Buttons and Blame (Buttons 5)

“Cane, we have money. We both have more money than we know what to do with.”

“But we’re gonna let some glorified bully come in and take over?” Cane leaned toward my desk. “We’re Barsettis. We don’t do that shit. We fight for what’s ours and never stop.”

“But these aren’t bullies on the playground. These guys are psychopaths. You worked with them for years, so don’t downplay how evil they are. Women and pride used to be important to me, but now that I have a wife, I realize there are more important things in life. I want a quiet life—where we can go places without looking over our shoulders. Is it really the end of the world to retire?”

Cane shook his head with his jaw clenched. “I just can’t believe you would let someone push us around like this…”

“I’m not letting anyone push us around. I just don’t care enough about this to fight. If we needed that money, this would be different. But we’re both wealthy enough to support generations to come. You can always find another way to make money. Go into the wine business with me. It’s lucrative even though it’s clean.”

“I don’t want to go into business with you, Crow. And I don’t give a shit about wine.”

“You sure like to drink it.”

“You know I prefer scotch.”

“Then go into the scotch business. You can talk to Crewe about it.”

He rubbed both of his temples at the same time. “What the hell happened to you, man? You were never afraid of anything. Now you’re a dog with your tail tucked in between his legs.”

If he’d had something as precious as I did, he would understand. But since he would have no one once Adelina was gone, he would be alone in his mansion, suffocated by his own thoughts. He didn’t need the business for money—he needed it for purpose. “I’m not afraid of anything—that concerns me. But I am afraid for Pearl. When I married her, I promised to take care of her. If Constantine wants war, he’s going to go after casualties. And you know Pearl will be the biggest target. She’s the only person in the world either one of us care about—besides Lars.”

Cane tilted his head to the floor, knowing I was right.

“You told me you loved Pearl like a sister, that you would do anything for her. You were ticked when I said I didn’t want you to be alone with her.”

Cane looked at me.

“So prove it. Protect her.”

He looked at the floor again, the annoyance in his eyes. “Not the same thing. This is our business we’re talking about. We were doing this long before she came around.”

“And it’s this business that got Vanessa killed.” Did I need to remind my brother how we lost our only sister? If we hadn’t continued the weapons business, we wouldn’t have been a direct competitor with Bones. The blood feud would have been over. We could have ended it by walking away—but we didn’t. “And I’m not letting the same thing happen to my wife. I learned my lesson.”

He sat back in the chair and looked out my window, ignoring my outline in front of him. He clenched his jaw tightly, the hair around his face coming in thick because he hadn’t shaved in a while. “I get what you’re saying. Our family is so small now, and I don’t want it to get any smaller. But it goes against everything I believe in to let someone push us around like that. I’d rather die fighting than surrender.”

“If this were a different enemy, then I would agree with you. But these guys are more terrifying than Bones. They make him seem boring. Plus, there was only one of him. There’s twelve of these guys—all of them equally gruesome.”

Cane nodded in agreement.

“So we can have all the men and weapons at our disposal, but we could still lose. I know these guys are crazy, but they’re also smart. There’s only two of us, Cane. I’d have to send Pearl somewhere they couldn’t find her until they’re all dead. And I may not be able to kill them all, and the ones who do die will have someone to avenge them. So is it really worth it?”

“Then what are you suggesting? If push comes to shove, we fold?”

I nodded. “We don’t have any other choice. We aren’t two singles anymore.”

“That was your decision, not mine.”

“Whether you like it or not, she’s your sister. Maybe one day our family will grow, and the Barsetti name will outlive me. We both know you aren’t going to have any kids.”

“Hey,” he said defensively. “It could happen.”

I rolled my eyes. “Get a wife first, and I’ll reconsider.” Adelina was the closest I’d ever seen him have to someone who resembled a girlfriend. But she had an expiration date—one that was fast approaching.