Page 160 of Brutal Vows

“Kage’s marker was that Declan had to kill Stavros.”

“Why did Kage want Stavros dead?”

“Because he’s Russian. They’re crazy.”

“Says the crazy man. Not good enough. Keep talking.”

After an aggravated growl, Quinn says, “Declan can’t kill Stavros himself because he promised Sloane he never would. And Kage, being the psychopath that he is, thought it would be bloody great fun to make his marker something Declan had promised his wife he’d never do and see how he’d handle it.”

“Okay. But why did Kage want Stavros dead in the first place?”

“Disloyalty. At least that’s what Declan told me. It could really be nothing more than Kage being Kage.”

“Stavros is Russian?”

“Aye.”

Mulling that over, I turn my attention back to the computer screen. “So Sloane doesn’t know about this marker?”

“Not what it was called in for.”

I don’t like the sound of that. Even though we’re not close yet, Sloane is someone I could see being a good friend. And I know enough about her to know she wouldn’t like this kind of backdoor dealing at all.

“Which also means she doesn’t know that Declan put it in the marriage contract.”

He chuckles. “It’s not like he’d tell her, lass. If Sloane found out Declan had broken his promise, he’d be short two balls.”

Just as I thought. It’s a brilliant piece of strategy on Declan’s part, but if Sloane found out about this clever chess move of his, she’d rightly feel betrayed.

These men think they’re so smart.

But if they were really intelligent, they’d be much more afraid of their wives.

I move on to other items, asking Quinn to explain and elaborate. I get an education in the technicalities and logistics of how drugs and weapons are moved across borders, how money changes hands, how law enforcement is used to aid illegal activities or avoided where it can’t be bribed.

By the end of it, I have a good sense of the terms of the contract.

And an even better sense of where it needs to be changed to the Mafia’s benefit.

Closing the laptop, I say, “Thank you. That was helpful. Let’s go see your home.”

“That’s it?”

“Are you the man in charge of contract negotiations?”

Quinn’s expression darkens. “Declan is.”

“Then that’s it. Let’s go.”

He says firmly, “Lass. The contract can’t be changed. It’s been signed already.”

I smile at him. “But the marriage license hasn’t. And without a legal marriage, the contract isn’t binding. I saw that in section 18b.”

“Gianni isn’t going to ask for more concessions. He’s already over the moon about what he got.”

Yes, but I’m not. And I find myself feeling quite ambitious this morning.

I say, “We’ll see about that,” and head to the door.