Six Guns: Volume Two (7 page)

SEVEN

CAIN

I looked around at the table. All of the men were seated around it along with three new soon-to-be members. Their eyes were all on me. Were they looking for me to falter? If so, they’d be fucking disappointed. I remembered well Carmine standing up here at the head of the table and being an intimidating force. Now it was time for me to show these guys that I was cut from the same cloth as my father.

Seton had brought in some men he deemed appropriate fits for the group. They were supposedly buddies of Seton’s that weren’t married, didn’t have any kids, basically didn’t have any sort of attachments. How Seton found these guys or knew them for that matter, I didn’t know. Seton wasn’t exactly the friendliest person on the face of the earth. Being social and getting to know others wasn’t something I thought he really shined at, but hey, I could be dead wrong. But I did trust the man. If he said these two were legit, they were legit. I wasn’t going to question it unless in the future they gave me a reason to.

Then my eyes met Stan’s. He was the familiar face in the bunch. I was glad he was here. He, like the other two, didn’t have any attachments outside of this life. Things like that only complicated matters. Hell, even with Lilah, she could distract me and creep into my mind when I didn’t want her to be there. Then again, she was also a welcome distraction at night when I needed to forget about the awful events of the day. It was a bittersweet two-way street.

“I know you see the new guys sitting around you. I wanted to call a meeting to formerly introduce you to them.”

Hagan took a hit from his cigarette. He was the only one not looking up. Disrespectful bastard.

Ignoring him, I continued, “We need some more hands around here. I don’t want us to be considered small by any means. From here on out, we’ll only grow, but we’ll always remain a tight knit family. I want that for us. I want us to be strong.” I laughed. “I want us to be a fucking unstoppable force that everyone fears.”

“Everyone does fear you already after that stunt you pulled at the Due Amiche,” Hagan mumbled just loud enough for everyone else to hear.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Shut the fuck up, Hagan.” Seton slammed his hand down on the table and glared at him. “That needed to be done.”

“Did it?” Hagan asked as if he was bored.

“Yeah, it did,” Seton snapped. “Like you haven’t done shit like that before. Don’t act like you’re better than everyone else. If anything, you’re lower.”

Hagan sat up straight, his face twisting in ugly hatred. “Fuck you, Seton. Of all people, I thought you’d have my back.”

“I won’t have your back when you’re acting like an asshole,” Seton told him, his fist clenching tightly on the table for everyone to see. His vein was beginning to protrude from his neck. That meant trouble. “Grow some balls, Hagan. Everyone’s been thrown into the same shit storm. We’re all trying to cope.”

I watched the two of them closely. They were on the verge of fist fighting. Was this animosity Hagan was displaying because of me being put in a position of leadership? I’d always thought him jealous of me. “Seton’s right. No one—at least I didn’t—want Carmine to die. Did you think I knew he was my father? Did you think I volunteered to be given all of this?”

“Well, you didn’t exactly step down either,” Hagan mumbled again.

“He’s doing a great fucking job!” Remmy hollered out. “Did you see how Bello crumbled like putty in his hand? Nicky Cain was born to do this job, whether he realizes it or not.”

I felt pride at the compliment, coming from Remmy, but I didn’t bother displaying it on my face. These guys needed to hash a few things out. It gave me a way to evaluate them anyway, see which ones I felt may be guilty of the crime of taking Carmine’s life. My suspicion still leaned heavily with Hagan being my number one suspect. His arrogance right now only furthered that mistrust.

“Step down? This is what Carmine
wanted.”
Seton was seething. He was about to explode. It was like they’d forgotten I was even in the room. I got to sit here and listen to the shit show. And the newbies—they just sat there not knowing what to say or do. Not exactly how I had envisioned this meeting to go, but hey, whatever. Let the new guys see exactly what this group was all about. Who wouldn’t want to be here, right? Fucking hilarious and degrading at the same time.

“Well, Carmine’s gone, isn’t he? I think we should’ve voted,” Hagan remarked.

Seton lunged across the table and cranked Hagan along the side of his jaw. There was a crunching noise. Had Hagan seriously not been expecting that? Even I was anticipating Seton totally losing it, and Hagan had been around way longer than me.

Once Hagan had momentarily recovered from what I could only assume was excruciating pain from what looked like a broken jaw—if nothing else, it was out of place—his face transformed into one of a psychopath, like he was going to try to take Seton on. Was he insane? Seton was a monster, and when he was mad like this, he was a hundred times stronger. Hagan lunged across the table toward Seton who looked hungry for a fight. He was waiting for Hagan, ready to end his existence. The Triplets jumped to their feet. One grabbed Hagan and held him back, another one latched onto the back of Seton’s arms.

“Enough,” I said in a stern tone. “Sit the fuck down. Now.”

Seton struggled against the arms of the Triplet for a few more seconds before ripping away from him and going back to his chair. Hagan wiped blood from the side of his mouth, his bottom lip ripped wide open. He was an utter mess. Served him right, too.

“Someone go get him a towel. He’s bleeding all over my floor,” I said.

Augie stood then and left the room, returning with a navy blue towel and handing it to Hagan who snatched it away as he was still attempting to cool down.

“I should shoot all you assholes for acting this way.” I aimed the direction of my stare at Hagan though. He’d really pissed me off, and I was very happy that he was in a world of misery right now. He needed a doctor, but I wasn’t going to let him go just yet. “Brock, Ham, Stan, stand up.”

All three men stood up. I watched to see how they’d reacted to the whole Seton/Hagan thing. None of them seemed the least bit phased, which surprised me, because when I’d first come up here, I was ready to piss my pants. Then again, these three wanted to be here. This kind of stuff gave them shits and giggles. I hadn’t had much of a choice in the whole thing.

“Take care of these men. Make them feel welcome. If I hear any of you assholes making trouble for them, there’ll be hell to pay. You better take that comment seriously, because I mean it.” I glanced around the room.

“Can I have some ice?” Hagan asked.

“No, you can’t fucking have some ice,” I snapped. “We’ll start these guys off easy and ease them into the whole thing. Any simple jobs, give to Brock or Ham for now. Stan has already been made aware of his position.”

Stan nodded. He was watching Lilah, and she was pissed about it, but it needed to be done—for now at least. Lilah would be a target as she was associated with me. Even more so because of the fact she’d named the boutique Cain Designs. I still had plans to make that my underground hiding hole if need be. I just didn’t want anything happening to her, people using her as leverage or anything like that. Somebody taking her, possibly torturing her—that scared the shit out of me.

I slowly stood, bracing my hands against the edge of the table as I looked over all of these men—
my
men. “The alcohol is flowing downstairs. I’m sure there are girls waiting to knock down the door by now. Go party and show these three men what it’s like to be a part of us.” The guys got up to leave, their moods instantly improving. “Hagan,” I said as he, too, stood, “A word.”

He now had a defeated look to him as the side of his face swelled.

“You make me sick,” I told him. “You think you’re on some sort of power trip or something?”

“No, Nicky, but I think you are,” he snapped.

I knew my gun was secure at my waist. I thought about killing him and getting it over with right now, but I had to have some self-control—that and I didn’t want to make a mess all over the place. “This isn’t a power trip you’re seeing,” I replied. “This is me taking control of this group, keeping everyone together, but if I need to get rid of the riffraff, I will,” I threatened him. “I don’t owe an explanation to anyone, and I’m not about to give you one now. You don’t deserve one. But I’m going to tell you this one time and one time only. This is the way things are. I’m Carmine’s blood—not you. I am head of this crew—not you. I will run things the way I see fit, and you will keep your fucking mouth shut and do what I say or pay the consequences. Believe me, Hagan, I know you saw a scared boy a little while ago, but I’ve changed, and I won’t hesitate to get rid of you if you open your mouth again. Learn to hold your fucking tongue or I’ll cut it out for you.”

Hagan glared at me but didn’t say anything more.

“Today I tolerated your bullshit, but tomorrow and the days following, I won’t. Do you understand what I’m telling you, Hagan?”

His eyes shifted to the floor.

“Well?” I asked.

He looked up at me then and nodded.

“I want to fucking hear it.”

“Yeah, I heard you, Nicky.”

“Good. Now get out of here before you get any more blood on my floor.”

I settled in front of the window, staring out over the city of Haven as the lights lit up the darkness in the distance. I was sure the music was thumping underneath me, but Carmine had ensured that the parties wouldn’t disturb him. Everything was sound proof. I was hoping I’d set Hagan straight, that he wouldn’t pull something so stupid as to embarrass me like that again. Then again, maybe him throwing a fit like that showed the new guys what happened to those that attempted such a thing. I didn’t think I’d have any problems with Brock or Ham. I’d spoken to both of them independently, and they seemed all right. They both had had rough backgrounds growing up but were strong mentally. They were in need of a steady income, a place to call their own. Being a part of the mob was the place where they’d find that. It’s where I’d found it.

I put my hands together behind my back and peered out into the world before me, thinking about how I’d looked up at this window and saw Carmine standing there in the very same position. I’d had no clue he was my father then. His quietness had frightened me. The whole idea of being involved in such a group had scared me. Certain parts of the involvement still did that to me now, but I was able to put on my big boy pants and fake the shit out of what I was feeling anymore. Fear was not something I could show—not anymore. Fear would be interpreted as weak. I had an image I wanted to uphold from the beginning, and so far, I thought my persona was a success.

The door behind me opened and closed.

“There you are.”

Lilah was home.

“There’s a party going on downstairs, you know.”

“I know.” I was still facing the window as she came up from behind me and slipped her arms around my waist. God, that perfume of hers.

“I figured you’d be there.” She sighed into my back as she pressed her chin against me. “How was your day?”

“Really good,” I told her. “Yours?”

“It was good, but I missed you.”

“Did you?” I reached for her and brought her in front of me so that we were both looking out the huge window. “I missed you, too.”

Lilah leaned her head back against my chest as if she just now totally relaxed, just by being in my arms. “Nicky…”

“Yeah?”

“You know I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”

“About?”

“Stan.”

I pressed my nose into her hair and inhaled deeply. My mind wasn’t on Stan. It was on this moment right here. It was on the sentiment of us positioned just like this looking out at the city that I now owned. A king and queen relishing in what was rightfully theirs. It was beautiful and sad knowing that Carmine had died for me to get here, knowing my parents had stayed separated to protect me from a life that I had inherited nevertheless. My mother had deserved a life like this with the man she loved, with Carmine. My heart ached for her. She had been the best woman I’d known. Lilah had been there for me in my dark moment of seeing her die. Lilah had witnessed me coming apart at the seams and sobbing like a baby. I was determined to prove to Lilah that she could belong to this life and be protected from it too. I wanted her to feel secure with me. I would kill anyone who attempted to hurt her.

“I’ve told you, it’s for your protection, babe,” I whispered into her hair.

“I don’t want a babysitter, Nicky.”

“He’s not there to watch you, baby. There are other people out there that I don’t want to get close to you. He won’t be there all the time, but I need you to trust me on this. If anything ever happened to you…” I hesitated for a moment. “I’d completely lose my shit, Lilah. I don’t even want to think about it. I trust Stan.”

“He’s an annoying pest.”

I laughed. “Yeah, he can be.”

“He chews like a pig.”

“What?” I laughed again.

“I want a better-looking bodyguard, Nicky. I think I should hand choose him.”