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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Instead of a man of peace and love, I have become a man of violence and revenge.”

~ Hiawatha

Saros

I had dealt with some horrible people in my life. I knew my parents had as well. Hell, someone had killed them in the hopes of gaining their power and fortune but never had. Human traffickers never lasted once they set foot in my territory. I was a bad man, but I had lines I never crossed, and I killed those who did. Ramsey wasn’t just crossing them—he was obliterating them, and I’d very much enjoy showing him what real punishment felt like.

“Em, I’m not going to ask for details. It’s not my place, but you have to do me a favor.”

“Oh, uh, okay.”

“I don’t know what triggers you.” I gestured to the broken plate. “Besides fits of rage.”

He laughed lightly. “I understand you were upset and not at me. It’s…it’s different with you.”

“I’d hope so. Em, there are only two reasons my hands touch another person, and that’s out of kindness or hate, and I don’t hate you. I honestly can’t imagine you’d ever do anything to make anyone dislike you.”

Em scratched his nose and blinked a few times. When he lifted his head, his eyes were wet. “I always wondered.”

“Wondered what?”

“What I did to make him hate me so much. Even after I would do exactly what he’d asked of me, he’d find a reason to fault me.”

I ground my teeth and took a breath through my nose. “You’re safe here. I’ll say it every day until you believe me.”

He reached out with his good hand and squeezed my arm. He was so much smaller than me, but there was strength there. “Saros, I don’t think there’s been a day in my life I’ve felt more safe than I do here.”

“Good.” I stood, grabbed his tray, and placed it on the ground. “Would you like to rest now, or would you like me to carry you somewhere else?”

He chuckled. “I’m actually tired. If it’s all right with you, I’d like to lie down.”

“Anything you’d like.”

After I left Em in his room, I called Mike.

“Hey, Boss.”

“Mike. November’s last name is Banks. He told me that for as long as he could remember, Ramsey and Shyla were the ones he lived with but he has no idea who his parents are or were, which, makes me think he was a baby when Ramsey acquired him. Did you get my text to talk to Frazee? I didn’t want to involve him, but he’d know.”

“That’s good info. Yeah, Frazee had no idea about Em, said he never gave Ramsey anyone…which, can I just say? It’s unsettling that Frazee has a log of the people he traffics.”

“Yeah…anything on Brandi?”

“Nothin’. She went from her apartment to The Vine last night and back home. Eyes have been on her there, and maybe she knows, because no one has reported anything to me. Ericka, one of your servers, mentioned that she leaves her cell in her locker. Benny is going to slip a tracer on it for me tonight.”

“I don’t know what that means—and don’t explain it, just get me the info. She’ll likely be here tomorrow night, and it would be great to have her dealt with by then.”

“You got it.”

The rest of the day, I went over everything Benny and Cosmo sent regarding Frazee, Ramsey, RJ, Shyla, Brandi—everything and everyone. Had I become so complacent? Perhaps I needed to remind people why I was the most powerful and feared man in Eastbury.

There was a knock on the study door, breaking me from my angry daydream.

“Come in.”

Dafni strolled in with my nephew in her arms and a smile on her face. “Hey, brother.”

“Hey, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I came by to see what was up with the dinner tomorrow. Curious is all, and thought I’d stop in and say hi.”

She held Tucker out to me, and I cradled him close. He was fast asleep and just how I liked him.

“Where’s Maeve?”

“Aunt Penelope and Uncle Andrew are taking her shopping.”

She sat across from me, a serene expression on her face.

“What’s with the face, Daf?”

“Not sure what you mean. It’s my face, created through DNA or some shit.”

“You seem so happy.”

She cackled. “And that’s not allowed?”

I ignored her. She could bicker for hours, and I didn’t have the spoons.

“You look good with a baby. You gonna have one of those?”

I gently kissed Tucker on the head and glanced up at my sister. “Not unless science has improved a great deal.”

She rolled her eyes. “Saros, I’d totally carry a child for you and whomever you married.”

It didn’t surprise me that Dafni would offer such a thing; it was who she was. What did shock me was that the moment she’d said it, I’d immediately thought of Em.

“I know that look.” She waggled a finger at me. “It’s the new guy upstairs in the bedroom next to yours.”

“You know an awful lot about what goes on in this house for someone who doesn’t live here.”

She shrugged. “I know all.”

“Then you know that guy—whose name is Em, by the way—has been through hell. He saved my life; I’m simply returning the favor.”

“Oh, shut up. I’m fucktose intolerant.”

“Excuse me?” I snorted, causing Tucker to squirm.

“Fucktose intolerant. Meaning I’m completely unable to tolerate other people’s bullshit.”

I raised a brow at her and stood to rock Tucker back to a deep sleep so he wouldn’t cry. “Where do you get this stuff?”

“A meme. Now come on, brother. You like him, don’t you?”

“My life is dangerous, Daf. He’s been through it and more. I really just want to help him. He could’ve died for me, and I have a feeling he didn’t get out unscathed that night.”

She moved closer to me and smiled. “Don’t decide other people’s futures. You’re not God, no matter how much you want everyone to think you are.”

I grinned. “I don’t want people to think I’m God. That guy’s merciful, and there’s nothing about what’s to come that will be merciful.”

I didn’t have to sugarcoat anything for Dafni—she got it.

“Remember the time when you were—I don’t know, like, twelve, and you were building some robot thing for a science fair, and the damn thing kept falling apart?”

“Yeah, thanks for reminding me about that horrible memory.” I handed Tucker back to her.

“But don’t you remember the advice Uncle Andrew gave you?”

It took me a moment, but I did. “He came to the workbench that I was using and swiped it clean with his arm.”

Dafni snickered. “And he said, ‘You can’t rebuild on top of shitty parts. Sometimes you need to salt the earth and start over somewhere else.’”

“I don’t see what this has to do with anything we’ve been talking about.”

“You need to salt Em’s earth and rebuild something better for him, Saros. By the sounds of it, he trusts you and feels safe.”

Long after Dafni left, I replayed our conversation a few times. I didn’t even know if Em was interested in me and he had a lot of fucking trauma, no doubt about it.

That being said, there was something about the man upstairs who slept so close yet so far from me. He affected me. Maybe Dafni was right. I’d clear the path of all his monsters and be the only one standing.