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I nod, well aware of the few choices I have left in this life. “I know.” I turn my head and look back at the crowd. Both of us sitting in silence for a while.

He clears his throat. “Your father asked me to take care of the Renzettis.”

I snap my head to him. “He did what?”

“It’s why I called for this meeting. I knew it was your job to handle them.”

“Why the fuck would he do that?” My fist clenches around my glass.

Roland shakes his head. “I have no idea. He called me this morning. That’s why I texted you. I didn’t know if it was a setup.”

I close my eyes and let the anger wash through me. I take a deep breath before I say anything. “I don’t know what my father is doing. But I spent months looking for Nicolas Di Masio. I found him, he’s Ezio Renzetti, as you know, I presume.” Roland nods. “I’ve tracked him to somewhere between Southern Italy and Sicily. I have a contact.”

“More shipments go missing?”

I nod. “Alistair isn’t happy at the speed I am working. I’m usually faster. But this fucker is hard to find.”

“Why not go after the Renzettis directly?”

I run a hand through my hair. “Because I don’t want one of the biggest mafia families putting hits on us.”

“Makes sense.”

I question whether or not to tell him any more, but if he came to me with this, I hope he is on my side and not my father’s. “My contact has led me to believe even the Renzettis don’t know where Ezio is.”

“You think he went rogue?”

I finish the last of the whiskey in my glass. “I’m not sure.”

Roland nods. “I won’t do anything. I’ll play along. Just tell me what you know and I’ll pretend I’m doing it.”

I can hear the sincerity in his voice. He’s never wronged me. He has no reason to. At the end of the day, we both have seats being handed to us at the head of The Partners. We aren’t competition. But I still need to be careful. I never know how deep my father can dig his claws. Or what he has planned. Even if he has me watching over Roland.

Roland leans over the table and pours another drink for each of us. “Shall we have some fun and get shit-faced like old times?”

I laugh as I pick my drink up off the table. “You mean like every time we hang out at one of your clubs?”

He grins at me as he texts someone on his phone. Within seconds, four of his employees come into the room. “I brought you your favorite,” he says with a nod to a petite blonde who walks in behind the girl from earlier.

She sits on my lap, her lips going to my neck. Normally I would fuck this girl. Her pussy is tight as hell but she isn’t what I want. Isn’t what I crave.

I pick her up and set her on the seat next to me. “Unfortunately, Roland, I have some business to attend to tonight.”

He raises his brows at me but nods. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you turn down pussy.”

I ignore his statement. “Enjoy your night,” I say as the timid girl from earlier crawls on his lap.

“You know I will.” He winks at me just as another girl starts sucking on his neck.

I walk out of the room, closing the curtains behind me. No doubt he will be fucking all four of them.

* * *

I wipe the sweat off my brow as I run on the treadmill in my penthouse. Anger and frustration sweating out of my pores. And I accept it. If I run it off, at least I won’t take my animosity out on anyone in a different way.

Ever since I got back from Malta, I keep replaying all the conversations I had with Bella. Especially the ones about my involvement in The Partners. She asked me what I wanted. The first person to ask me that in a long time. For the last twenty years of my life, I’ve done what I’m told. Played the role I was meant to play. The villain that everyone thinks is the good guy. I’ve ruined so many lives in the last twenty years. But I don’t feel remorse. I couldn’t care less about the people I dragged into this underworld. They wanted it, I just held the bait.

But Bella asking me what I want made me think about things deep inside of me. Recently, I thought I wanted to get out. But according to the world, I am a dead man. Where would that lead me? Hiding away on an island somewhere until enough years pass that no one recognizes me? I know deep inside of me I still crave power. I like being in control, having others bend to my will. Maybe I am a fool for thinking The Partners aren’t my destiny. Maybe they are. But I don’t want to prove myself to my father. I don’t want to be the completely cruel man that he is.