Deathless & Divided (The Chicago War #1) by Bethany-Kris Read Free Book Online Page A

office. He’d only followed the men when the boss asked them upstairs because he liked to know what was going on around him, not because he had to be there. Damian didn’t worry about crews, tribute, and bullshit like the rest of Terrance’s guys did. Damian’s work for the Outfit didn’t fall in line with that unless someone needed an extra pair of hands for something.
    Usually Damian worked with Tommas on those things, anyway.
    “Marcello isn’t going to let us in on that again, not after that mess a few years ago,” Terrance said before tossing back the remainder of his red wine.
    “I don’t know why you bother making nice with them,” Joel muttered under his breath. “With the Calabrese and the Donati families working with us, we could easily cull the Marcellos down to nothing. We could set up a syndicate—”
    “Oh, shut up with that fucking nonsense,” Terrance barked.
    The quiet chatter in the room silenced.
    “If your men had done what they were supposed to do in the first goddamn place when working in New York, we wouldn’t have this problem with the Marcellos, Joel,” Terrance said, scowling. “Instead, they decided to trade bullets with the dominating family. I might not like the Marcellos all that much, but I’m not an idiot, either. They control New York for a reason. They hold power over the other families because they earned it. They’re closely aligned with the Sorrentos in Vegas. So yes, let’s go right on ahead, act like bulls in a China shop, and start a war we can’t finish. Why don’t we do that, huh?”
    Joel looked like he had taken a bite of something sour. “Grandpapa—”
    “Shut up, Joel. Dio , you’re working my last nerve and I’m not even drunk.”
    “I was just saying that—”
    “Shut up or get out, Joel.”
    Damian supposed he understood why Joel wouldn’t ever make it as a boss. The man didn’t know when to sit down and be quiet.
    “We hold the power in Chicago,” Terrance continued. “That’s what matters here. We work here. We have our own dealings to manage here. The Outfit dominates and unlike New York, we don’t have to worry about or work with other families because the Chicago Mob controls even them. Forget about New York, it isn’t ours and I don’t want it.”
    “Fine,” Joel said through clenched teeth.
    “So, that’s a no then?” Tommas asked.
    “Yeah,” Terrance said gruffly. “That’s a fucking no.”
    “Pay a little more to get it straight through to here, that’s all,” Damian’s uncle Laurent said. “Keep doing what we’re doing.”
    “Can we talk about giving someone their in to the Outfit?” Joel asked.
    Damian perked at that, curious. Usually the boss would bring something like that up, not another made man.
    “Who?” Terrance asked.
    “James.”
    “Poletti?”
    “Yeah.”
    “No,” Terrance said.
    “Why the hell not?”
    “Because he’s a fucking Poletti and half of his mother’s family is involved with the Lazzari guys. I’m not going to let some kid of another family weed their way into mine, Joel. That’s ridiculous. Just because you work with them on things doesn’t mean they’re Outfit material.”
    “You don’t even know—”
    “The answer is no,” the boss interrupted coldly.
    Damian watched a couple of men filter out of the office quickly and silently as Terrance and Joel had a stare down. More meetings than Damian cared to count went down in this way. Joel had some crazy kind of superiority complex because his grandfather was the boss. Terrance refused to give his grandson any legroom to move.
    No fucking wonder.
    Damian wasn’t sure Joel understood what respect was. How Tommas was as good of friends with this man as he was, Damian didn’t know. He suspected it was because Tommas and Joel were the same age and grew up together. They weren’t anything alike, though.
    “Out, Joel,” Terrance said. “No arguing. And the rest of you, too. I need a break. Get out.”
    “We’re going to