Chapter Sixteen

Rogue

When I stepped into my office, I expected to see Blaze pacing back and forth uttering a stream of curses under his breath, but it was empty. There was an intense pounding in my head that was increasing in intensity by the minute, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was my fault. I should have acted before allowing Petros to make the first move. For the first time in my life, I had allowed myself to be distracted, to let lust for a woman affect business and now because of my lack of focus, Petros, a man that should have been of no consequence to any of us had dealt the first blow, drawing first blood.

I was angry, angry at myself for not listening when Blaze tried to convince me to take the threat seriously. I still didn’t know exactly what had happened, how bad the attack had been, or if there were casualties. I was hoping Blaze would be there to fill me in, but I couldn’t wait any longer for him. I had to call Nik. He picked up on the first ring.

“Hmm, glad to see you were finally able to free yourself from your more pleasurable pursuits. Don’t take offense. If I had a woman that looked like your little kitten, I would have a hard time thinking with something other than my dick too.”

I bit back the angry retort on the tip of my tongue. Nik meant nothing by his words, he was just naturally an asshole. “Blaze informed me that Petros made an unexpected move against you last night but did not give me any details.”

“Unexpected, yes. Successful, no. Let me give you the abbreviated version. The young Petros made two attempts last night, both attacks were synchronized clusterfucks. A group of his men tried to rob one of my casinos, conveniently at the time we were getting ready to transport funds, while another group almost simultaneously ambushed me and some of my men when we were across town away from the strip, at a place I am fond of for conducting more private business. We were just concluding…let’s just say that I was finishing up negotiations with a competitor. Anyway, as we were cleaning up, Petros and twelve of his men opened fire. Really a sloppy attempt, I’m surprised he was even allowed the power that he has been given. I understand he was his father’s heir, but for fuck’s sake, either his father refused to train him in the way of things, or he is just a fucking idiot.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes, hoping I could summon whatever patience I had. “I have already surmised that. What the hell happened? Did you lose any men?”

Nik huffed a short, abbreviated laugh. “Do you truly believe a man like Petros would be a worthy opponent? No, the men who attacked the casino were killed as soon as their intentions were known. Unfortunately, we were not able to eliminate the threat entirely. Petros and a few of his men did manage to escape. It would have been nice not to have to concern ourselves with the fool a second longer, but it also wouldn’t have been fair for me to have all the fun for myself. At least Blaze is excited about the prospect of violence.”

“Yes, I’m sure he is. It is bothersome at times, but useful. Are you certain Petros will be headed to Chicago?”

“There were a few of his men left behind that did survive the bloodbath. After intense interrogation, they admitted that Chicago is the next target. Although, after losing the majority of the men foolish enough to follow him, I’m not certain if he will continue with his plans or if he will regroup. Whatever he decides, I think it wise to find him before he finds you. Petros is a reckless bastard that needs to be stopped, but reckless bastards have been known to get lucky a time or two.”

“Yeah, I will handle it.”

“Are you certain you can manage?”

The fact that Nik felt he could ridicule me made me furious. “Are you trying to insinuate that I can’t?”

“No, I never insinuate. If I thought you couldn’t handle it, I have the balls to come right out and tell you. But perhaps I can offer my assistance in another way. Your young beautiful bride, is she safe with you? I could come to Chicago and take her with me, bring her here to Vegas where I would employ all the resources of the Bratva to take care of her until you are free of Petros. And what about Tony Galante? Is he still searching for her? From what I hear, he is more of a threat than Petros. If you wish, you can think of my offer as a belated wedding gift.”

“There is no way I would allow your lecherous hands anywhere near my wife. I don’t need your help where she is concerned.”

“Very well, my friend. But I have seen firsthand the brutality of Frankie Ballantine. He is not a man you want to piss off.”

I was swiftly losing my temper. “I don’t give a fu…”

Nik quickly interrupted me. “I also know that he does not have a loving relationship with his stepson. To say they are estranged is an understatement. It has been reported to me that he has threatened to kill Tony himself. So, you may be free to do as you please. While I am confident in my sources, I would check this information with Alessio since his father knew Frankie personally.”

“Why were you looking into Tony Galante?”

His laugh was brief. “I thought it would be in my best interest. Besides, if something happens to you, I would like to think I would be there to comfort and console your grieving widow.”

I hung the phone up before I said something that would destroy a relationship that couldn’t be repaired.

“Nik is just fucking with you.”

I turned quickly at the sound of Blaze’s voice. “You were right. If I had sent her away as you suggested, I would have been able to deal with Petros before he had an opportunity to strike Nik. She distracted me.”

He walked over to the bar, poured a glass of bourbon, and held it out for me. “Yes, I was right, but I believe Petros still would have struck Nik first. I think after the failed assassination attempt outside the club, he had his mind set on it. At least he is hurting from the losses Nik and the Volkoff Bratva inflicted on him. He will be easy enough to sniff out, the wounded always are.”

“Contact Sevan and find out if he has any information as to his whereabouts. I think we should go for the kill now before he has time to regroup. I will send out feelers and once we find him, I don’t want to hesitate. I want to attack and finish him. I’m tired of this son of a bitch causing problems in my circle.”

The sadistic grin on Blaze’s face showed me that he was on board and more than ready for a fight; he always was.

“What are you going to do with the little one?”

I took another large gulp of bourbon from my glass. “I already discussed with Brenda the arrangements to make the estate ready. It should only take a day or two. I will take her there until I have finished with everything.”

He nodded, but I could tell that he wanted to say more. “Go ahead, say it. We have never held back with each other.”

“I had no plans on holding back. Has it occurred to you that Petros could be the pawn in this game, that he is merely a puppet whose strings are being pulled by someone else?”

I narrowed my eyes as I took in his words. “Do you have someone in mind or is it just a hunch?”

He took a few steps forward before sinking back into the chair in front of my desk. “Think about it. A young fool with an ass load of ambition. His father dies before he could be trained to take the reins. Could there be someone else whispering in his ear, telling him that he is stronger and mightier than he is, hoping that he will be humiliated or taken out by either you or Nickolai, setting the stage for a takeover of his inherited right to rule the family?”

I heaved a sigh as my hand moved over the day-old stubble on my face. “Sevan. He was the one to seek us out and was so supportive of our taking Petros out.”

“Yeah, and we paid the old bastard well for the information he brought us. It may be just my inherent distrust of people, but I would bet money that once Petros is out, Sevan and his sons move in to seize control.”

I threw the glass I had been holding against the wall. I didn’t like being played for a fool and if what Blaze was thinking was true, that was exactly what Sevan had attempted to do. “Dig deeper and find out what you can. If Sevan is behind any of this, it’s not just Petros who must be stopped. I will burn down everything, taking it all.”

“I will see what I can discover, but at risk of furthering your sour mood, the men stationed outside the flea-ridden hotel that Tony Galante was staying in reported that he still has yet to reappear.”

“Fuck!”

“He will eventually come out of hiding. Unless he saw that we were on to him and decided to give up to save his own skin. He can’t be that stupid to think he can target Bri and you will let him live.”

I walked over to stand along the windows. The sky was gray, another day of no sunshine. “He hasn’t given up. He is the type of man whose pride won’t allow it. Eventually, he will appear again and when he does, I will be there. But now I need you to focus on Petros. There are too many factors that are unknown with the Armenians.”

Blaze nodded. “I will have information for you tonight at the club.”

“That quick?”

His eyes narrowed. “Don’t insult me. Did you expect less? Just don’t question my methods.”

He closed the door behind him loudly. I took advantage of the few minutes of quiet to clear my mind. It had not been that long ago that I had been bored and wishing for some sort of excitement to break the monotony. Since finding Bri, the thirst for danger and blood was not nearly as strong.

The solitude didn’t last long. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out not in the mood for conversation, and I wondered if Alessio had already garnered information about the attack in Vegas.

“Tell me you have information about Tony Galante.”

“As a matter of fact, I do. It was the reason for my call this morning. I invited Frankie Ballantine to lunch. You owe me one for that. The man eats like swine. I could barely stomach sitting at the table with him.”

“Other than his grotesque eating habits, what else can you tell me?”

“Frankie said that he hasn’t seen or heard from Tony in a few months.”

I wanted to throw my phone across the room. “That’s rather helpful.”

Alessio chuckled on the other end of the line. “Don’t be a dick, Rogue, because I can be an even bigger one. Now, where was I? Frankie said that Tony had always been a bad seed. The last time Tony was in New York, he attacked and beat the shit out of his mother. Frankie threatened to kill him then, but he respected his wife’s wishes not to do so. After hearing about the trouble Tony has started with you, he said that he would actively seek to find him and get him out of Chicago. He doesn’t want problems with any of us and would make certain that Tony gave us no more trouble. I believe he will follow through with his promise.”

“It would still be nice to know where the bastard was. And I hope you know that I will find and kill Tony when I get the chance. I will not let what he did to Bri go unpunished.”

“Yes, I know that, but it allows you to do it on your own time. Frankie did say that Tony had a few friends in Chicago that he could be staying with. I know that doesn’t narrow down your search, but it does let us know that he could have people working with him. And if that is the case, he could be even more dangerous. My plane lands in Chicago tomorrow. No need to thank me, I owed you one.”

He hung up before I could object, but honestly, with everything I had going on, it would be nice to have extra reinforcements. Plus, since I would be spending more time dealing with other matters, I would have less time to spend with Bri. With Eden in town, she would not be alone, and I could count on Alessio’s security to protect her while I was taking care of eliminating the threats around us. I picked up my glass and took another sip of bourbon before moving to the wall safe hidden behind a large oval mirror on the opposite wall.

I took the mirror down and typed in the combination. What I was searching for was exactly where I had placed it ten years ago. A yellowed tattered business card from a restaurant that had been closed down for at least fifteen years, but it was what was on the back that was important. I stared down at the faded numbers, numbers I had sworn never to call, but now, with Bri’s safety on the line and the nagging feeling that there was more to Petros’ attacks and planned takeover than what was on the surface, I knew it was something I needed to do. I blew out a long breath and drank the remainder of the bourbon in my glass before dialing the numbers and making the call. A part of me wondered if the number was still good. Who the hell still had a landline now? But it only rang twice before a gruff voice with a thick Irish accent answered.

“It’s about time ye called, lad. Your da would be pleased.”

I could feel the tension in my jaw as I clenched my teeth tighter. “I didn’t call to talk about him.”

“Aye, I know why yer calling and a fine mess ye have now.”

“What do you know of Sevan Avagyan?”

My uncle’s raspy cough and a brief pause were the answer I received.

“I shouldn’t have called.”

“Don’t ye be hangin’ up on yer uncle now. You should have called fifteen years ago. If ye had, ye would be sittin’ in your rightful place with even more wealth and power than ye have now.”

Regret and anger poured through my veins. I should hang up, I should burn the card, and block the number. This was a waste of time.

“Very well, I’ll tell ye what I know. Sevan and young Petros’ father were not the close friends he is tryin’ to portray to everyone. It had been planned for Sevan and his sons to take power once Hyak died, but the old man was always chasin’ the skirts. Even at the age of sixty-five, he managed to coax a young waitress into `is bed and after several attempts, his seed took hold, and young Petros was born. As ye can imagine it didn’t sit well with Sevan who had been waiting for his chance to gain power for years.”

“So, Sevan has been fostering and playing on Petros’ foolishness and convincing him that it is in his best interest to take on me and the Russian Bratva. All the while, feeding us information on how to kill him. He doesn’t want to see Petros succeed, he wants him dead.”

“Aye, but don’t mistake what I’m sayin’ to ye. Petros is unstable and a fool to boot. He doesn’ have what it takes to lead a group of men or run a family enterprise. His foolishness makes `im even more dangerous. But he never would have been able to maintain power for long. Sevan is tryin’ to cement `is lineage by havin’ you and your associates do his dirty work for `im. Looks bad for `im to kill and destroy the family from the inside, best to let ye do it for `im. That way he can come in lookin’ like a champion instead of the traitorous bastard that he is.”

I sighed and took a deep breath to control the rage inside me. “The old man tried to use me and for that, he will pay. I can’t let that kind of deception stand.”

“Nor should ye. Ye have built up a fine organization on yer own. You can’ expect to hold onto it if you don’ rule with a firm hand. I expect now that ye have a wife, ye will have sons and yer sons need to be trained.”

“Trained the way my father trained me? Left to fend for myself on the streets?”

“Your da did wrong by ye, that’s a truth, but once I knew of yer existence, I `ave tried to do right by ye. Once I discovered I had a nephew, I tried to bring ye into the family. But ye refused, ye were stubborn and determined to make it on yer own.”

“And I did. Thanks to Alessio Messina I learned to be the man I am today.”

I heard him scoff loudly. “That’s a shame, it is. But I can’t say the man did wrong by ye, and he has proven to be an ally. You built an empire, and the city is yours, but ye can have more if ye would accept it.”

This was the conversation I didn’t want to have. “I don’t need more.”

“Nonsense. You have a wife now and if ye are lucky, she will bear ye many sons. You are buildin’ a dynasty for them.”

My eyes narrowed as his words sank in. “How do you know I have a wife?”

His laugh was short and breathless. “You don’ think I haven’ been watchin’ ye for the past fifteen years? I may be old, but I know more than ye think. I don’ understand the rush behind it, but I was impulsive when I was a young man too.”

“She needed protection and being married to me was the best way I could assure that she had it. Nobody would dare touch her knowing she belongs to me.”

I don’t know why I felt the need to explain. The lie was an easy one to tell. Protection may have been the excuse I had given Bri for pressing a hasty marriage, but the truth was that after having her in my bed, I knew that having her walk away, giving her up, was no longer an option.

“Protection, huh? Ok, lad. It had nothin’ to do with a nice ass and long legs.”

“I appreciate the information, but I did not call to discuss my wife with you.”

“Nothin’ comes without a price, lad. Ye know that as well as anyone. When all this is over, I want ye to join me for dinner. We have much to discuss. If ye need additional resources, they are yours. Just make the call.”

I twisted my neck from side to side relieving the tension. “I have my own resources.”

“Stubborn. It’s a family trait I’m afraid. Take care, Rogue.”

I put my phone down on the desk and took a few steps away as I twisted the card I still held in my hand. I moved back to the safe and put it inside in the same place as before. Sevan had tried to use me and now not only did I have to find and kill Petros, but Sevan and his sons would need to be dealt with too if they were involved.

But something my uncle said kept ringing in my ears. He had spoken of Bri and having sons. I had never asked her if she was on any kind of birth control because I didn’t care. I certainly had not taken any precautions against getting her pregnant. Even now, my baby could be growing inside her. The thought pleased me more than I would have first anticipated.

I couldn’t think of that now, though. There were too many other things that demanded my attention. I moved behind my desk; there were calls to make and plans to be made. Petros was about to meet his end, and Sevan would not be far behind him.