While I Breathe: The Veiðimenn Mob, Book One

Twenty-Two

David was sure his boss was contemplating the assassination of the guy next to him. There was no way he could let that happen, though. Amber would kill him without bothering to wait for an explanation. He turned in his seat, sighing at Declan's nervous chattering. For all his intellect, the man was either taking a dangerous chance with his life or trying to make a good impression. He hoped it was the latter.

“Sir, in his defence, Declan hasn’t shut up since I walked into the apartment,” David said jokingly.

Hans' gaze snapped to the brunet. He was trying his best to ignore the fact that, except for his hair colour, the younger man looked nearly identical to Justin Kincade. “I see. What about the girl?”

David chuckled dryly, “Ambrosia hasn’t changed that much, to be honest. She’s tougher now, but I think her son had something to do with it.”

From the driver's seat, Declan snarled, “Hell no. He was the catalyst that pushed my sister over the edge."

David nervously shook his head. Talking out of turn was not something Don Hans tolerated. "Shut the hell up!"

"No. I’m not going to sit back and let you be the sole informant of what my sister does day-to-day. That’s not how this s**t works. If you want to push your luck, just remember that you’ve only seen the tip of Amber’s temper. Mine hasn’t made an appearance… yet," Declan snarled.

Hans’ face lost some of its intensity. It seemed the man had a low tolerance for anyone who thought they could talk about his sister in any way. “Would you care to explain it to me, then?”

Setting his jaw, Declan glanced at the Mafia king in the back seat. While he wasn’t usually afraid of much, he knew the man only had to give the word and he could be the next missing person. Swallowing, he said, "Amber was sick of mom's crap when she chose to put herself first for once. Knowing she was pregnant with Phoenix gave her some strength, but not being able to tell Callum when she found out pushed her over the edge. She was depressed, closed-off, and a literal shut-in because Mom blocked her every step of the way. Amber wanted to tell Callum he was going to be a father, but things got away from us between college and raising a baby."

Declan forced himself to remain calm as he continued to talk to the Kingpin of the Icelandic Mafia. Everything was riding on his ability to stay alive for the only family he actually cared for. Licking his lips, he continued. “Our mother took her restrictions for my sister too far and refused to back down. Ambrosia was literately prisoner in her own home. She wasn't allowed to have phone access, and her computer use was strictly monitored. It drove her crazy because something my sister values is her alone time and being able to move around freely.”

So, that's what happened, Hans mused. He chose his next words with contrite delicacy. “Her child, Phoenix, you said? How was he the catalyst?”

Declan glanced at him through the rear-view mirror. Nodding, he said, “When she found out she was expecting, she mustered the courage to stand up to our mother. They fought verbally with Mom threatening to make her abort the baby, forcing Amber into moving out that same night. Our step-father helped as much as he could, and we did our damnedest to keep Mom as out of the loop as possible. For the last few years, I’ve been home-schooling Nix while my sister got her Doctorate of Medicine and of Philosophy after challenging the Medical Board’s official testing. She passed everything with flying colours, completing the required courses in just over half the time it normally takes. I know I might sound a little I dunno, haughty, but my baby sister is one of the top doctors in the area. It kind of helped that she was taking online courses in her last year of high school, too.”

"You actually sound like a proud brother. Funny your mother didn't try to take the baby after he was born," Ross said as he watched Hans nod. Both of them found Declan's openly brutal honesty was unusual, yet acceptable.

Declan scoffed, “You're not wrong. After Mom failed to get Amber to have an abortion, she tried to take Nix out by herself, but my sister wouldn’t let her do that, either. Her intuition is hella good. We later learned she had an adoptive family lined up for the baby. She was on her last chance to make things right, all she had to do was watch her mouth and behave respectfully. Then, as he grew, Phoenix started asking typical kid questions about his father, which my sister gleefully answered.”

He turned down yet another road, this one with a row of older apartment buildings located beside a river. "He's a highly intelligent child, so he was asking all the right questions. Mom told Amber she shouldn't be telling Nix anything about his father, and I stepped in to put a stop to it. Again, my sister was not having any of it, so we kicked her ass to the curb."

He watched as Hans’ eyes narrowed, "Has she been around Phoenix since?"

Declan sighed, “I encouraged Amber to go solid no-contact when Phoenix told me he’d overheard her belittling his mother. Not only that, but Mother tried to tell Nix lies about Callum. The kid decided to hate his Grandma all on his own.”

Surprise lit Ross’ eyes as the young man’s words registered with him. “You haven't spoken to or met with her, either?”

Shaking his head, Declan said, “I’m loyal to my twin. Besides, if you’d seen the way she clocked David when he came over the other night, you’d want to steer clear of her bad side, too.”

David scowled darkly at the guy next to him, "Seriously? You gotta go there?"

“Don’t look at me like that, David. You know that if I hadn’t gotten in the middle, she would have forgotten you were part of Cal’s life and killed you for not keeping a better eye on him.”

"I'm tempted to do that myself," Hans muttered.

"You'd have to fight my sister for that honour," Declan retorted with a smirk. “She’s pissed that Callum showed up at the loft alone when he should have had his right hand with him.”

Hans noted that the young man was starting to relax a little more. Good, he wanted to know what Declan was like, and he was already proving that he wasn’t like his sire. "Do you happen to know how long Callum will be asleep?"

"She was disconnecting the medical equipment this morning when David and I left to pick you up. However, when he wakes up is up to him," the man replied softly.

Hans started to laugh, picturing the same girl he’d seen at the courthouse all those years before. “I think I’m going to enjoy meeting this young firecracker. How about you David? What is your opinion of her?”

“She's bossy, stubborn, sexy, and she's got one hell of a right hook,” he said as he rubbed his bruised jaw.

“Yeah, but my sister has a firm belief that everyone is perfectly imperfect, and deserves a chance to be heard. By the way, I would recommend not telling Cal you just called his woman sexy, David,” Declan replied softly. “The whole reason she became a doctor was because she promised Callum she would follow her dreams.”

“She kept her word?” Hans asked.

“My sister hates people who lie or break their promises, and harbours extreme hatred for people who prey on kids. I try to stay as honest as possible, especially around her and Nix. So much so that brutal honesty is second nature to me now. It’s because of our teachings that my nephew knows that the truth can hurt, but it’s better to know the ugly truth, than to believe a beautiful lie,” Declan replied as he pulled the Jeep to a stop outside the apartment building.

Though shocked, Hans felt that the man was worth taking a risk on. He wanted a reason to keep the young man alive, to bring him over to the realm of crime and mob Bosses that ran everything behind the scenes.

When they reached the door, Declan fished out his keys to let them in. “Sorry, but if one of us leaves, we lock the door. Neither of us wants to come home to Mother being in our personal space uninvited.”

“That may sound paranoid to normal people, but I’m a Don, Declan. It’s second nature for people like me to be extra cautious,” Hans said as he watched as David kicked off his shoes before he dropped down on the sofa with a sigh. Rolling his eyes, the Kingpin followed Declan down the hallway towards a slightly opened door. It occurred to him that the things the twins did naturally were things others had to learn the hard way. Things that, even for a man of his stature, were important to know.

Declan looked at Hans, who stood frozen as soon as the man heard the tiny, innocent voice of the boy inside the room. He wanted to see what the older man’s reaction would be now that he was this close to the child. Smirking, he saw that the mob leader was visibly shaken by cold, hard facts. Putting a finger to his lips, he motioned for Hans to remain quiet for a minute.

“What’s wrong?” he heard Ambrosia say gently.

“I want to pray, but what do I say?” Nix answered with a whimper.

“Whatever you want, sweetie,” Ambrosia said.

The boy hummed, then said, “God, I really want to get to know my dad. Can you help him get better so that Mommy and I can spend time with him? Amen.”