32. Eli

Chapter 32

Eli

T he guests were gone, and the venue was quiet now, but we had three bodies to dispose of instead of just the one that had been planned. I’d had to take on the role of announcer for the rest of the evening, pinning what had to be a grimace on my face as the clock slid towards the early morning hours.

“Nat says that Ronnie is doing better. She’s a little scraped up, but she’s okay,” Pike said. He and Dimitri had stayed running security with me while Maxim had bundled Veronica, her sister, and Reed into the limo. It killed me that I couldn’t be there with her. This was going to have to be my last event. I couldn’t be in a business where even the air would be dangerous for her .

“Thanks, man. Fuck. I can’t believe that … Luther,” I stopped and ran a hand over my jaw, working it back and forth.

Pike gave me a grim look, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the wall. "Yeah. I never thought he'd turn on you like that, especially over…what? Money? Control?"

“Or both.” My voice was raw, and the disbelief still clung to me. Luther was more than just an ally. He was supposed to be my friend. We’d built this together, spending hours planning and setting the stage for a perfect empire that didn’t need to get bloody. I didn’t think he was like Victor, but that made it worse. He was just greedy.

The venue was almost ghostly now, with a haze of smoke hanging and the acrid smell of spilled whiskey lingering in the air. Somewhere in the back, I heard the faint clang of stacked chairs. The sound only made my anger feel sharper.

“I trusted him,” I muttered, more to myself than Pike. “He knew Veronica would be here tonight. He knew her health issues. He knew that she was the first woman to matter to me. I love her. I guess it didn’t matter to him.”

He’d also been working with Jade, which boggled my mind. They thought Victor was here to clean things up? They were the delusional ones. Or maybe we all were.

“Greed changes people,” Pike said, voice low. He watched me, measuring my reaction like waiting for me to explode. “If she hadn’t had Tiny with her like that…”

I nodded, but the thought didn’t ease anything. Veronica was lucky that she hadn’t been hurt worse. If I’d been a few seconds late, she’d have been dead. I could still picture the murderous gleam in Jade’s eyes when she’d lunged for Veronica, the bloodlust that wasn’t just for business. It was revenge, personal, and blinding.

Shaking myself out of it, I looked to where one of the workers was mopping up a dark stain on the floor where the cage had been. I clenched my fists, Jade’s face flashing again in my mind. “Didn’t even see it coming.”

Pike gave me a firm slap on the shoulder, jolting me back. “Luther’s out of the equation now. This will be cleaned up before you know it.”

I nodded, shoving a hand into my pocket and taking in the space one last time. If this were going to be my last event, I’d make sure it was the final chapter of this operation. This was no place for Veronica, and I didn’t want her near it. She deserved better. And maybe I did, too.

V eronica sat at the kitchen island with her feet tucked underneath her with a bowl of cottage cheese as I let myself in. I’d become so comfortable at her house that it seemed second nature. I didn’t even bother sneaking in through the back this time, even though Maxim glared at me. It had helped that I’d come back with Pike. My brother had Natasha waiting on him, and I marveled once again that we’d ended up being a family despite the odds.

“Hi, angel.” I gathered her close to me, listening to her breaths, which still seemed to be ragged. There was a scrape along her cheek, and that clutch to my heart hit again. I could have lost her if I’d been even one minute longer in looking for her. “How do you feel?”

“Better,” she assured me even though she didn’t move away, and I could feel that she was still shaky from the medicine or the aftereffects of what had happened. “I can’t believe it still. I’m so sorry about Tiny.” She raised her eyes to mine. They glistened with tears.

“I told her already that it wasn’t her fault.” Maxim’s voice was harsh with criticism, but I didn’t blame him. He wasn’t wrong in laying the blame at my feet. “It’s his,” he mumbled grumpily.

“He’s right,” I agreed, ignoring the daggers he was shooting with his eyes. “It wasn’t your fault. Tiny wouldn’t want you to blame yourself, precious girl.” I let my fingers trace over her cheekbones. “I love you so much.” Kissing her softly, I thanked all the stars and then Tiny for his sacrifice. “I could have lost you.” A tear dripped from an eyelash, and I bent to catch it with my lips. Maxim had turned his back to us, so I took the opportunity to kiss her again.

“I’m here. I’m okay,” she said. “It wasn’t your fault either.”

I stroked her hair one last time before heading to the refrigerator for sandwich fixings. There was no sense in responding to her comment about whose fault it was. I knew exactly where the blame lay. I should have seen what was happening with Luther and Jade, but that was neither here nor there.

“Sandwich Maxim?” One thing I could say was that Natasha and Veronica kept a stocked house, although I was pretty sure that was due in part to Pike and Maxim. He nodded, peering at the items I’d pulled from the refrigerator .

“I could eat,” he grunted. He’d shed his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves, looking more casual than I’d seen him before. He wasn’t even wearing a tie.

“So, I’ve made a decision,” I announced, starting to build three sandwiches.

“What’s that?” Maxim asked dutifully. “No mayo on mine.” He pointed to the last sandwich. He was a picky bastard.

Keeping my eyes on Veronica, I said, “I’m not going to do another fight. That’s not a good business for us anymore.”

“Are you sure? You could still run it without Luther.” She bit her lip in that cute way of hers.

“I’m sure.”

Maxim looked so pleased that I almost took it back, but the shining look in Veronica’s eyes sealed the deal. Finishing the sandwiches, I slid a half over to her with pickles and shredded lettuce just the way she liked.

“She wouldn’t eat anything for me,” Maxim grumbled. “Just the cottage cheese.” He frowned at her.

“Got to know how to make it.” I couldn’t stop the shit-eating grin from spreading over my face as I sat beside her with my plate. Veronica bit into the pastrami sandwich I made her without complaint, which I took as a win. Maxim growled at me but tucked into his plate, ignoring my comment.

Later, as I pulled her to my side and ran my hands down her curves, I marveled again at how close I’d come to losing her. The image of seeing her on her knees on the pavement would never leave me as long as I lived. I leaned into her, inhaled her scent, and closed my eyes tightly, savoring having her in my arms. I would never let her go.