buttoning his jacket as he peered up at the tall building. “You think he’ll admit to it?”

“Nah. I don’t.”

“Then why bother?”

“Because at least I’ll know if he’s lying to me or not. You know I’m good at that.”

“Yes, but flushing out the liar is only one aspect of what we’re doing.”

“Maybe, but I’m taking this a step at a time.”

“No punishment?”

I hadn’t thought through it just yet. “That will be determined by how Shawn handles our visit.”

“I must admit that being around that lovely woman has changed you in a matter of days.”

“For the good or for the bad?”

He laughed and took a few steps toward the building, turning slightly as he reached for the door. “The jury is out on that. Ask me again in a couple weeks.”

All I could do was laugh. Greg had always been the cautious one, the guy most likely to succeed in everything he did. He was happy being second in command, providing support and his accounting expertise for the business. The fact he adored his job made it easier, but when I needed muscle, he was always willing to be right by my side.

I’d always taken family for granted, thinking that we weren’t as close as we should be, but that wasn’t the reality at all. It had taken me into my forties to realize that. Or maybe I hadn’t embraced how important having a family truly was. Having Christopher in my life had provided a better taste. Selena had awakened me enough to realize I longed for a nuclear family of my own. Wife. Kids. Hell, a dog or two. Family vacations. Holidays with festive movies. Birthday parties. They were all things I’d refused to buy into.

Now I felt like an idiot because I’d wasted so much time grabbing the brass ring.

I followed behind him into the building, scanning the street behind me before allowing the door to close. I’d brought four soldiers with me, although I doubted it would be necessary. I’d made a few phone calls, asking associates who worked the border crossings to alert me if any known Bratva members decided to head to Canada for the weekend. I almost laughed.Granted, they could easily disguise themselves, but I had a feeling if this was about revenge, Omar and his band of merry men had no issue announcing themselves.

I’d also taken into account that my sudden departure from Louisville might have caught them by surprise. That would take a little while for them to regroup. Unless Shawn was planning a surprise attack. I’d sent other soldiers to survey gossip in the streets, spending time blending in to seek real answers. It would be interesting to see what they came up with.

Still, it paid to be extra careful at this point. I’d never handled surprise attacks with grace. Grinning as we headed for the elevator, I unbuttoned my jacket on purpose. I wanted to make certain Shawn knew I was armed.

We remained quiet on the ride to the top floor. Lost in thought, I was allowed to enjoy the images of Selena and the night of passion for a little while. Some would say our instant lust was fueling our feelings, masking the truth of what we were dealing with. Perhaps I’d have agreed with that two days ago, but being forced to rely on each other, and the night of shared passion had changed everything about our relationship.

It wasn’t just about me needing to possess her, breaking down her defenses. My strong feelings also had nothing to do with winning her over given her case against me. That had been tossed out the window after day one. I smirked, realizing that the confident woman would possibly never admit to that at all. Something else that had drawn me to her.

“You’re thinking about her again. Aren’t you, brother?” Greg asked as soon as we’d stepped off the elevator.

“That easy to tell?”

“Hell, yeah. It’s written all over that wrinkled face of yours.”

I punched him as I used to do when we were younger, enjoying the camaraderie more than usual. “She’s something special.”

“So I’ve heard. What is your favorite attribute, other than her beauty, which is extraordinary I might add?”

We headed down the stark corridor. “You touch her and it won’t matter that we’re brothers. I will kill you.”

He snorted. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Not my type.”

“Every woman is your type.” We stopped in front of the door and I threw him a look.

“So, answer the question. What drew you to her other than her beauty and brilliance?”

“Hmm…” I rubbed the scruff on my jaw, just realizing I hadn’t taken the time to shave that morning. “Her dark sense of humor.”

“Wow. Now that says a lot about a woman. Does she have a sister?” He growled under his breath then knocked on the door.

I leaned against the wall, trying to be patient. I knew Shawn was inside, having put a tail on him early that morning. Other than grabbing coffee and a newspaper at the corner store, he’d remained inside all day.

When the lock was finally disengaged, I shook my head.