I know I can speak for my brothers when I say we’re really fucking bothered.
“You’ll do as I ask,” Bryant continues. “That’s what family does. And you, boys, are family now. Not to mention, you know I will reward you handsomely.”
Scout grinds his molars together, his anger obviously bubbling up with each passing second. Good, I’m not the only one growing annoyed at Bryant’s nonchalance.
“Reward,” I mutter, hoping this old fuck will get to the point already. “What do you want us to do? If it’s not about the Constantines…” Then why the fuck do we care?
Bryant studies me for a long beat, his penetrating stare cutting through me like a hot knife through butter. Effortlessly. Smoothly. Effectively. I swallow, trying like hell not to wither, even a little, under his scrutiny. Because if he looks too hard, he’ll see how much I hate him and this family—how much I want to run away and never look back.
“Oh, it’s about the Constantines,” Bryant rumbles, smirking. “It’s always about them, but I prefer to stab in the places they don’t expect. Bleed them from the inside out.”
My muscles relax at those words.
“Halcyon Corporation is looking to purchase tech giant Croft Gaming and Entertainment, which is dominating the technology industry for the foreseeable future. It’s a massive corporation with global reach. Word is the CEO of Croft, Alexander Croft, will be making a power grab at a place within the Constantine family.” Bryant glances my way. “Through marriage.”
“He’s going to marry the psycho bitch who heads that family?” Scout asks, voice dripping with disgust. “And, if so, why do we care?”
“Caroline would never remarry.” Bryant shakes his head, a villainous smile curling his lips. “Besides, it’s not him. It’s his daughter.”
I do a quick run through in my head of the eligible bachelors in the Constantine family. Winston is out because he recently married our stepsister—ex-stepsister—and I thought the other brothers had girlfriends or some shit. That leaves other, less important Constantines.
“So this dude’s daughter is supposed to marry some rich-ass distant cousin of the Constantine pricks and we care because…” Sparrow trails off. “Make it make sense, boss.”
“We care because we love a good scandal,” Bryant says, smirking. “And by a good scandal, I mean a nuclear bomb to drop in the Constantine public relations laps. Something that will ruin their investment and destroy their relationship. Croft has the potential to grow into a trillion-dollar global empire. The Constantines know it and are trying to hop aboard that train, riding it all the way to the bank.” He clasps his fingers together, resting them in his lap. “I want to derail it.”
“A scandal,” Scout reiterates with a scoff. “Come on, uncle dearest, we know there’s more to it than that. Spill the beans, man.”
Bryant eyes him for a moment before nodding. “Let’s just say Croft has secrets, because frankly, every man in power does. The kind of secrets people like me pay good money to uncover. I want to know everything that man is hiding. I will find out everything that man is hiding. He might appear to be clean as a whistle, but those men are usually the dirtiest.”
Most of the jobs Bryant sends us on involve good old-fashioned ass whoopings. The three of us, when we gang up on someone, are a lethal combination. We make sure our “jobs” know how much it physically hurts to irritate the patriarch of the Morelli family. He may no longer run the show, officially, but he still demands everyone’s respect.
“So we’re going to spy?” Sparrow clarifies. “Get information?”
His nostrils flare. I can tell he’s already bored of our new job. I’m the only guy around here who uses his brain. I made the best grades in school, made the better decisions between the three of us, and actually think ahead.
Sparrow is super fucking smart but he has just enough of Scout’s reckless energy to make him trouble. He lives for seeing what he can get away with. I think that’s why he likes putting on the suit and playing the rich people games…because he’s good at it.
And Scout is the crazy psycho. He doesn’t understand boundaries.
He just does whatever the fuck he wants. Which is usually something destructive.
“Infiltrate is a better word,” Bryant answers with a dark chuckle. “Infiltrate. Infect. I want you to involve yourselves in every aspect of their lives.”
“Sounds…easy,” I say, confused as to why we’re even being asked to do this. It’s just so…dull.
“Easy,” Bryant drawls out. “No, locating some asshole and beating him within an inch of his life because he owes a Morelli is easy. What I’m asking you to do is the next step.”
“The next step,” Sparrow repeats. “To what?”
“Harvard.”
My blood runs cold. It’s a harsh, cruel reminder of what we’ve lost.
“That’s what you always wanted, is it not?” Bryant offers a wolfish grin that makes every hair on my arms stand on end. “You’ve proven you’re good at obeying commands and have been loyal. Now, I want you to do more for me. This is an extension of my faith and trust in the three of you. Take this step, and I’m willing to give you what you truly want. Your future back.”
Our future?
I hate that my heart pumps faster at this prospect. This life is shitty. The chance to do more—anything—is enticing. Bryant’s not an idiot. He knows how to dangle the right carrots in our faces to get us to do his bidding.
Scout rises to his feet and makes his way over to the bar, his limp more noticeable this time as he walks. I trail my gaze after him, wondering what his thoughts are on this new proposition our uncle is offering.
“If the Croft guy has plans to marry off his daughter to a Constantine, I seriously doubt he’s going to allow us to waltz into his world and to start shaking shit up,” I grind out. “Seems a little out there.”
Bryant’s shoulders stiffen and he cuts me a sharp glare. “It’s not out there. My source has done his part diving into Croft and uncovering his next moves. I want to have a hand in every twist and turn he decides to take. I’m still the captain steering his ship.”
Again with the narcissistic metaphorical bullshit.
“What’s our in?” Scout asks after sucking down a shot and slamming the glass on the bar top. “We’re pretty notoriously known as your nephews. Not exactly undercover material.”
“Not as the Mannford triplets,” Bryant agrees, “or even Bryant Morelli’s triplet nephews.”
Get. To. The. Point. Old. Man.
“But,” Bryant continues, a sly grin tugging at his lips, “as someone entirely new, you can ease into their world, manipulate the tech princess, and find out every goddamn thing you can about Croft and his association with Winston. His daughter, from all reports, is practically a prisoner in her home. No friends. No outings. She’s sheltered and naive and ripe for the manipulating. I want you crawling all over Croft and his eldest daughter’s lives, never easing up on your efforts. Together, the three of you will work as one—one man.”
I roll my eyes, but inside I’m wary. This feels big. And big, when Bryant Morelli and my brothers are involved, means dangerous. “Why send three guys, then? If you only want one.”