The Pomegranate House is busy on a Saturday night. Anyone who wants to do business with the Brotherhood is here, packed into narrow tables, spending lavishly on food and drinks. These days, that’s a lot of people.
Daron raises a glass. He’s drunk and happy. “Here’s to the happy couple,” he says. “And to having children. And to winning an impossible game. And to pregnancies, and arranged marriages, and—”
“I think that’s enough,” Riley says.
Eric and William laugh. I hug my wife closer and drink to her health. Daron sways in his chair, beaming like a madman. “I still can’t believe it worked,” he says, his voice lowering as he leans in closer to me. “Honestly, Fungal Spread himself? That’s one bad motherfucker.”
“I have a feeling they didn’t look too hard.” I keep my hand possessively on Riley’s thigh. She doesn’t mind, though. These days, I have a lot to protect. “Once they got their crypto keys back and realized nothing had been stolen, I have a feeling they didn’t have much incentive to investigate too closely.”
“Still, what a fucking hack.” He sighs and drinks again.
“Can I admit something?” I raise my glass to him. “I was inspired by the perfect hack.”
His eyes widen. His mouth drops open. And then he bursts out laughing so hard he has to hold his ribs. “That story isn’t even true!” he shouts, cracking up. “Oh my god, you madman!”
Eric and William do their best to calm Daron down as half the restaurant looks in our direction. I lean in to Riley and kiss her neck, brushing her hair back.
I like the attention. I want people to see me and my beautiful wife together.
I’m a proud husband these days.
“I have one more surprise for all of you,” I say to my crew. Daron barely gets control of himself as I drop a piece of paper down on the table.
Eric lifts it tentatively, frowning. “What is this? Looks like three big bank transfers.”
“That’s your payment.”
His eyes bug out. “Holy shit. Seriously?”
William snatches the paper from him and laughs. “Are you kidding right now?” he asks.
Daron’s the last one to see the numbers. His jaw works, and for once in his life, he’s got nothing to say.
“Mantis was generous,” I admit, stroking my wife’s knee. She’s grinning too. This little display was her idea. I had planned on just telling them, but she insisted on the theatrics. Their reactions were totally worth it. “You three went above and beyond, and you all deserve it.”
“How generous were they, exactly?” Eric asks.
“They paid me three million.”
“But you transferred a million to each of us,” he says, looking confused.
“You three deserve the money. I got payment enough already.” I lean in and brush my wife’s hair from her neck.
She shivers and waves me off. “He’s a big fat liar. He wanted to pay you all less, but I’m the one that made him give it all up.”
Daron laughs again, and the three of them toast my lovely wife for what feels like the tenth time that night.
Frankly, they really do deserve the money, but it’s about more than just giving them what they deserve for the risks they took. I also need to make sure none of them ever tells a living soul about what we did. Aside from the men at this table, only Darren, Tigran, and Arsen are aware that Los Sombras had nothing to do with that watch’s disappearance.
And I need to make sure it stays that way.
So maybe my motives aren’t pure. So what?
At least my guys are happy.
“You have a visitor,” Riley murmurs a little while later. I turn to look as Tigran approaches the table.
“I hear you boys have been busy.” He grins down at our little crew. “I made a good choice putting Alexan in charge, didn’t I?”
“He’s going to take credit for all my hard work,” I say, glancing at him.
Tigran laughs and gestures with his head. “Come on. Arsen wants to talk to you.”
I push back from the table, kiss my wife on the cheek, and follow. Riley will be safe with the crew for a little while.
“Been one hell of a week,” Tigran says softly to me as we cross toward where Arsen’s holding court in a private room. He pauses before we enter. “You know, when I promoted you, I really didn’t think you’d immediately get tangled with Black Mantis.”
“Funny how life is sometimes,” I say with a shrug.
“Funny,” he echoes. “Yeah, sure, something like that.”
We enter the back room. Arsen’s sitting alone at a table with documents spread out around him. He’s reading something with a frown. A drink’s at his elbow. He nods tersely as Tigran leads me over.
“Patron,” I say respectfully. “I’m told you wanted to see me.”
“Sit down, you two.” Arsen leans back and rubs his face. “God, I’m tired. What a fucking week. Do you know how many bodies there are rotting in the Baltimore gutters right now?”
“A lot,” I venture, pulling out a chair and dropping down into it.
“A lot,” Arsen confirms. “Mantis is going hard on Los Sombras. Navarro’s dead. Half his leadership is dead too. I’m guessing half their Mexican counterparts will be dead by the end of the month. It’s a nightmare.”
I glance at Tigran. He’s staring at me but gives me nothing. “Are you angry about that?” I ask, not sure where this is going.
Arsen studies me for a long moment. “You’re not stupid,” he says finally. “You wouldn’t have put all this in motion if you didn’t have a choice. I assume you did what you did because of your new wife.”
I shift in my chair. I’d told them about pinning the watch on Los Sombras—but I hadn’t mentioned that it was Riley who took it in the first place.
“Something like that,” I admit.
“Fine. Keep the details to yourself. It’s better that way.” He lets out a long sigh. “Turns out that Black Mantis wants to become better friends. They’re happy with your work.”
I glance over at Tigran. Now he’s smirking at me, arms crossed over his chest.
“What’s he saying?” I ask.
“We just pulled in a big account, that’s what,” Tigran explains. “And you’re first in line for a payday.”
“Call it a bonus for hard work. When our new relationship begins to pay out, you’re first in line for a slice of the money. Congratulations, Alexan. Not only are you running your own crew, but now you’re stinking fucking rich.”
“Just like the rest of us,” Tigran adds, beaming now.
Arsen raises a glass. “Here’s to the future.” He throws back his drink. “Do me a favor and start planning some more jobs. I have a feeling you’re going to have a long and interesting career.”
“Let’s hope so.”
