Reign (The Sainthood - Boys of Lowell High #3)(60)

“Fuck your rules. You want me to take out the commissioner, then we’ll play this our way, or you can find yourself another assassin.”

Sinner starts pacing again, mumbling to himself as he pulls strands out of his hair, and his crazy is really showing now.

Tension is like invisible fog in the room as we all wait to see what he does next.

I’m expecting more chair throwing, more yelling, and more attempts to hurt my husband, but he surprises us all.

He stops pacing, rooting himself to the spot and lowering his head so his hair shields his face. A few tense beats pass, and when he lifts his head, he’s smiling.

Like legit smiling.

What the actual fuck?

Saint cocks his head to the side, scrutinizing his dad’s face while the rest of us trade guarded, puzzled looks.

“You know what, son?” He walks toward us, wearing the same lopsided smile. “It’s okay.” He slaps Saint on the shoulder. “This is a good thing.”

My eyes narrow suspiciously, and Saint pulls me in closer to his side. “It is?” Suspicion laces his tone.

“Of course!” Sinner’s eyes light up. “Giana would never take me back if I’d fucked her daughter.” He squeezes Saint’s shoulder. “You did me a favor, son. I owe you.” He winks at me, and my insides turn in on themselves. “Harlow’s a fine piece of ass, plus she’s got lady balls. You did good, boy.”

My mouth hangs open. What is going on here? Is this an act, or he’s truly this insane?

“Welcome to the family, sweetheart.” He yanks me into a hug before anyone can stop him.

“Get the fuck away from me,” I snap as strong arms pull me back.

“No touching means no fucking touching,” Saint grits out, wrapping his arms around me as I lean back against him.

Sinner raises his palms. “I meant no harm. Scout’s honor. Harlow is my daughter-in-law. I would never harm a hair on her head.”

An incredulous laugh bursts from my chest. “Sorry, did I miss something here? Did someone perform a lobotomy on your brain, and we missed it?”

“Now, now, Harlow. There’s no reason to be mean.” He loses the grin, and a familiar cold glint reappears in his eyes. “I’m trying to mend bridges here. You could be a little more gracious.”

I stare at him, truly at a loss for words.

I’ve called Sinner a psycho before, but this is the first time where I genuinely believe he is psychotic, in the clinical sense, because this behavior is in no way normal. That’s what makes him so scary. He is completely unpredictable with a manic violent streak and no empathy or no moral code.

Suddenly, pushing his buttons doesn’t seem like such a smart move, so I decide to play along. “You’re right,” I lie. “And I hate arguing. We should try to get along. It’ll be easier now that you’re no longer trying to rape me,” I add, because sometimes I just can’t stop myself. Not that I really believe he will stop. He’ll just adjust his plans. But, for now, we’ve bought some time.

“Rape.” He rolls his eyes, like the very idea is unconscionable. “Please, Harlow. We both know you would’ve been begging for my cock.”

“No, Neo. I really wouldn’t.”

“Can we move this along,” Scraggly Beard says. “I need to wet my dick in one of the hoodrats.”

“Show some respect!” Sinner barks, returning to his seat. “And we still have some business to discuss.” He plonks into his seat at the head of the table, waving his hands at us. “Sit!” he demands.

We return to our seats, keeping our hands on top of the table this time. Bry’s eyes fixate on the identical wedding bands on my guys’ fingers, and he’s still wearing a hint of shock on his face.

“Where are you with finding the bastard responsible for trying to kill you?” he asks, as if he didn’t just have a meltdown.

“We’re handling it. It’s not gang connected. It was retaliation for a kill at the warehouse,” Saint explains. “It’s personal and we will deal with it.”

“I want the specifics,” Sinner says, drumming his fingers on the table.

“When we have all the facts, I’ll share them with you,” Saint lies.

“See that you do.”

“We have some intel,” Saint adds, extracting the piece of paper Bry handed him. Saint passes it to Theo. “Courtesy of Bryant. The Arrows have a big drugs shipment arriving next week via a new secret route.”

“They’re expecting us to hit back,” Sinner says.

“Yes, and they’re going to a lot of trouble to avoid an attack,” Saint says. “I say we grab a few reliable men, let them shadow the truck to their warehouse, and then we plan a full-scale attack.”

Bry jerks upright in his seat, pinning Saint with a dark look.

Saint ignores him, continuing to outline his plan. “The Arrows won’t suspect anything. They’ll expect their new route has worked, and when they least expect it, we’ll swoop in. Steal their cargo and set fire to their warehouse. Cut them off at the knees.”

Silence greets his suggestion, and the only sound in the room is the steady tick-tock of the clock on the wall.

“I like it,” Sinner says, a minute later, looking at the other board members. They nod in agreement. “Email me the details.”