Diamonds in the Rough (Diamonds are Forever Trilogy 2)

The toilet in the adjoining bathroom flushes. The door opens, and Leonardo steps out. I tense. What the fuck is the Italian doing here? Since my father is watching me closely, I don my poker face.

“Max.” Leonardo walks over, his eyes scanning my face like a shark. “How are you? We don’t see much of you in the club.”

I raise a brow. “I didn’t know you were frequenting the club.”

“I’ve been over on a few weekends.” He rolls his shoulders. “You know, to get a feel for the territory.”

“So you’ve said.” Sitting down, I leave my coffee on the desk and steep my fingers together.

“We have a situation.” My father indicates the free chairs facing his desk.

Leonardo and Alexis each takes a seat.

“The Brise de Mer is sending more men to Marseille,” my father continues. “Their number has doubled in one week.”

I tap my fingers on the desk. “Under what guise?”

My father’s voice is gravelly, a sign of his irritation. “An annual gathering.”

Alexis moves to the edge of his seat. “Let me take out a few of those Corsican fuckers. That should send a message.”

“No,” I say. My brother has always been too bloodthirsty, just like my father. “That’ll start a war.”

“Maybe that’s what they want,” Leonardo says.

My reply is sharp. “Then they can start it. We’ll fight, and we’ll win, but we sure as hell won’t take responsibility for a bloodbath.” That’ll put us in the bad books of our government supporters. As long as we play by the rules, no one will blame us for defending ourselves.

“What do you suggest?” Alexis asks. “That we sit on our asses and do fucking nothing while they invade our territory?”

I give him an easy smile that only infuriates him more. “That we give them the benefit of the doubt.”

My father’s chair protests with a squeak as he leans back. “It’s too soon to make a move, but I want our men to keep tight tabs on these motherfuckers. There’s no way they’re taking back Marseille.”

“We’ve kicked them out once,” Leonardo says. “We’ll kick them out again.”

The we grates on my nerves. The young fuck is already taking credit for a history that has nothing to do with him, for blood that never soiled his hands. I, however, know why my father wants him here. We’re using the legal money from our diamond business to sponsor the illegal activities, and we’re constantly looking for new ways of laundering that money.

The second reason why my father wants him here is the real thorn in my side. It’s not a done deal yet, but soon I’ll have to take Leonardo under my wing and treat him like a protégé. One, I work alone, even if I still answer partially to my father, and two, Leonardo is clever. He’s already seen what’s important to me. He’s ambitious. He’s not going to be content with tagging along in my shadow forever. At some stage, he’s going to want to climb the ladder, and he’ll use any weakness he can exploit against me. Meaning Zoe, the beautiful woman I can’t let go.

“Agreed.” My father slams a hand on the desk to indicate the meeting is over.

When Alexis and Leonardo get to their feet, he motions for me to stay. Alexis shoots me a hateful glare on the way to the door. I catch the way he locks eyes with my father before he leaves. I often think Raphael is disappointed that I’m the first-born who inherited the power instead of his favorite son.

My father waits until the door closes before speaking. “You haven’t been home for months.”

“I’ve been busy.”

His fixes me with his droopy-eye stare. “Your mother misses you.”

“She could come over.”

His hand curls into a fist on the table. “She won’t as long as you’re keeping that woman in your house.”

“Her name is Zoe.”

He clenches his jaw. “I know what her name is.”

I lean forward. “Then use it.”

His smile is slow to come, his patience forced. “Family comes first.”

“Yes, a point you’re proving well.”

He narrows his eyes. “You better watch your tone with me, son.”

My smile matches his. “No disrespect intended. Just stating the facts.”

“You’ve taken this game far enough.”

One by one, my muscles lock. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“She compromises everything—the Italian connection, our family. It will be in everyone’s best interest to hand her over to Alexis as agreed. He’s learned his lesson. He won’t make such a mistake again.”

The last part makes my body coil like a predator preparing for an attack. My voice is even, betraying nothing of the fury running under the surface. “I won’t let her come between business or the family. It’s working fine as it is.” This discussion is over. To prove it, I get up. “Anything else?”

“No.” My father’s tone is cold. “Not for now.” As I turn, he says, “Go visit your mother.” I’m already across the floor when he calls after me, “You’re breaking her heart.”