Home / Mafia / The Butcher - A Mafia romance / Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

All Chapters of The Butcher - A Mafia romance : Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

212 Chapters

170

I wasn’t sure what I hoped to accomplish here. Our relationship was more strained than it’d ever been. “I’m really sorry about what happened. Truly, I am.”They said nothing.“You didn’t deserve that.” Dante had put the final nail in the coffin, and now there was no hope for reconciliation. I wanted to kill him for that, but I couldn’t do a damn thing.“We didn’t deserve to have such a piece-of-shit son either,” Father said coldly.“I really didn’t do it. She set me up because I tried to leave her.”Both of them ignored me.“I’m telling you the truth.”“Even if you are telling the truth,” my mother said. “It wouldn’t change anything. Your father could have died because you’ve chosen this lifestyle. That’s completely on you. You’re a liar. You’re a criminal. You’re a murderer.”“We tried so hard to have you,” Father said. “Endless doctor’s visits and procedures…and then we were finally given a miracle. But now I wish we’d just accepted our fate. Our lives would have been far better.”I

171

“Twenty million a week.” He paused to mull that over. “That’s impressive.”“Thank you,” my father said.“It sounds like your current distributor is doing a fine job, so why do you need me?”My father paused as he considered his answer. “I know you can do better.”“But changing distributors will be a lengthy process. Is it worth an additional five million?”“Five million more is five million I don’t have,” my father said simply.“And your distributor can’t expand further?” Instead of just taking the job, he chose to dig, like he wanted all the specifics before he agreed. It was tedious, but it was smart.My father took a drink as he considered what to say. “We’re personally incompatible.”Theo stared at him for several seconds. “And why are you incompatible when you’re making money hand over fist together?”“Because I don’t like him.”“Why?” Theo pressed.My father struggled to maintain his composure, tired of talking about Axel and wanting to avoid all the specifics. “Because he’s a p

172

“I’m sure,” Dante said cordially, acting like a little bitch because he wanted to get rid of me so badly. He’d rather suck up to the Skull King than break bread with me. That was a profound level of hatred. He would definitely try to kill me once he had that chance.“There’s only so much time in the day, and it’s hard to decide what to do with the minutes I have left. I could spend them at the whorehouse or with my regulars…or I could spend them with you. It’s a tough call.”I smirked and wished I could see Dante’s reaction to all this.“Well, your whores will only make you poorer, and I’ll make you richer.”Theo grinned, holding the cigar in his mouth. “Good one, Dante.”Dante tipped his head slightly in an I thank you gesture.“But I need more time to think it over,” Theo said. “Feel free to take a cigar for the ride home.”I knew Dante hadn’t come here empty-handed. I waited.Theo waited too, bringing the cigar to his lips for a taste of the leather-flavored smoke.Dante remained i

173

His hand moved to my arm, and he patted me. “We’ll have him by the balls soon, Axel. Just be patient.”4SCARLETTI was in the parlor on my laptop when the guards opened the door and Theo stepped inside. The second the door opened, a rush of cold winter air rushed inside and made bumps form on my arms. I was in a long-sleeved V-neck sweater, tucked into my ruffled skirt, so the air was definitely chilly.My eyes focused on him, his physique stretching the fabric of his long-sleeved shirt nicely. His dark jeans hung low on his hips, and his jawline was clean because he seemed to have shaved that morning. When he spotted me at the table, he took a seat across from me.I grabbed the top of my laptop and slowly closed it. “Nice to see you again.”He watched me with his hard gaze, a handsome man who probably got tail wherever he went. “Your father and I struck a deal.”My father hadn’t mentioned that to me, but I pretended he had. “Looks like I’ll be seeing more of you, then.” It was the f

174

“Nervous about the food?”“No,” I said with a laugh. “On a first date, you don’t want to eat something…messy.”“I respect a woman who doesn’t give a fuck and just eats what she wants.”“You take women out a lot, then?”He swirled his wine again. “Occasionally.”“I have to admit, this is weird.”“Why?”“Because of who you are.” I knew his men were parked at the curb and maintaining a perimeter. There were probably men placed at nearby tables, looking like customers while their guns were stowed inside their jackets.“I like fine dining just like everyone else.”“You just don’t…seem like the kind of guy who has dates.” Axel didn’t have dates. It seemed like he just had fuck buddies…and I was one of them. I imagined he’d ditched Cassandra a long time ago.He gave a slight shrug. “I don’t usually.”“Then why did you ask me out?”He looked into his glass before he took a drink, a long pause to consider how he might respond. “You’re not bad to look at.”I released a chuckle. “Not bad to look

175

I put the shells in the oven to bake before I carried the bowl to him. “Try it.” I slid my finger through the cream then held it up for him.He stared at me before he leaned forward and sucked the cream off my finger, his eyes on me the entire time.I dropped not-so-subtle hints that I wanted to spend the night with him, but I wouldn’t be the first one to make a move. If he wanted me, he had to take me. That was how I liked it. “What do you think?”He swallowed as his eyes remained locked on me. “Damn.”I smiled then returned the bowl to the counter. I could feel his gaze on my back, feel it on my ass. Thankfully, the shells only took a few minutes because they were so thin, so I pulled them out of the oven, let them cool, and then filled them with the cream. “Here you go.” I put it on a little plate and placed it in front of him before I sat beside him, dragging my finger through the cream before I sucked it off. “Damn, that is good.”He picked up the cannoli and took one big bite be

176

He got to his feet. “We’re done here.” He buttoned the front of his jacket, his voice normal again but his face still tinted red in rage. “Our business has concluded. You will be paid for your contributions up until today, until this hour. Visit any of my properties or approach me, and I’ll blind you with my bullets. Come near my daughter—and I’ll do the same to your father.”I spoke in a calm voice. “You’ll regret this, Dante.”“I’ve never regretted anything in my life.”“Well, that’s about to change.”He stared at me.I stared back.“Should have taken the deal.”He walked up to me, his hands sliding into the pockets of his slacks. He stopped just inches from me, close enough that we could knife each other. “Watch your back, Axel. I’m coming for you.”I entered the bar through the front entrance. The private room was in the back, so I walked through the crowd of people trying to get a drink and headed into the rear. There was a single round table there, away from the music and the co

177

I shouldn’t give a shit…but I did.“Hello, beautiful.”I looked up when I heard the deep voice, knowing exactly who it belonged to. Theo stood in front of the table, wearing a black leather jacket that was dotted with waterdrops. The weather outside was a downpour. It started last night and was still going strong, flooding most of the streets and staining all the windows with streaks like the glass door of a shower. “Hey, handsome.” I flirted back even though it was disingenuous. I’d made a move on him—a lot of moves—and he didn’t take the bait.He sat across from me, espresso eyes regarding me. “What are you doing tonight?”“Falling asleep to the sound of the rain.”“You like this weather?”“I prefer summer, but I guess I don’t mind it.”“I love it.”“I figured. That’s what all men say.”“You want to get dinner?”“Why?”He stilled at my question, his sharp eyes focusing. “Eat. Talk. That sort of thing…”“And then you fuck afterward,” I said. “But you don’t seem interested in that.”A

176

SCARLETTThe vehicle pulled up to the curb outside the restaurant, the very restaurant where Theo and I had had our first date, the restaurant where I’d met him for the first time. When we stepped up to the door, the place was quiet, shut down for the evening.I wasn’t sure how he stayed in business when he shut down the restaurant whenever he felt like it.We walked inside, his men positioned at empty tables and in corners, drinking coffee to warm their bellies. Now that Theo and my father had a strong business relationship, I wasn’t sure why the armed men were necessary, but my father didn’t appear concerned.I arrived at the table first. “Hello, Theo.” I gave him a smile and a knowing look.“Hello, beautiful.” He didn’t hug me or kiss me on the cheek. Instead, he pulled out my chair for me.This man was the biggest prude who ever lived. I took a seat.My father greeted him next, the two of them shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries. Then we were all seated, wine and coffee serv

179

“Please…” It was the first time I spoke, so scared my hands started to shake in my lap. I kept a straight face and bottled my tears, because my father would want me to be strong, not weak and afraid.Both Theo and Axel looked at me.It was the first time Axel actually looked at me, and his stare was soft and gentle…the way it used to be.Theo looked at my father and continued. “But Axel has mercifully chosen to spare your life. I think a sign of gratitude is in order.”My father didn’t say a word.Axel stared him down and waited for him to comply.But my father would rather die.A long silence ensued, a very heavy one.Theo looked at Axel. “Shoot this motherfucker⁠—”“You’re officially retired, Dante. Enjoy your billions on your yacht. Find a good woman. Spend time with your daughter.” Axel stared with his arms still crossed. “Enjoy your life. If you choose to retaliate, I’ll choose to kill you.” He spoke with a calm voice, but it had a hard edge to it. “You’re dismissed.”My father d

PREV

...

...

NEXT

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

DMCA.com Protection Status