“Oh, please, get over yourself,” Carlos said. Without Sebastian around to monitor everything he said, or demand that he keep up a certain image, he could be himself. “Do I look like I want to take Fort Clover from you?”
Smokey glared.
Carlos rolled his eyes. “Anyone ever tell you that you don’t trust well?”
“Why are you here?”
“To listen to the songbirds and to help with my mental health,” Carlos said.
“Are you here for Raven?”
“Interesting person for you to bring up. I helped her today. Did you know she is trying to avoid everything that is Ava, your woman?”
“Don’t say her name.”
“Whose, Raven’s or Ava’s?”
Smokey advanced toward him. Carlos hadn’t enjoyed a good fight in a long time. He’d wanted to hurt the son of a bitch who’d got Raven, but he had two choices: stay and kill that fucker, risking Raven bleeding to death, or save her. Raven had won. He had a feeling she didn’t even realize that she mattered to him.
“Go on, Smokey. You want to hurt me? Possibly kill me?”
“All I’ve got to do is call Sebastian, and I’ll figure out what you want.”
“Wow, real mature. Sebastian is not the boss of me.”
“But he knows everything going on in the Santiago mafia.”
“Do you trust him?” Carlos asked.
This time, Smokey frowned.
“Ah, I see my question has caught you a little off-guard. Do you want me to say it slowly?”
“I have no reason not to trust Sebastian.”
“Even though he knows everything there is to know about your club and our world. Don’t you think that is a man with a lot of power? He knows about Umberto, and I’m not talking about your son.”
Smokey folded his arms. “You’re here because you doubt your leadership.”
“Close, not quite.” Carlos sighed. “Fine. Come on. Let’s go and be best buddies.” He snapped his fingers and walked toward where he had the cameras, which was in the back, in what was supposed to be the game room, but he had it converted.
“You’ve taken over the mafia, and like Garofalo, you’ve turned into a perv?” Smokey asked.
“Someone close is attempting to overthrow me as a leader,” Carlos said. “It’s my job to figure out who that is before I, you know, end up dead. I don’t want to die.”
“Why did you take over?” Smokey asked.
“Trust me when I say no one else is good enough for the job. They all have their own agendas.”
“And you don’t?” Smokey asked.
“My agenda is simple, I want us to be fearless, to mend bridges and build allies. Not to tear everything down and destroy us from the inside out. You think I don’t know how easy we are right now for a play at the top? How our weaknesses are built? Garofalo nearly fucked everything. If he’d been in power any longer, there would be none of us.” He moved toward the map he had spread out and pointed around the cities where they didn’t have control. “The bratva is here and has always made a play for our territory. There is no stopping them unless I wipe them out. Down here, we have the cartels, who would love to get our patch as it has a direct drug distribution link. Then, of course, we have the usual MCs, and my personal favorite, fellow mafia bosses.”
“Why are you showing me this?” Smokey asked. “This shit is … important.”
“Believe it or not, Smokey, I do consider us friends, to a point. We’re … irritating friends.” Carlos smiled at his own quip. “Anyway, I had your back with the Twisted Bastards, and I’m hoping you’ll have my back. I have no interest in messing with you, your turf, or starting a war. To become strong, you have to learn to trust. I’m here because I need to find the fucking traitor.”
“And you feel it could be Sebastian?”
“The only person I’m ruling out is Umberto,” Carlos said. “I get why he didn’t want the role of Boss. He should have taken it though.”
“I know of your reputation, Carlos. Aren’t you being paranoid?”
“Possibly, but I’m not willing to assume anything.” He turned back to Smokey. “And I’m willing to make a deal with you.”
“I don’t need to make any more deals with you.” Smokey looked at the screen. “You can stay in town and let your paranoia fester. If you start bringing blood to my streets, then I’ll intervene.”
Smokey went to leave.
Carlos had been toying with this idea ever since he helped Raven escape the diner to avoid Ava.
“I know you’re removing everyone who hurt Ava from the club,” Carlos said.
Smokey glared at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I have a way of uncovering tracks, finding loose ends.” It was why he knew if he just gave himself enough time, he’d find the missing piece to his puzzle. “The whores who hurt Ava, they’re gone, removed from the club. Some have been sent on their merry way. Others have been sent to other charters within your little Hell’s Bastard clique Raven’s not club pussy. She’s a brother. Has earned her loyalty with you all, but she has to go, am I right?”