“Gross,” Threes mutters. “Seriously, dude, have some dignity.”
“Please!” Jack cries again.
“Aw, does that hurt?” I ask as I slowly slide a set of brass knuckles up my fingers. “Let me take the pain away.”
I pull my arm back and slam my weaponized knuckles into the back of his head. Jack screams and cringes as he pulls at the bonds around his wrists and ankles. He cries out again.
“Oh, sorry.” I shake my head. “That didn’t work so well.”
“Was that supposed to knock him out?” Antony chuckles.
“Yeah.” I shrug.
“You suck at this.”
I glare at Antony. I know it’s a friendly dig, but he sounds a little too much like my father though Pops is still leaning against the door to the barn, not participating in what he would normally consider fun. He wants me to do it on my own. I huff out a breath, mentally forgiving my cousin. I’m being too sensitive.
“It was never my strong point,” I mutter. I crouch in front of Jack and look him in the eyes. “You know you fucked up. You also know how we deal with fuc
kups.”
“It was a mistake.” His eyes plead along with his words. “I swear. It will never happen again!”
“Well, he’s got that right.” Antony grins.
“A mistake is fiddling with the radio controls and then hitting the car in front of you,” I tell him. “Going to my enemies with information isn’t a mistake—it’s a betrayal.”
“I never would…I swear!”
“You did.”
“I wouldn’t have told them anything important. All they wanted to know was simple stuff. They didn’t give me a choice!”
“Your choice was to keep your fucking mouth shut. Now they know the name of our supplier.”
“I knew they’d never be able to use it!” he says. “Your business partners are loyal, and they’d never work with the Ramsays! That’s why I gave them the name.”
“That sounds a lot like a confession to me,” I say softly.
“I have to agree.” Antony takes a step back and then circles the chair until he’s standing next to me.
“I had my doubts,” I say. I nod at Antony, and he reaches down to snap yet another finger on Jack’s right hand. I slowly shake my head as Jack screams and cries. “When you wanted to marry my sister, I knew there was greed in your heart. If I had known you’d take that greed and use it against us, I would have ripped your heart out right there on the altar.”
“Fucking prick deserves to have it cut out of his chest right now.” My father’s voice comes from over my left shoulder. I can feel his hot, demanding presence close behind me.
“Yes. Yes, he does.”
“He does what?” Antony asks, eyes narrowed.
My shoulders tense as I stare at the man we’d welcomed into my sister’s life. We should have been more careful. Yes, we needed a wedding, but it didn’t have to be Jack. It didn’t have to be Nora’s wedding. I’m in charge now, and I have to do what’s best for my family.
I ignore Antony, release Jack’s head with a rough jerk, and turn to Threes.
“Give me that knife over there. The big one.”
Threes hands me a large hunting knife with a jagged edge. I look it over carefully, run my thumb over the tip, and toss it from one hand to the other.
“You studied anatomy, didn’t you, Antony?”