We don’t always get what we want.
But I did, in this life, I did. Because when I looked in the mirror, I saw him, and I was proud to be his son.
“Thanks, Dad.” I hugged him back. “I’ll be quick, you know how it is when you have a naked woman waiting for—”
He slapped the back of my head.
I laughed and then winked at his amused expression.
With a sigh I walked around the house, the suits all gave me a wide berth, they knew what I looked like when I was given a job.
Complete focus.
Lethal.
I made it to the side of the house, typed in the code for the metal door, and waited for it to click open.
There were twenty-two stairs leading down to our dungeons.
Really, they were just bulletproof, soundproof, rooms with drains for all the rivers of blood. It was like a playroom for assassins.
My dad had taken me down there when I was eleven.
And at twelve, he gave me a choice.
Run or shoot.
I didn’t run.
“Junior.” I nodded to my cousin, who was flicking a knife with his fingertip and then Serena, who looked like she was just getting ready to sneak out to a club. “Serena.”
“Stop looking at me like that, I’m wearing leather, hardly a crime.” She snorted.
“You’re two years older than me and look like a prostitute.” I pointed out.
Junior gulped and averted his eyes. When I looked closely, I could see the smudge of lipstick on his neck.
Interesting.
Junior never looked unsettled. He and Serena were the oldest, which meant I looked to them for calm, and right now, they looked caught.
Ignoring it for now, I peeled off my t-shirt and handed it to her. “Even so, put this on before Uncle Nixon comes down here to murder Junior and me for having eyes, all right?”
“Gross.” She shuddered like we both didn’t give orgasms with one wink, and put on the t-shirt. Junior sighed like he was relieved, and I didn’t miss the way his jaw tensed when his eyes flickered back to mine.
Well shit. Didn’t see that coming.
We would have words about this later.
Because that was the one rule our uncles gave us growing up.
Fight, kill, bleed, destroy—but never, ever, look at any of the uncles’ kids in any way other than like your own brother or sister.
The penalty was death.
And they were fucking serious.
I knew because I’d killed a cousin for it, at sixteen. He’d been obsessed with Violet, and she’d actually really liked him. Sergio found them together, and the rest was history. He’d been one of Axel’s oldest. I was still traumatized over it. It’s like his kids just didn’t get why they had to become a part of this family.
“Let’s go.” I tossed the knife in the air and walked into the first room. He was tied to a chair. Axel Abandonato’s youngest son.
He was eighteen.
He wanted to be a doctor.
But the Capo, Tex, needed him to at least be made before he was allowed to become a doctor, and if he did, he worked for the Family, for whenever we needed him, the point he had to be on our fucking payroll. Titan had been less than thrilled about that, then again, he still thought he had a choice when the only choice we had was in what way we served the Family. And running wasn’t an option because running only meant they were giving you a head start before you got a bullet in your head.
“Hey, man.” I walked in and clicked the door shut behind me, Serena and Junior watched from the monitor outside.
“Fuck. You.” Titan spat onto the floor a mixture of blood and spit, he looked a lot like me, only he was younger and seriously drove me nuts, he didn’t want this life, he wanted out.
Well, there was only one way out.
I stared him down. “This is what you want? Really?”
He glared. “Is there any other option?”
“Not really, no.”
“Just make it look real,” he grumbled. “And hopefully, I’ll pass out sooner rather than later from blood loss.”
I cursed. “Titan, you could just do a few jobs here and there, go to school, and then report back, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.”
“I want to save lives, not take them.” His stupid ass answer.
“Great, so now I get to rough up my own flesh and blood all because you think you’re better than this?” I spread my arms wide. “None of us are better than this, this is your blood, Titan, your life. Once this is done, you’re out of this Family, forever. You get that, right? And not because we shun you, but because you fucking die!”
I wasn’t sure why I was trying to change his mind.
Maybe because he thought he’d be free.
Maybe because he believed the lie that we told the kids—that if they wanted out, all they had to do was deal with me. But he knew better. He was my friend. He fucking knew! I could see it in the way he refused to look at me. His eyes were glassy. He was done. And he’d decided.
Titan shrugged and looked forward. “I hate this family. The death. The blood. I want out.”
Maybe I had an ounce of kindness left in me because I didn’t shoot him in the head first. I shot him in both legs, then I shoot into his right bicep, so his arm dangled at his side. He screamed out in pain.
And then I unleashed my knife stabbing him in the back over and over again, nothing deep, it would burn like hell, and it would triple his blood loss.
His head fell forward. “Still want out?”
“Go to hell!” he roared.
“See you there,” I answered, emptying my gun into his chest.
I looked away as the last bit of life left his body.
And started to shake when Junior walked in and handed me the Bible. Serena’s demeanor was calm as she recited our family Oath over him and blessed him as his soul left this earth.
“Blood in. No out.” She whispered.
“Blood in.” We repeated. “No out.”
Chapter Five
Claire
He was quiet, maybe he wasn’t trying to wake me, or maybe he was just naturally that quiet, maybe he had to be because of who he was, what he did. I watched as he walked into the master bedroom and then moved into the bathroom. The door was open enough for me to see a reflection of him in the mirror.
I covered my mouth in horror as he turned on the water.
Blood was everywhere.
Splatters of it on his cheeks.
More down his arms.
He peeled his shirt from his body.
I sucked in a sharp breath, the guy had such a sexy body that it was distracting, which I needed, I needed a distraction.
Blood.
I almost gagged when he started washing his hands, staining the porcelain sink. Is this what I’d just agreed to?
He’d made it sound… adventurous, dangerous, but so normal.
But I hadn’t seen death, had I?
Death to him was normal.
Washing blood off his hands was just another Tuesday.
My body started to shake as he continued to wash his hands. Maybe it was a nightmare. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me?
I quietly got out of bed and moved toward the bathroom, leaning against the wall, so I could watch. Maybe if I just watched longer I would stop shaking, it would seem normal.
It looked like food coloring.
His blue eyes slowly lifted, locking with mine in the reflection of the mirror.