“What happened?” he blurted.
I told him the story, including the dialogue that I could recall.
Crow pinched the bridge of his nose and accompanied his actions with a sigh. “You’re playing with fire, Cane.”
“Trust me, it’s how it has to be. If I cave right away, they’ll take us for everything we’ve got. Our houses…our women…they don’t respect weakness. Only strength.”
“But to threaten them?”
“I had to do it, Crow. Trust me on this.”
“Now what?” he asked. “What do you think they’ll do?”
“They’ll use my contact and fill the order. That’ll either satisfy them and they’ll forget about it…or they’ll get greedy and try to overrun the business again.”
“And if that happens?” Crow pressed.
“I don’t know.”
“We both have women we need to protect now. We should abandon it.”
“This business has been in our blood for generations, Crow. We aren’t just walking away from money. We’re walking away from the legacy our parents left us. It would be an insult to let someone take it from us. It would be one thing if someone offered to buy it. But to steal it?” I shook my head. “I can’t let that happen.”
“All things come to an end. And we are their legacy. Just as our children will be ours. Cane, it’s a superficial, physical thing. It’s not worth fighting for. It’s not worth dying for.”
“I know…I get it.”
“I don’t think you do.”
“Think about it,” I said. “If Pearl and Adelina weren’t around, we’d be giving these guys hell. We wouldn’t let them walk all over us like this. It’s turned us into pussies, and I never thought that’s how I would end up.”
“I’m not happy about it either, but I’m tired of looking over my shoulder all the time. I’m tired of my wife complaining that she can’t go anywhere alone. We can always go into the wine business together, and that will be a legacy we leave behind. It’s clean, it’s legal, and it’s something to be proud of.”
“Crow, you know I don’t know shit about wine.”
“It’s not like you can’t learn.”
I turned my head the other way and sighed, frustrated by the overwhelming events. I just got Adelina back a few days ago, Tristan was still missing, and the Skull Kings wanted to pick a fight.
“Maybe this is personal,” Crow noted.
“What is?”
“Constantine. Maybe they’re doing this to antagonize you.”
“Why?”
“Maybe they’re mad you left.”
I shook my head. “I left seven years ago. They’re over it. It’s not like I left on bad terms.”
“Maybe Constantine doesn’t see it that way.”
“That guy has a lot of pride, but he wouldn’t hold on to that kind of resentment for seven years. They’re just hungry for money and power. They always want more. What they have is never enough. They see a perfect opportunity to monopolize the market, even though it’ll be impossible to fulfill orders in that magnitude. They’re so greedy they can’t think.”
“What do you think Constantine will do?” he asked.
“I really don’t know. It’s a coin toss.”
Crow rested his fingertips against his lips. “Fuck, maybe I will just move far away with Pearl…”
“Doesn’t sound too bad, honestly.”
* * *
The second I walked through the door, Bellissima was on me.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me in the doorway, embracing me like a wife welcoming her husband home from work. Her kiss was exactly what it used to be, full of tongue and affection.
My hands explored her body, and I immediately fell into the passion. My heart was broken over what she’d been through, but my body couldn’t deny its carnal desires. I viewed her as the sexiest woman in the world—regardless of what happened. My desire wasn’t quenched. My respect never faltered. I saw her as a shining jewel that would never be covered with dust.
She pulled away with her hands on my cheeks. “I’m glad you’re home.”
“I picked up on that,” I said with a smile.
“I made dinner.”
“That sounds great. But I should be cooking for you.”
“No. I want to cook for you. I miss it.” Her fingertips trailed down my arms and to my hands.
“I miss it too.”
“You wanna eat now?” she whispered.
“Yeah, sure.”
“I thought we would sit on the terrace and watch the sun go down. We never do that…”
“Yeah, that’ll be nice.” Sometimes it worried me how easily she brushed off her nightmare with Tristan. But if this was how she handled her demons, by moving forward without letting it haunt her, then I respected that. Not too many people were strong enough to do that. Pearl was the only one I knew.
We sat at the table outside and shared a bottle of wine. The sunset cast a perfect glow over Adelina, highlighting her cheeks and perfect nose. I began to understand Crow’s affection for Pearl, how his entire world changed once she walked into his life.
I knew my life would never be the same.