The Devil (Mafia Empire #5)

Chapter 1

ENZO

Pulling the trigger, I watch as the bullet slams into Nino’s head. It takes a couple of seconds before blood starts to trickle down between his eyes and over the bridge of his nose.

My tone is emotionless as I say, “Untie him and get rid of the body.”

Nino worked three years for me, and during all that time, he pocketed two percent of the sales he made without my permission.

As I stare at the dead body, I hate that he got away with it for so long.

I feel nothing as I watch men, whose names I haven’t bothered to learn, take down Nino’s body.

You only feel emotions if you care, and there isn’t a single fucking thing I care about.

My eyes move over the group of men, and I wonder which one of them will be the next to betray me.

If there’s one thing growing up on the streets has taught me, it’s never to trust anyone. People will only betray or rob you blind.

During my childhood, I had to fight for the barest necessities, and now it’s a constant battle to protect the empire I built with blood and pain.

John moves closer to me and clears his throat before he says, “Sorry to make a shit day even shittier, but we’ve got a problem in Aurora.”

My eyes flick to his, and when he doesn’t continue quickly enough, I give him an impatient look.

It’s been seven years since I met John in the US. He was drifting through Vegas, desperate for any job. At first, I employed him as a scout, but he slowly worked his way up to the position of my right-hand man.

If I were forced at gunpoint, I’d admit that he’s one of the few people I can tolerate spending time with.

But do I trust him? Not by a long shot.

There are only four people on this planet I trust. Five years ago, I formed an alliance with four other crime bosses.

Dominik Varga, Santiago Castro, Cassia Dimitrou, and Leo Toscano.

They’ve all proven their loyalty over the years.

Whenever one of the members has a problem to deal with, they all help out.

I haven’t been in the position where I’ve needed their assistance, but word has spread about our alliance, and it’s made people think twice about stirring shit with one of us.

I know Santiago and Dominik have become close like brothers over the years, and Leo often works with Cassia.

I’ve assisted the group a few times in the past, but I mostly keep to myself. Even when we all meet on the island we purchased, back when the alliance was formed, I keep to myself.

It’s the way I prefer things.

Growing up an orphan on the streets of Portugal, I’ve always been alone. It’s made me antisocial as fuck, and I’ve never been able to get the hang of interacting with people.

The wildness of fighting to survive every single fucking day of my life is ingrained too deep into my bones.

John lets out a sigh. “There’s an MC club that keeps making trouble. The factory is up and running, but it’s in their territory.”

I tilt my head and gesture at him with my gun. “You recommended building the factory in Aurora and said it was a quiet area.”

Sweat beads on his forehead, and he uses his forearm to wipe it away. “I didn’t know about the St. Louis Demons. I’ll catch the first flight to the US and see what’s going on. Maybe I can make a deal with the MC club.”

Slowly, I shake my head as I step closer to John. When I look him dead in the eye, he glances down. “You want me to pay a motorcycle gang to stay out of my business?”

I’m one of the best assassins in the world, and my counterfeit goods business brings in billions every year. I don’t bow to anyone, and John knows this.

I let out a dark chuckle as I move in closer until I can smell the sweat pouring from his pores. “You offend me, John.”

“Sorry, boss,” he quickly says, a slight tremble in his tone. “That was stupid of me.” He takes a step backward before cautiously meeting my gaze. “I’ll handle the gang.”

My eyes narrow on him, and my voice is low and deadly, a total contradiction to the words leaving my mouth. “You look stressed. Stay here in Lisbon and take a break. I’ll go to Aurora and deal with the gang.”

His features tighten with something akin to panic. “Please let me accompany you. The gang has over thirty members, and they’re known to be violent. Let me have your back.”

“No.” I turn away from John and start to walk toward the exit. “You stay here. I need someone in Lisbon while I’m out of the country.” I pause and glance over my shoulder. “If anything goes wrong while I’m gone, it’s your neck on the line.”

With frustration written all over his face, he lets out a heavy breath before he replies, “Yes, boss.”

I walk out of the warehouse to where my bulletproof SUV is waiting, and once I’ve climbed in behind the steering wheel, I order a private jet via the app Dominik created for the alliance members years ago. It’s come in quite handy.

I interact so much on the app, it’s more my right-hand man than John will ever be. I fucking love it because it cuts through a lot of red tape and bullshit.

Behind the app is a team who are situated on our island. They take care of every need we have, and in exchange, every member pays a meager fee of fifty million a year.

Dominik Varga and his right-hand woman, Evinka, were the ones who found the island and created the masterpiece it is today.

The details for my private jet come through, and seeing that departure is scheduled for five hours from now, I start the engine of my SUV and drive to my house so I can pack for the trip.

I’ll land in Minneapolis, where we have someone on our payroll to let me through customs. From there, I’ll have to drive through to Minnesota.

Back when I started making good money, I bought houses and apartments all over the globe. I haven’t visited half my properties and should probably start thinking about selling some of them.

I steer the SUV up the driveway and glance at the guards scattered over the property. Even the group of men who protect my house here in Lisbon has been employed via the island. They’ve all been vetted and know that if they fuck up, the entire alliance will rain hellfire down on them.

I park the vehicle, and climbing out, I take the steps up to the front door. When I go into the house, I’m met with silence.

Even in the safety of my home, I still feel on edge, every muscle in my body wound tight and ready for a sudden attack.

I walk to my bedroom and move fast as I pack a few suits and casual outfits. I open my safe and grab a holster, which I fasten around my ankle, before picking up another handgun and tucking it into place.

I’ll need more weapons in the US.

Pausing, I pull my phone out and put in an order via the app for a house near Aurora and enough weapons to take down a small army should I have to use force to get rid of the MC.

Aurora is a small town, so until they find a house for me, I’ll have to stay in a motel.

Merda.

I have to deal with the MC as quickly as possible. The last thing I’m in the mood for is spending months in some town where everyone is probably nosy as fuck.

JENNA

I position my bicycle against the wall near the entrance and pat my hair that’s windblown from cycling to work as I walk into the small store of the gas station.

I’ve been working the night shift here since I graduated from school eight years ago. It doesn’t pay much, but at least I don’t have to interact with too many people.

Eight years ago, my mom and aunt moved down to Florida because they couldn’t handle the brutal winters in Minnesota anymore. Since then, they constantly ask me to join them, but I keep saying no.

Honestly, I’d love to move down to Florida so I can be closer to them, but then I won’t be able to hide the mess I am. It’s easy putting up an act whenever they call, but living with them day in and day out, they’d quickly realize I’m not the same woman they raised.

“Hey, Jenna.” Mr. Cahoon comes around the counter, shrugging on his jacket. “Unpack the boxes that came in today.”

With my shoulders hunched forward, I nod as I quickly dart past him so I can move in behind the counter.

“I’ll see you at five am,” my boss says, and not waiting for a reply from me, he heads out of the store and walks in the direction of the auto repair shop.

I dig my name tag out of my backpack and quickly put it on. Getting to work, I press a button on the till, and when the drawer pops open, I count the dollar notes and coins. I’ve never been short before, but out of habit, I still check how much cash is on hand.

A car pulls up to the first pump, and my head snaps up. I watch as Muriel puts in gas, and while I wait for her to come into the store, I grab her brand of cigarettes from behind the counter. She’s a regular and always stops here on her way home.

When she’s done putting in gas, she rushes into the store and drops the exact amount of cash on the counter. Grabbing her box of smokes, she gives me a tired smile. “Thanks, Jenna. See you tomorrow.”

Not saying anything, I give her a lame wave before I walk to where three boxes are stacked against the wall.

The sooner I get everything packed away, the sooner I can continue watching the K-drama I started this afternoon.

My life is pathetic. All I do is watch K-dramas, eat, sleep, and work.

I used to have big dreams. Everything from becoming some badass businesswoman in New York, to being famous in LA, to traveling the world.

All those dreams died a week before my mom and aunt moved to Florida.

Luckily, Mom and Aunt Sherrie are fast asleep as I sneak into the house.

I go straight to the bathroom and strip out of my torn clothes. Turning on the faucet in the shower, I step beneath the cold spray, my breaths nothing but ragged puffs over my dry lips.

My entire body aches horribly, and it feels like I’ve been torn to shreds deep inside my womb.

I can still feel their hands on my skin. I can still feel them inside me.

I cover my mouth with my hands to muffle any sounds as I sink down to the floor. I curl into a tight ball as silent sobs shudder through me.

The horror of the hell the four men inflicted on me keeps hitting me in crushing waves of disgust and shame.

The men threatened to kill me and my loved ones if I breathed a word of what they did to me.

How am I going to hide this from Mom and Aunt Sherrie?

I can tell them I crashed my bicycle and fell face-first. That will explain all the bruises.

Oh God.

Whimpers spill from me as I cry, the shock and pain of being gang-raped too much for me to process.

I shake my head hard to rid myself of the memory and force myself to focus on opening the box of the stack that contains various packets of chips.

As I refill the shelves, I purposely think of the K-Drama I’m currently watching. It’s about a woman who lives in the countryside in a close-knit community.

That’s how things were for me before the attack. I got along with everyone in town. I was happy.

But after that night, I became too weird for people to handle. Now most of the town ignores me, and at Halloween, the children dare each other to knock on my front door.

I hear motorbike engines roaring in the distance, and instantly, a cold sweat breaks out over my body.

Shooting up from where I’m crouched between the shelves, I startle even more when a man walks into the store.

Unlike every other person that comes in here, he’s dressed in an immaculate three-piece suit. The kind many of the heroes in my K-dramas wear.

His dark brown hair is neatly styled, and his face is straight out of a movie.

He looks like an actor. Or maybe some millionaire from the city?

Then his eyes flick to me, and an icy chill ripples down my spine. His brown irises are filled with something akin to anger and danger.

The man stops walking, and when he just stares at me as if I’m a ghost that’s appeared in front of him, I instantly feel painfully shy and terribly awkward.

My face flushes bright red, and I duck my head low while I scurry back to the counter, as if having it between us will keep me safe.

“Do you sell coffee?” His voice is like a crack of thunder, and my body jerks. I also pick up on an accent, but I don’t know enough of the world and different cultures to guess where he’s from.

I quickly point at the machine, still keeping my head bowed while every one of my senses is focused on the stranger.

I swear I can feel the particles in the air vibrate as he moves around the small store, and when he sets a steaming cup of coffee down on the counter, my body jolts again.

With a trembling hand, I quickly ring up the purchase before pointing at the screen showing the amount that’s due.

When he removes a black credit card from his wallet, I quickly get the machine ready for him to tap.

Once he’s done, I press the button for the receipt to print.

Usually, people tell me to throw it away, but when I hold it out to the man, he surprises me by taking hold of the slip of paper.

Our fingers brush for a nano-second, but it’s long enough for a spark to shoot up my arm.

I quickly let go, my eyes darting to his face. The instant our gazes meet, it feels as if all the air is sucked out of the store.

Generally, I avoid eye contact at all costs, but his take mine prisoner, and I’m unable to look away.

This man is easily two heads taller than me, and he looks very strong. There’s a strange aura around him, and it sets off all my alarm bells.

“T?o Linda,” he murmurs before he picks up his coffee and walks out of the store to where a black SUV is parked.

“My name isn’t Linda,” I mumble under my breath while my eyes devour his broad shoulders and how well the suit fits his muscled body.

Slumping down on the worn leather seat of the stool, I continue to watch as the handsome man climbs into the SUV.

Well, there’s something you don’t see often in Aurora.

He must be passing through town because men like him are as scarce as chicken teeth around these parts.

Just as well. I get the impression he’s all kinds of trouble, and I’ve had enough of that to last me several lifetimes.