Buttons and Shame (Buttons 4)

“Worse than Bones?” I had a hard time believing that was possible.

“Definitely. Think about it. Whoever takes his place has to be even more vicious to hold the position. They have to compensate for what they lack with more heinous acts. Bones was a loose cannon, but at least he was predictable.”

When one dictator was removed, another took his place. It was the circle of life. “The nightmare never ends, huh?”

“Nope.”

“You couldn’t be allies?”

“With the nature of our business, it’s impossible. We’ll always be direct competitors. In a nutshell, we supply weapons to each other’s enemies.”

“True.”

Lars walked into the room without the same grace he normally possessed. He held our plates and spoke in a panicked voice. “Mr. Barsetti just pulled up. He must have come home for lunch.”

Cane looked at me before he turned back to Lars. “So…?”

Lars quickly set our plates in front of us. “He’s not going to be happy about this, and you know it.” He walked through the doors, and his voice carried from the next room. “Good afternoon, sir. What can I prepare for you?”

Cane shrugged then took a bite of his food. “My brother needs to get over himself.”

“He’s a bit over the top,” I said in agreement.

Crow walked inside a moment later, wearing that intense expression I’d come to love and hate. He eyed me with accusation, as if this lunch were entirely my fault. Then he shot Cane a searing look.

There was only one way I could make this better. I walked up to him and circled my arms around his neck as I kissed him. It was the kind of kiss that wasn’t appropriate for public, but I knew it was the only thing that would calm him down—or at least get him thinking of something else. My tongue found his, and I let a quiet moan escape into his mouth, just loud enough for him to hear.

When I pulled away, his eyes weren’t so terrifying. His anger went from a boil to a simmer. “Would you like to join us?”

“Lars made lasagna,” Cane added.

The second Cane spoke, Crow was pissed all over again. He took the seat beside him and glared at his brother.

I sat down and poured him a glass of wine. Only scotch seemed to silence him, but wine soothed every once in a while.

“Thank you, Button.” He took a drink while keeping his eyes on his brother, treating him as an enemy rather than blood.

Cane met my look then rolled his eyes. “You’d think I was Bones with the way he treats me.”

Crow set his glass on the table with a loud clank, making it echo in the dining room. “Don’t ever say that name in my house again.” Sometimes those moss-green eyes were comforting, but now they looked utterly terrifying once they were trained on Cane like that. He didn’t need to say anything more to exude his threat. It was palpable, unnerving.

Cane exchanged another look with me, not rolling his eyes but clearly wanting to. It seemed like Cane and I were closer than he was with Crow. It was an interesting change of events.

Lars set a plate in front of Crow, a white plate with a slice of fresh lasagna.

“Lars?”

“Yes, Your Grace?” He moved his hands behind his back as he stood upright.

“What did I say about allowing guests into the house when I’m not present?” Crow didn’t raise his voice, but he was still berating his oldest employee with just his tone. He stared at Lars the same way he stared at Cane just a moment ago.

“Don’t be an asshole.” Lars had been like family to both of us. Even though we were paying him, it didn’t mean we had the right to treat him like shit. “Lars, ignore him. He’s just in one of his moods.”

Crow didn’t drop it. “I don’t want Cane in here unless I’m present. Do you understand?”

Cane shook his head. “Ouch…”

Lars bowed. “Of course, sir—”

“Don’t blame this on Lars,” I snapped. “I invited Cane over. When Lars told me he was at the door, I opened it and allowed him inside. So, don’t blame one of your oldest friends for something your wife did.” I poked Crow in the arm. “Apologize to him.”

“Not necessary,” Lars said quickly as he backed out of the room. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again, Mr. Barsetti.” He stepped out.

I gave Crow my darkest glare because he was going to apologize—whether he liked it or not.

“Crow, you need to chill.” Cane took another bite of the bread and munched on it. “I’m not gonna do anything to Pearl. I’m not gonna make a move on her—”

“I’m not worried about my wife’s fidelity.” Crow had a natural ability to appear more intimidating than an entire army on the battlefield. “You almost killed my wife. I’m never going to forget that.”