Page 45 of Brandishing Betrayals (Devil’s Psychos MC #2)

Relief swept through me so hard that my damn knees felt weak.

Cheers and clapping erupted around the table as Leo clapped me on the shoulder and pulled me into a full hug, no bro slapping half hugs that I did with my brothers.

Leonardo hugged me tightly and I had to hide my wince as Leo purposely crushed my ribs. “Welcome back.”

I covered my wince with a cough and forced a smile on my lips. “Thanks, cousin.” Purposely using the term that Leo had agreed upon, after rebuking me not that along ago.

“We’ll talk after dinner.” Leo nodded his head as he patted my shoulder one more time, before stepping away to leave room for his brothers to embrace me, much the same way Leonardo had, hard squeeze and all.

Nico

By the time dinner was finished, I was aching and exhausted.

I wanted nothing more than to go home and lay down, but I needed to get through the after-dinner drinks in Leonardo’s study to discuss the family helping Kara and then Maya.

We needed to take care of Vince Carmichael in prison to get him to agree to the plea deal for Kara.

Kara could finally inherit her father’s law firm, and we could finally kill Dax fucking Hillcrest for being a douche.

Hopefully then Maya would admit that he’d been harassing her all this time.

I didn’t know for sure, but I had a hunch that was why Maya was so adamant to stay away from us.

If Luke’s explanation of her being terrified of flowers was anything to go by.

I would do whatever I had to for the family—and I’d already done two of Leonardo’s three requests—to ensure Maya would be safe.

Once the plates were cleared, Leo rose and so did his brothers.

I followed them through the house to Leonardo’s—Uncle Augustino’s—study in the back of the house.

The old school mahogany paneled office dripped of old money.

Italian leather couches sat in front of a massive fireplace, bookcases lined the walls full of likely first editions of the classic literature, most of which was probably never read by one in this house.

It was a very showy and opulent room, made to intimidate those who visited it.

I had spent several nights in this office, biting my tongue as my uncle raged at me over my short comings to the family.

Choosing to ‘hang out with delinquents in the ghetto of Creekton when he was raised in Crestwood was a dishonor to the family’.

Then later when I joined the Devil’s Psychos, I had ‘brought dishonor to my mother for not following the family business’.

To say I did not have found memories of this study was an understatement. I could only hope that Leonardo wouldn’t force me to come back here too often.

Taking a seat at a couch by the fireplace, I took the offered cigar from my cousin Tino and nodded in thanks.

“Alright cousin,” Leo started, sitting at an armchair facing the couches and fire, like he was holding court. “Tell us about your problem.”

I took a deep breath and began. I explained how Kara’s father had embezzled money from his own firm and pinned the crime on Mac Taylor, president of the Ravager Knights MC.

I explained how through Kara’s involvement, she had her father arrested and currently awaiting trial.

“Marcos Candella’s sister Kara, needs help convincing her father to accept a plea deal.

In order to inherent the firm, she needs him to either plead guilty, or be found guilty in trial. ”

“So why not just wait for the guilty verdict? It sounds like she has a solid case,” Leo asked.

I sighed. “We can’t wait that long. The trial and sentencing could take months. We need this to happen ASAP. Kara is under the impression that if she can get her father to change his mind, then she can get him sentenced by end of this week.”

Leo frowned and sucked on his cigar; his eyebrows furrowed together as he thought. “How does this effect you?”

I took a deep breath and continued, feeling the weighing gaze of all my cousins in the room. “Kara was kidnapped by Las Serpientes last year.”

The room erupted into growled curses and raised voices.

Leo glared hard and raised a hand silencing everyone. “The snakes?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Because of their involvement with my president Buckley, Mac Taylor was killed, and Kara was kidnapped while she was pregnant.”

Again, the room erupted into angry voices. This time, Leo let them spit their angry vitriol. There was one thing the Seratelli men all hated more than anything and that was abuse against women. The second thing they hated more than anything? That would be Las Serpientes.

I took a sip of my whisky as the room slowly quieted.

“Kara has refused to let anyone kill Dax Hillcrest. She believes—and we agree—that if we kill him now, his guys in prison will retaliate against her father in prison before he can be sentenced. She needs control of the firm, before that happens, or everything she’s worked for all these years goes down the drain. ”

Leo frowns. He takes a sip of his own whisky and stares contemplatively into the fire. “And the Knights can’t help with that?”

The moment I’ve been waiting for, “No. Apparently there’s tensions with the Bratva, because of the coke deal.”

A hiss sounded from someone in the room, and I braced myself for Leo’s impending wrath.

Leo shook his head slowly. “I should have known there would be more.”

“Johnny Taylor said you refused a sit down, so his hands are tied with the Bratva. He can’t get anyone inside to sway Carmichael, so Kara can’t get the verdict she needs.

Without that verdict, I can’t kill Hillcrest.” I pressed on quickly before Leo could stop me.

“My girl, Maya. She came back. She’s being threatened by Hillcrest. He’s stalking her. ”

“So fucking kill him,” Leo snapped, glaring at me.

“I would, if I could. Kara’s like a little sister to me.

She made me vow—all of us vow—that we wouldn’t kill him until the shit with her dad was finished.

As she was the one that had been kidnapped by the piece of shit, we told her yes.

That was before I found out the love of my life was being threatened by him.

It’s why Maya left me in the first place ten years ago. ”

I wasn’t sure if it was true or not, but all evidence that I had pointed that way. Leo didn’t need to know that Maya hadn’t confirmed any of it yet. We needed Leo to agree to have someone inside put pressure on Vince to accept the plea deal.

Leo stared at me, assessing me, as if seeing me clearly for the first time.

I could see his wheels turning, knowing Leo was wondering where my true loyalties lied. That was the thing, Leo would always put his family first.

“Alright,” he agreed.

There was a shifting around the room as Leo’s brothers either disagreed or agreed, they kept their mouths shut at least. I was grateful for that. “Thank you.”

Leo shook his head slowly. “I will have someone reach out to our guys in the prison, but you have a list to work through. Twenty kills, Nicolai.” Leo’s voice was deep and authoritative; it held no room for disagreement.

“I don’t care if you enlist help from your biker buddies, but each name on the list must be killed. I want proof.”

I swallowed thickly. I nodded slowly. “Do they have to be killed before you’ll reach out to your guys?”

Leo’s eyes narrowed. “Better act quickly.”