Buttons and Blame (Buttons 5)

Crow’s expression didn’t change, but he was tense. He was harder than a steel beam. The anger lurked behind his eyes, as it often did when he felt threatened. “We both know this isn’t good.”

“No, it’s not.”

“We’ll handle it together.” Crow rose from his seat.

My brother had already risked his life to save my woman. He already had his issues with the business with Constantine, so I wasn’t going to make him deal with that too. “No. You said you wanted nothing to do with this. I’ll handle it.”

“It doesn’t matter if I want nothing to do with this. You’re my brother. We’re in this together.”

“Not this time. You’ve done enough for me. Stay here.”

Crow continued to stand, but his arms rested gently by his sides. He bowed his head slightly, backing off.

“I’ll let you know how it goes.”

* * *

“Cane Barsetti.” Constantine was always dressed to impress. He didn’t wear jet black like most of us did. He always wanted to make a statement. He always wanted to be remembered. He wore black jeans that had holes all up and down, and he wore a bright yellow shirt with a skull in the center. A red handkerchief was tied around his neck, and every inch of his skin was covered with black ink from his tattoos.

“Constantine.” I met him outside, wearing a confident expression and not blinking an eye over the men he brought. They were all packing. But the hundred men inside my facility were packing too. No matter how ruthless these guys were, they’d lose.

We both knew it.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” I asked.

“A beautiful day to do business,” Constantine said. He crossed his arms over his chest, revealing the assortment of blades that hung along his belt loop. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said…peaceful coexistence.”

“Pretty good idea, if you ask me.”

“I’m not so sure.” He nodded to the warehouse. “I know you’ve got a lot of inventory in there, a lot more than I have.”

“Your point?”

“Not sure if there’s enough competition for two big fish like us.”

The key was not to be a pushover. If they detected fear, even the slightest hint, they’d run with it. “You’re right. Maybe there’s only room for one of us.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’ve always liked you, Constantine. I respect your fire, your brutality. As dark as it is to say, I think you’re essential to the food chain.”

“How so?” he asked.

“You make problems go away. Problems that can’t be solved. And I would hate to lose you.” I didn’t threaten him directly, but I did drop a veiled threat. Even if Crow and I folded and left the business to them, we couldn’t do it easily. It had to be some kind of a fight. Otherwise, they would haunt us forever.

Constantine smiled even though my words pissed him off. Everything about him was contradictory.

“Did you hear about Tristan?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Heard his compound got wiped out. No one knows who did it. And we know we didn’t,” he said with a laugh.

“I know you didn’t,” I said. “Because I did.”

His smile faded away.

“I hit him hard and annihilated everyone. Tristan was flourishing, and now he’s a nobody.” I snapped my fingers. “Just like that. He was a good client. But he crossed me in a way I couldn’t forgive. The only solution to the problem was to end him.”

Constantine smiled again even though there was nothing to smile about. “Looks like you learned a lot from us.”

“I did…and I picked up a few other things elsewhere.”

Constantine’s crystal blue eyes bore into mine. He was studying me like a wild animal caught in a cage.

“I have a lot on my plate right now. Worrying about competition over business is boring. Bones operated for decades without any clash. I couldn’t pick up his clients even if he wanted me to. You act like you could handle my business when you’ve been in the game for only a few weeks. So why don’t we be eyes and ears for each other? With our long history, I think that’s pretty reasonable.”

Constantine’s expression didn’t change. “We do have a long history.”

“If there’s nothing more to be said, I should be getting back.” I pulled out my wallet and grabbed the business card I’d just acquired. “I picked up a new client today, but I’m maxed out on inventory. Tell him I recommended you.”

Constantine eyed the card before he took it.

“Have a good day, gentlemen.” I turned my back and walked back into the warehouse. Exposing myself to potential bullets was stupid and risky. But I had to take the chance. I had to tell Constantine that I wasn’t scared of him.

That I wasn’t scared of anyone.

* * *

I walked back inside and found Crow exactly where I’d left him.