Concede (The Diamond Empire Book 1) by Kathy Coopmans (bts book recommendations .TXT) 📕

several shades lighter than mine. It’s his eyes that hold my attention once they land on Roan. I can’t quite tell the color from here. If I had to guess, they are naturally brown, but the more he stares at Roan, the darker they get until they give the impression, he has two black holes in his head. Hatred spilling out of them.

The man damn near looks demonic.

“You know I couldn’t figure out why someone would kill my friends so brutally, why someone would murder a little boy. I kept wracking my brain, going through the list of my enemies and families of those Aidan has killed. People on the other end of David’s wrath in the courtroom. I even went as far as checking out allies, wondering if any of them were stupid enough to go against the rules. Then I saw this ring. It sparked a vague memory I took care of and went about my life. I mean, why wouldn’t I when the man the police really wanted didn’t work for me.”

Shock flies straight into me, colliding into my muddled senses. The fuck have I been missing while off doing my job.

I blink at least a hundred times when Roan holds up a silver skull ring. From my angle, I see a diamond set as an eye and what appears to be a gold bullet in its mouth.

“I saw pictures of that man before his arrest. He wore a ring just like this. He was your father. Busted many years ago for running prostitution in Japan. The government seized his money, assets, took control of everything he owned, leaving your mother with nothing. That’s stupidity on your father’s part. A man should always have a back-up stash to take care of his family in case of his untimely death. Pathetic excuse for a man.”

Roan pauses, clenching his jaw. I can see the muscles flexing beneath his five o’clock shadow. He’s trying and failing to remain calm. To not lose his temper before finishing.

“Deidre’s father was the attorney I sent there. He spent several months fighting the Japanese government, trying to get them to release a couple of my men. They were caught dipping their dicks when the cops busted the ring wide open. A pleasure most single men enjoy. He got them off the charges. But your father was sentenced to life. A few months in, he hung himself.”

Guilt bleeds out of Roan. Not for the father, not for Mikhail. For the murders, and dangerous vibes are blowing off Dray. He’s about a second away from pulling out his gun and ending Mikhail’s life.

My eyes dart back and forth between Dray and Aidan. They don’t take their eyes off Mikhail. Pain so palpable it’s hard to ignore. I lock my glare down on Mikhail. Watching as the muscles in his arms shake, and his dark eyes burst with anger.

“Jesus Christ,” I mumble under my breath, beginning to piece things together.

“I dug into your past, Mikhail. The internet is a valuable thing. Your mother, Marisha, died a few years after your father of what some would call a broken heart, leaving two boys behind. I call her death weak. A woman not strong enough to hold up to her responsibilities of raising her children. No one wanted you and your brother, so you took to the streets. You and Maxim grew up blaming me and Deidre’s father for getting my men home while your father wasn’t so lucky. You killed two women, a child, and a man. Revenge for something that was your father’s fault. For that, you die,” Roan yells.

“You bastard. Don’t speak of my mother. Uncuff me so I can rip out your fucking heart.”

“Shut the fuck up. The only bastard in this room is you. One that does not belong on the same universe as me.”

“Fuck you, Roan Diamond. What are you going to do if I don’t shut up? Kill me before torturing me?” Mikhail throws his head back and laughs. It grinds in my ears.

“No. I’ll cut out your tongue and send it to your daughter, Annika Perez along with your head. Smart using her mother’s last name and not yours. As I said, the internet is a wonderful thing. You sit there like a good little lap dog until I finish speaking. Then I’m going to watch you pay the price for the crimes you committed.”

“You leave my daughter alone.” Mikhail tries to stand, but Aidan kicks his feet out from under him, slamming his face into the canvas a few times before placing him back on his knees.

How the hell he can touch the guy and not wrap his hands around his neck and snap it beats the shit out of me.

“I’ll do no such thing. Every action has consequences.”

“She’s innocent.” There’s no laughter from Mikhail now. He’s two seconds away from pleading. Roan hit him right where it hurts the most. Little does Mikhail know Roan won’t bother with his daughter.

“And so were my friends. I have a question for you. There were four of these rings made. I’m going to assume one is buried with your father. One your brother wears. This one was yours. It’s mine now. I could also assume one is buried with your mother. My gut tells me no. So, the question I can’t seem to find is who has the other?”

Mikhail’s face pales, giving away that he knows who has the other ring. This shit is all kinds of fucked up.

I’ve no clue who Roan uses to gather his information. Not that it matters because I have someone in mind to do some digging. He’ll gladly do it. I’d even go as far as to think he’s better than most at finding secrets hidden.

“Ah, so the internet isn’t as valuable as you think. I’ll take my answer to the grave,” Mikhail says, interrupting my thoughts.

“I figured that would be your answer. You’ll go to your grave also knowing I will find this person and