“Don’t bullshit me, cousin. You’re in no position to make demands or try to push yourself on us.” The way Sacha spoke made her think there was something he wasn’t telling her. He was the type of man who would rather run from a fight than engage. “I’ve been running things ever since your parents got hit. Where were you when they needed you most?”

“Sacha, you never did learn to keep your mouth shut, and what the consequences could be when you don’t.” She glanced at Svetlana, and she lifted the cooler from the bar and walked to Sacha with it. As she got closer Sacha’s men reached for their guns, but Nina removed hers first and pulled the trigger twice so fast they didn’t have a chance to respond. “I brought you a little gift.”

“You fucking gave me a guarantee of safety for me and my men,” Sacha ranted as he took the cooler Svetlana handed him. “What the hell is your word worth?”

“My word doesn’t apply when it’s some piece of shit who’s trying to steal what rightfully belongs to me. You overreached, and now’s the time to confess.” She stood as well and accepted a gun from Svetlana. “Who filled your head with such shit that you’re about to drown in it?”

“My mother—”

“Your mother should’ve known better. She’s family, but all she did was accept a check every month until my father died. If it wasn’t for my father, you two would be living on the streets.” She moved toward him and flicked the top off the cooler with the gun.

The head inside belonged to the old guard who had watched over their cousin Linda Bender, and who had obviously thrown his support behind Sacha. Nina had told her it was this old fucker who had helped Sacha gain all the ground he had in the last months.

“Oh my God.” Sacha threw the cooler away from him and the man’s head rolled out onto the floor.

“God has nothing to do with this. It’s all on you.” She pressed the gun to his head and cocked it. “You killed him and plenty of others tonight, but here’s your chance to redeem yourself. You’ve got one opportunity to pledge your loyalty to the boss, and that’s never going to be you.”

“What if I don’t? After tonight I should declare war and pay you back for that.” Sacha pointed to the head. He didn’t get any closer to her, but he didn’t back down either. “Face it, you aren’t your father, and you don’t have the balls to keep what he built.”

“I’m not my father,” she said, tilting her head slightly. “I’m much worse, so believe me when I say this is your last chance.”