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Which was probably why Redreed to my plan

“We didn’t coue about my future wife,” I continued once I had their attention “You knohat I want from you, Bernhard, and I hope you’ve considered it”

“I’ve considered it,” he said, shaking his head, “and I won’t take the plunge Not with you and not with anybody”

I sighed and spread h it was exactly what I had expected “You know killing Maeve will benefit us all Your crews have been jostling against her territory in the Midwest for years, and with her out of the way, you’ll double in power and influence”

“And you will too,” he said, glaring at, Kaspar As soon as we start cutting each other’s throats, we’re done for We’ll be no better than the crime families themselves Just look at Darren and Ro to advance their causes?”

“I think it made them hard Roman flew too close to the sun and was pushed back down, but at least he was aht never havedown his neck Their feud hurt them, but it also sharpened their wit and made them bold” I took a deep breath and leaned closer to Old Bern, the wrinkled dog, the blood-sucking old archs are stale and weak, and I plan on ain”

Old Bern didn’t er etched all over his posture We’d been friendly for a long time, and I was sure he never expected talk like this from me It was a betrayal

The first of many to come

“You know better than that, Kaspar The rules were put in place for a reason, and if we begin—”

“You and your stupid daernails like he was bored of the conversation “They were all made before I was even born Hell, they wereto them like a life raft”

“They keep us safe, boy,” Old Bern snapped at his son “Mind your tongue You’re not the Oligarch at this table, and you won’t forget it”

“No, I’littered

I wanted to curse and punch him in the face

Old Bern was a seasoned veteran of the Oligarchs He’d been throughover for his father before he was even twenty, all the way through multiple disputes and skirame better than anyone else The old bastard was a survivor

And he saw the truth in his son’s eyes