Page 39 of Road to Ruin
The man in question strides into the living room, violence in his eyes. “What now?” he demands. “I came to talk to you. I came to you, and you walked away. What could you possibly have to say to me now that you didn’t twelve hours ago?”
Alex laughs softly, an entertained sound. “Whatever the hell I like, surely? I am Alexander Bastien.”
Tommy rocks back on his heels. He folds his arms in front of him, staring Alex down. “Spit it out, then, Alexander Bastien, The Great. Say what you’re here to say so we can all move on with our day. You can go back to killing people and generally being a dick, and I can finish what I was just about to start with Nikita.”
Oh shit. He shouldn’t prod him like that. Not about me anyway. He doesn’t understand, doesn’t know what went down between me and Alex yet. I’ve been planning on telling him every last sordid detail, but there just hasn’t been time. Alex surprisingly takes his comment on the chin, though.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said.” He speaks slowly. As if the words cost him a great deal to part with. “About family. About how things used to be between us, Tommy. And…about my grief. I realized that you were speaking the truth. We were all close once. You were my brother, and Serena was your sister, too. It was unfair of me to say otherwise.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Alex, admitting he was wrong about something? He’s hardly coming out with an apology, it’ll be a bitterly cold day in hell before that will ever happen, but…he sounds sincere.
Tommy’s face is a mask of surprise that must match my own. He opens his mouth, but Alex hurriedly speaks before he can. “While I’m not exonerating you of all blame for Serena’s death, I am willing to concede that had I not told you to fight, you would have been able to watch her properly. I will also own up to the fact that I do feel a kernel of guilt over what happened, too.”
“That’s very big of you,” Tommy says.
Alex scowls. “Careful. I’m being very magnanimous here. I could always just as easily change my mind.”
“Why are you having this change of heart?”
“I told you. I’ve been thinking about what you said, and I’ve come to a realization. I miss the old days. Things were good back then, when you and I were on the same team. I’ve decided that I’d like to go back to that. Friends instead of foes, if you will.”
Tommy’s eyebrows rise an inch. “I’m not sure that’s possible, Alex. A lot of water has passed under this bridge. You’re forgetting about what you did to Genevieve.”
Alex rolls his eyes, huffing. “Your sister wasn’t forced to do anything. She was offered two choices and she made a judgment call. How about I make a proposal? You help me, and I will let Genevieve come back to you. If it’s what she wants. If she would prefer to stay with me, freely and of her own volition, then you must respect her wishes.”
This sounds like one of those famous Alex Bastien double deals. He performs them daily. Tommy doesn’t look convinced. “Help you how?”
“You help me find and punish the men who are really responsible for killing Serena. You come when I call you. We work together. We get our hands dirty, and you don’t complain. You do as I ask, whenever I ask, and you and I can rebuild our alliance. Stronger than before. An alliance forged in mutual respect and loyalty.”
“I don’t fight anymore,” Tommy says. “I won’t.”
Alex tuts, his eyes shining brightly, filled with excitement. “You will. Just this once. I already announced the event at the last fight, Tommy. If I let you back out, I will appear weak to the citizens of New Orleans. We can’t have that, can we?”
“Heaven forbid,” Tommy says dryly. He stares down at the floor, clearly thinking. He surely can’t be considering Alex’s offer. It’s an invitation straight to hell. A one-way ticket. If he does accept Alex’s terms, he’s signing up for a lifetime of destruction and madness and he knows it. He has to. Eventually, Tommy looks up, meeting Alex’s eye with a hard, unwavering gaze. “I need some time. You wanted me dead a few hours ago, and now you want my help. You see how that might need a little thought put into it.”
Alex waves his hand dismissively. “I can give you twenty-four hours to make your decision. After that, one way or another you and I are going to have resolved our differences.” He pauses, slowly turning his icy blue eyes on me, frowning. “In the meantime, something for you to consider, Nikita. If Tommy joins with me in the mission to avenge Serena, I will return the deed to this house to you. You can keep your money, and you will never hear from me again. Everyone will know you’re off limits. No one will dare even look sideways in your direction again. But you can’t see him anymore.” His eyes flicker toward Tommy. “That is my only demand.”
Goddamn motherfucker. Such a typical move on his part. He tried to use bribery to get what he wants from me. I suppose it’s a step up from blackmail or threats, but the result is the same either way. A cold, seething rage twists and turns in the base of my stomach. How dare he do this. How dare he. This was my grandmother’s house. I grew up here, and I swore I would die here. I don’t care about his guys leaving me alone. I can handle those morons. But the house? The house is everything to me.
“I’ll give you the same time frame I’ve given Tommy to make up your mind,” Alex says. “I suppose that leaves you both one more night together before the hard decisions have to be made. After that…” He purses his lips, sliding his hands into his pockets. He turns and heads for the doorway, where he hovers, looking left then right up and down the street. “I’ll be seeing you both,” he says mildly, then he steps out of the house and is swallowed by the bright glare of the daylight beyond.
West laughs, tossing his keys into the air and then catching them. “Well, shit,” he says, beaming. “Not even I was expecting that.”
END OF PART ONE