“As little as possible.” When she had first realized exactly what her father did, Mia had made a deliberate choice to avoid it at all costs. Her stepmother had helped shield her the best she could, and she had remained mostly ignorant toward the evil her father committed.
“There are varying groups who oversee criminal activity in our fair city, but the three most powerful are the Irish, Italians, and Russians.” He lifted a brow. “The Russians were a bit late to the party, but they’ve debuted with a splash.”
She shrugged. “Why should I care?”
He ignored the question. “As you can imagine, there is a great deal of violence as each group protects its territory and seeks to expand. About ten years ago, things got particularly violent. Even the feds in our pockets couldn’t turn a blind eye, so the bosses of each family decided a truce was in order.”
She shifted again, resisting the urge to sit down in the comfy-looking chair just a few feet to her left. Ten years ago was about the time her father had started dating her stepmother, and she wondered if it was a coincidence that a Russian mobster had married the daughter of an Italian mobster.
“They each carved out their territories and divvied up various lucrative markets.”
“What does my father oversee?”
“Drugs. Particularly heroin, which is making a comeback among yuppies.”
She shuddered, hating the idea of her father pumping poison onto the streets. “And your group?”
He smiled, and it was a chilling sight. “The Irish have always had a special affinity with weapons, honey. That’s our main business.”
She scowled. “You’re the one to thank for that thirteen-year-old who murdered the convenience store clerk last week?”
He blinked. “Not personally, but it’s possible he got the weapon from one of our distributors.” That fact didn’t seem to bother him.
“And the Italians?”
“Sex trade, forgery, money laundering…they’re a multitasking sort.” He smiled slightly, and she refused to acknowledge how devastatingly handsome that made him. “Our little experiment is working quite well. Other branches of our families are starting to emulate our model of cooperation.”
“Isn’t that terrific?” She glanced pointedly at her watch. “You still haven’t told me why I’m here.” If he thought she could be some kind of leverage with her father, he was mistaken. Vadim cared as little for her as she did for him.
“You can imagine how disastrous it would be if our truce fell apart. There is a lot of pressure from others higher up in our families to maintain this peace, so when something goes wrong, we have incentive to fix it.”
“I don’t care,” she bit out.
He shrugged. “We’ll see. Last month, a group of thugs stole a major shipment from your father. My people intercepted it before Varnakov found out Kasilli had a problem. Your father owes me a debt.”
She closed her eyes for a second. With a deep breath, she forced herself to meet his gaze. “My father owes you, so why am I here?”
“You’re the price he’s paid, my sweet.” He made no attempt to disguise the blaze of desire in his gaze. “And I’m going to get full value.”
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Cormac: A Mafia Love Story Page 3
