40. -39-
Dorian
Everyone had a preferred way of killing. And Malin, well, he liked to break his victims long before he ever touched them. He loved to hunt them down until their bodies gave out and the last flicker of hope drained from their eyes.
It was exactly what Julien Young deserved. To feel the fear and desperation when he couldn’t escape. To scream until his voice gave out. To understand that there was no way out of the hell Malin had arranged for him.
“Get out!” I pushed Julien out of the car, and he fell face-first onto the muddy ground. His hands were bound behind him, one ankle swollen from the fall, and blood trickled from his head onto his bruised shoulders.
“Stop!” He gasped when I roughly grasped him by the shoulder and lifted him to his feet. “It hurts.”
“You have no idea what pain is, honey,” I whispered menacingly, pushing him to walk before me.
Malin parked the car on the side of the road while I escorted our honored visitor to the massive gate that served as the entrance to Malin’s favorite playground. Zyon shoved the massive key into the lock and unchained the gate wings, opening them like the wide mouth of a hungry monster.
“What is this place?” Julien asked, shaking uncontrollably. “And who are you? I have no idea what is going on.”
“Think,” Zyon barked, slapping the back of his head. “What’s the worst thing you have ever done?”
“I don’t…” Another slap, this time against his cheek.
“Think harder,” I advised, knowing that Zyon’s patience was limited and the next hit could knock him down. The contusion on his nape was deep, and he could have a concussion. Our fun could end before it even started properly.
“I really…” he choked out, his eyes widening in horror when Zyon pulled out a glowing golden gun. “Fuck, man, I don’t…” He stepped back, only hitting the wall named Malin with his back. “P-please… I… I…”
“You what?” Malin growled, his gravelly voice making the guy almost jump out of his skin. Oh, fuck, how I loved being back with my brothers, outside, playing. “You didn’t sell your underage daughter as a fucking toy?”
“That’s what she told you?” Julien laughed awkwardly, sounding like a dying animal. “It was just a game. She agreed.”
“A game,” Zyon spat the word as if saying it out loud insulted him. “That’s what it’s called these days? An innocent little game?”
“Yes!” Julien yelled, clearly losing the ground under his feet, figuratively and literally. His legs were giving up. “No one hurt her. I swear!”
“Okay.” I slammed my shoulder into his, pulling him into a half-hug. His entire body tensed; he gulped audibly and tried to wriggle away, but I didn’t let him. “Let’s play a similar innocent game, shall we?”
“N-no,” he stammered, shaking his head.
“Why not?” Malin whispered into his ear from behind. “We won’t hurt you. Pinky promise.”
“P-please…” Julien begged. “Let me go. I… I won’t t-tell anyone. Please.”
“Fucking pussy,” Malin snarled, hitting him in the back of his head with his gun roughly. Julien fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
“Hey!” I whined, slapping his arm. “Don’t ruin my fun!”
“You’ll have your fun.” The promise in Malin’s words made me grin like an idiot. I lifted my mask and sent a kiss his way.
“I love you.” I bumped his shoulder and burst into laughter when he rolled his eyes in annoyance. Without another word, he grasped Julien’s swollen ankle and dragged him into the forest.
“I need to go.” Zyon stopped me when I walked past him to follow Malin. “Will you two be okay?”
“We’ve done it a million times, boss.” I smiled, but it quickly evaporated when I noticed the seriousness in his dark eyes. His mask covered his face, but I knew him well enough to read between the lines. Something had gone to shit.
“Is everything alright with you?” I asked carefully. “You seem on edge every time I see you.”
He hesitated. We had our secrets, but mostly, when confronted, we chose to share the burden of things bothering us. My brothers were the people I trusted most, and I never did anything to make them doubt I was here for them.
“I won’t push,” I started, a weird emptiness settling in my chest. “But we have some time before Malin prepares the game.”
“It’s everything, Dorian,” he sighed heavily, lifting his mask. He ran a hand over his face and shook his head. “Seven months have gone by, and the Italians are still divided. They are moments from war because of their leadership.”
“What?” My brows dipped as I watched him nod slowly.
“We destroyed our enemies, but at the same time,” he looked into the forest where the angry dog barking echoed through the quiet space, “we created chaos. Every clan wants a seat at the table. We are stronger than ever, and with the New York Bratva at our side, we can pick the players, but it’s like choosing the best from the worst.”
“Well, Stefano Gravaldis is legit,” I said, quickly recalling the info I had on the other families. But it was tricky. I hadn’t been updated in almost seven months.
“Yeah, and that’s pretty much it.” Zyon glanced over my shoulder at the car that had just stopped before the gate.
It was his Maserati. “Grany Santangelo believes that a marriage into our family will grant her a seat at the table. And two days ago, I was approached by Sonny Carlile, who had the audacity to tell me that by marrying the Valentino heir and helping me with Ramzan, I owe him.”
“Are you serious?” I laughed, but seeing Zyon’s murderous expression, I instantly knew he wasn’t.
“I almost stabbed him with the fucking plastic knife Zara forgot in my suit jacket,” he rumbled, pure fury crossing his features. “I need Ramzan for a much bigger plan than this shit, but I’ll leave him in jail just to smile into naive Italian faces.”
“He’ll be pleased,” I mumbled, suppressing a grin. Our youngest brother would go after Zyon’s jugular if he knew his imprisonment was part of a power game.
“We need Ramzan out,” Zyon repeated with surprising urgency.
“But marrying Diana Santagelo won’t grant her family a share of our cake.
And also, some power-hungry boy won’t be telling me shit.
Lorenzo Valentino barely stands when he sees me, and now this shit…
” He clenched his hand into a tight fist, flashing me his signature murderous glare.
“I need to make sure Carlile won’t get close to the leadership of the Valentino family. ”
“Nina Valentino is the only heir,” I reminded him, shrugging when he groaned. “You know Lorenzo can’t have more kids. That girl is a gold mine.”
“Malin found out Giovanni trained her to rule.” His hand flexed as he tried to lose some tension. He looked ready to explode. “We killed the man who prepared her for the throne. If she inherits the family and uses Carlile’s stupidity against us, she could start another war.”
I stared at him for a long moment, the word war hanging between us like a sword. The last time we were in open conflict, it ended in blood and grief. I didn’t want to go through it again.
“What’s the plan?” I asked, noticing Jamal get out of the car. He lit a cigarette and sat on the car hood, watching us as if he expected us to evaporate into thin air. The man was obsessed with Zyon’s safety.
“With Nina?” Zyon raised a brow. “I have no idea yet. I won’t kill a twenty-four-year-old woman because she might be a threat later. And Malin didn’t find anything about any form of abuse. Valeria is certain, but I don’t know. It’s all a mess.”
“And Ramzan?” The thought of our youngest brother rotting in a Russian prison for almost two years sent an unpleasant shiver down my spine. Yes, he knew how to take care of himself, but still, it was a fucking Russian prison.
“He’s protected in jail,” Zyon reassured me as if he could read my thoughts. “But the marriage…” He trailed off, checking his buzzing phone. An unknown number lit up the screen, and he rolled his eyes in irritation before shoving the device into his pocket.
“We found some disturbing things regarding Granny Santangelo and Chester Kellerman,” he revealed, nodding for me to follow him to the car.
My stomach tightened. I never thought I’d hear that name again.
“Malin couldn’t sleep because he believed Chester outsmarted him.
” Zyon grinned, took a cigarette from Jamal, and lit it.
“So, he went through everything since Chester and Valentino joined forces until the day Chester shot you.”
I instinctively touched the tiny scar on my shoulder. It was just a scratch, but a nasty reminder it could have ended much worse.
“I don’t know the specifics,” Zyon said, blowing the heavy cloud of smoke into the air. “But our genius brother discovered that Granny hid Chester with the promise to smuggle him out of the country, and then sold him out.”
“What?” I stared at him, completely dumbstruck.
“You look like me when I heard it the first time.” He chuckled, leaning against the car. “Granny screwed us all to get what she wanted.”
“The promise of marriage,” I whispered, my mouth hanging open.
“Yip.” Zyon nodded, shrugging. “I can’t take it back. We agreed, but I sure as hell won’t give her any power. The old sack is dangerous.”
“Bloody hell,” I groaned, placing my hands on my hips. “This is a really impressive mess.”
“Told you.” He grimaced, throwing the half-smoked cigarette on the ground. “I need to go.”
“Of course.” I nodded, still trying to process the shock. He slammed my shoulder and opened the car door, but I stopped him from getting in. “By the way, is everything okay between you and Valeria?”
Zyon plastered on an emotionless mask.
“Why do you ask?” He scanned me as if I’d said something entirely wrong. It was a clear sign things weren’t good. I knew my gut was right the other day.
“Because I know you,” I replied matter-of-factly. “You’re not…” I paused, finding the right word. “You.”
“Let’s just say, I crossed a line,” he said, throwing the skull mask inside the car.
“You murdered a man because of her, almost started a war, and ordered seven men to rape her ex,” I recited, scowling. “What the fuck does it mean that you crossed a line?”
He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair, and my frown deepened.
“I paid a former military officer, a woman, to regularly attend Valeria’s support group meetings,” he answered quietly. Shame crossed his face as he finally glanced at me. “I just wanted to be sure she is okay, but when she found out, she…”
“Fuck, Zyon,” I whined.
“I know, I know,” he grumbled, kicking the car’s rear wheel. “But I just…” He exhaled heavily. “I can’t imagine losing her. If something happened to her, I…”
“She’s fine,” I tried to reassure him, but he knew best what they went through. “She’s safe and happy with you.”
“Is she?” He whipped his head toward me, quiet uncertainty slipping through his expression. “She said my rules and overprotectiveness are suffocating. We argued like crazy, and suddenly I’m sleeping in a guest room. What the fuck?”
He threw his arms in the air helplessly.
“I’m dying without her. I can’t breathe.
” His eyes glistened with wetness while I stared at him in pure shock.
I’d never seen him like this. “I found out about the food poisoning from our mother. Can you believe that? My wife told someone else that she feels like shit. Not me! How the hell could I be okay?”
“Zyon.” His anger and confusion were palpable. “It’s going to be fine. It’s not your first rodeo.”
“Yeah, the two rodeos before ended with divorce papers,” he snapped, glaring at me. “I can’t let that happen. I can’t lose her because I’m an overprotective, paranoid psychopath.”
“You won’t.” I grabbed his shoulders and steadied him. “You won’t lose her. She loves you.”
He stared at me like he couldn’t believe my words. My heart almost collapsed. They were the perfect couple, the ideal match.
“Listen to me.” I lightly slapped his cheek to demand his full attention. “You go home, apologize, and promise to never go behind her back.”
“But what if—”
“No!” I shut him up. “You’ll compromise. That’s what marriage is about, idiot.” I gave him my hardest glare, my mind working to its full capacity to help him. “And her birthday is coming soon. You’ll need to spend a few million.”
“She doesn’t like jewelry,” he groaned.
“I’m not talking about diamonds. You need to be creative and surprise the shit out of her.”
“What if it wouldn’t work?” he mumbled, throwing his phone on the back seat because it wouldn’t stop buzzing.
“Then I’ll kick your ass,” I threatened, opening the door for him. “Now go. I want to have my fun, and you have work to do.”
“Yes, boss.” He saluted with a grin, but it didn’t reach his eyes. However, I couldn’t do more now. He had his duties, and I had to help Malin.
Watching the car’s taillights disappear in the darkness, I sighed. But then a creepy smile spread across my face.
First, the hunt. Only after we were done with Julien Young would I go through the information Zyon gave me. I wouldn’t let it ruin my time out for anything.