“We aren’t positive it was premeditated. And before we make a move, I want solid proof.”
“The two fucking headstones at the cemetery aren’t enough?” Dom snaps, underlying rage in his tone. He’s angry—in the quiet way—which means he’s been simmering about this on his own. Glancing out past the clearing it’s then I notice some of the field has been unearthed. “What’s going on here?”
“Speak of the devil, and he appears.” Dom nods toward the newly vacant land. “Roman’s decided to move into our neighborhood. He’s building a fucking mansion where those trucks are sitting.”
Seething from the idea that he’s so close to my place—to our place—I curl my hands into fists. “Un-fucking-believable.”
“Believe it. I’ve seen the blueprints.”
I glance at my brother. “Do I want to know how you came across this information?”
“Building permits. He was approved for them last week. He owns everything now up to that flag post.”
Fury sets in that I’ve had my head so far up my ass—in truth, up Antoine’s ass. I’ve been so distracted carrying out his orders, I’ve dropped the fucking ball on my own agenda. My time in Paris now only takes away from my progress at home. I can feel some resentment coming from Dom as I soak in that realization. My priorities are in Triple Falls, and this is where I need to be—not playing errand boy for a French gangster. But even with the need to erase Roman from the board, the image of his little girl trailing behind him toward the parking lot today remains front and center. The look of defiance in her eyes with their exchange damn near makes me smile. That combined with the clear rebellion in her words and posture before she trailed behind him and I followed. I’d been in the know about his daughter for years, but she’d never been part of the picture until today.
In all my plans to bring him down, I never considered bystanders. I’ve seen the carnage that comes in wars like these, mostly territorial, and I refuse to let that innocent kid suffer for her father’s mistakes. In a game made of criminals bordering psychopaths, many have no regard for innocents, especially when at war, but being a bystander myself, that man will never be me.
I wasn’t sure if Dominic noticed Roman or thoroughly researched him to the lengths I have, but it’s clear he knows a lot more than he’s let on.
Even at their age, with no shortage of dick jokes and immature behavior, they seem to comprehend the importance of hammering out the details. After a lingering silence, I finally speak up.
“We’re going basic with our strategy.”
“Meaning?” Tyler asks.
“We’ve got to play this just right. The only way to defeat a man like Roman is to play sleeping giant.”
“Think Helen of Troy,” Dom voices, reading my line of thought before glancing at Sean and Tyler. “But it seems like a lot of trouble to go through when we can just eliminate the problem.”
Alarm shoots up my spine as I weigh his words, “I know you’re not fucking suggesting we kill the man in cold—”
“Eye for an eye.” Dom shrugs. “Our parents burned to death. Don’t you think that calls for aggressive action? You, yourself, told Delphine you were sick of all the talk. The meetings are a joke, filled with nothing but pussies who like to bitch while she refills their coffee. Might as well be a book club for all the fucking good it’s doing.” Dom looks straight at me when he speaks. “You know, if we boil down enough tobacco and dab the right amount of concentrate on his fucking car door handle, within minutes of it seeping into his skin, it’s game over. Heart attack on the autopsy report. Presented with the right opportunity, it’s a hundred percent untraceable.”
All the blood drains from my face.
“He’s not a smoker, so there’s the first hole in that stupid idea, and that’s not who we are,” I grit out, terrified that these are the thoughts running through his mind. “And not who we will be, Dom. That’s not what Mama and Papa wanted. There is a better, more diplomatic way to handle this, less merciful than death.” I shake my head adamantly, “No, what we’re going to do is change things for the better.” I think of Antoine and how he represents everything I hate. He—like Roman—thinks himself indestructible. But I’ve learned a lot over the past year. More than that, I’ve learned what not to do. “Once we take Roman down, there’s a hundred like him to take his place. They exploit people like our parents and discard them once they become a liability.” I glance between the three of them. “What are we going to do about them?”