Chapter23
Going to visit Raphael Carrio on his own turf in broad daylight was practically an invitation to get shot.
I'd met the guy before, but only a few times, and none of those were pleasant circumstances. And each of those times, I had the upper hand by at least a dozen soldiers.
Now our roles had changed drastically.
I had six guys with me, which wasn't nothing, but if Raphael wanted to prove a point, we weren't going to make it out of this alive.
I had to play this how I would react to it. I didn't want to look weak, but I wasn't going to go shooting the place up like Vasiliev had done when he'd entered my offices.
Raphael's club was a lot less formal than my office, which said a lot about how our operations differed. Everything I did was a well-oiled and efficient machine.
Raphael did things quick, dirty, and however it got the job done.
Not that he had a choice. If he wanted to make it in my territory, he had to become a chameleon.
Which was why an alliance with me would be so beneficial to him.
But the fact that my actions had directly led to his father's murder couldn't exactly be discounted. It wasn't going to be an easy conversation.
Before I reached the door to the gentleman's club (gentleman being subjective in this case), it was pushed open, implying that we were expected.
I walked in like I owned the place and immediately spotted Raphael.
It wasn't hard. He was sitting at a booth in the back corner, flanked by five soldiers on either side. Where my men wore suits and holsters, his wore jeans and t-shirts.
Each just as deadly, though.
I strode across the club, paying no attention to the naked women writhing around on the stage. Pretty girls. None of the coked out half-starved dancers I'd seen at other places.
A good sign for his quality of character. I remembered the women that my father had kept on the side for "fun". Some had been barely more than skeletons with hollow and dead eyes. They might be breathing with beating hearts, but that didn't mean a person was alive.
At least Raphael took care of his girls. It gave me a better feeling about coming here.
Daisy wouldn't be happy if I made a deal with the devil, and the idea of letting Daisy down burned me.
I was going to go home to her tonight, look her in the eyes and see that smile. It was going to be something I'd be going back home to for the rest of my life.
Damn it if the thought didn't fill me with the warm fuzzies. I had a stupid smile on my face as I approached Raphael.
He stared at me quizzically. "Did I do something funny?"
"Thinking about my girl," I said honestly, seeing no reason to hide it. News of my involvement with someone was going to spread quickly because I sure as hell wasn't going to be quiet about it.
She was mine. I was going to be fucking protective over her, and everyone would know about it.
Raphael motioned for me to sit, so I slid in across from him, not actually clearing the seat. If shit went south, I wanted to make an exit as fast as possible.
The heavy weight of my handgun was present against my side, but my hands were sitting harmlessly on the tabletop, showing Raphael I wasn't a threat.
I hated showing I wasn't a threat. It went against all my natural instincts.
"Never thought I'd see the day you’d walk in here," started Raphael as he reached into his leather jacket. I tensed, waiting to see what he would pull out, but when his hand emerged with a zippo and pack of smokes, I relaxed marginally. "Dragged bleeding and crying, I imagined. Walking? Not so much."
"Crying isn't my forte."
"A man can dream." Raphael popped out a smoke and flipped open the zippo in a practiced move.
Fuck, now I wanted a smoke. Raphael offered, but I shook my head. I needed my hands free to fight if necessary.
"I hear you're having a couple very bad days."
"You hear wrong."
He chuckled to himself and held up a few fingers, which immediately resulted in a some glasses of some sort of alcohol being set on the table. Whiskey, from the smell of it.
I ignored mine. It was too early for a drink. Even with my high tolerance, I couldn't afford to have any senses dulled around Raphael.
"Your office is being raided. Your boats careening to the bottom of the ocean. Your men's blood painting the streets red. If that's not a bad day, what is?"
I shrugged. "I'm in love. Hard to be upset about much."
That finally got Raphael's attention. He looked at me as though I'd lost my damn mind.
To be fair, I might've.
“That’s why I’m here. These Black Thorn bastards are trying to start a war, and I'm over here with hearts in my eyes. I don't want the bloodshed. Let's just say this is the best spot for negotiations you'll ever get me. If you want a place at the table with me, now is your chance."
"If I'm not mistaken, you're sitting at my table."
"Don't kid yourself, Raphael. You've been living off the scraps I've been throwing your direction for years."
A muscle ticked in his jaw. The atmosphere in the room immediately changed as each of the men around us shifted, reaching just a bit closer to their weapons, preparing for shit to go down. "You might hate me for how things happened, and you probably have valid reasons. But business is business, and the business we're in isn't for pussies. A more prideful man wouldn't be sitting here talking to you right now, would he? Fuck prideful. We're smart. We're survivors. I'm not going to sell you on the benefits of being in my corner. You know my empire better than anyone. I know what you can offer, and you know what I can give to build up your legacy. You have eight hours to decide."
Raphael narrowed his eyes but didn't respond to any of my speech. This wasn't the kind of thing that needed lawyers or long drawn-out discussions. At this point, it was more of a dick measuring contest to see if Raphael would even consider working with me. He hadn't shot me on sight or laughed in my face, which was a good sign, but he wasn't chomping at the bit at the chance of opening more land and revenue streams.
But I also wasn't a beggar, about to stay here and hold my breath until he gave his response. Because if he turned me down, I'd still have to find a way to keep Daisy safe from Black Thorn. There was a very real possibility they could dismantle everything I've built here in Miami, especially with Borya working with them.
What made the city so important to them now? And what if they did prove too much for me and my army to handle?
I'd have to make an escape plan. Move enough money around to some offshore accounts to make sure that Daisy and I, and probably her friend, too, would be set up for life.
She would be pissed if she couldn't finish up school, but she'd have to get over it. This wasn't the option I'd choose either.
But it didn't matter if I had to burn down the entire damn world, as long as we ended up together.