Epilogue
The room crackles with tension. My jaw aches, my fingernails dig into my palms. If I could punch something or someone, maybe I could release all this damn anger building inside of me.
This isn’t like me. I’m the fucking fun brother. The one who shows up late to meetings, who spends all night having the time of my life and sleeping in the next morning.
But everything’s changed now.
“You need a drink?” Alexander offers, coming to sit next to me.
“It won’t help.” I rub the back of my neck. My head fucking hurts, too.
“You haven’t talked to her?”
“No. Not since she called and said she was settling in.”
“She’s going to be fine.” Alexander assures me, but our little sister is on the other side of the country, living with guilt and pain all by herself.
“She needs us; you shouldn’t have let her go.”
He cocks a brow. “Let her? Since when do we let her do anything?”
He sighs.
“I can’t fucking believe she got caught up with those fucking people.”
“She didn’t know who he was at first; it was only later when she realized it.” Alexander regurgitates the same excuse she gave us when we were all finally able to talk about it.
I lean forward, pressing my elbows into my knees and scrubbing my hand over my face.
“She’s grieving, Kaz.” Ivan sinks into the chair across from me. “She just needs a little time.”
“Fine.” I fold my arms over my chest and lean back. “What’s this meeting about anyway?”
Alexander shares a look with Ivan. “Maybe you should have a drink.”
“Just fucking tell me.”
“There’s been talk back home. With the death of all three DeAngelo brothers, there’s a vacuum for power. Their uncle wants a truce with us while they find their footing.”
“I really don’t give a fuck what that family wants.” I want them all alive so we can kill them again. But slower this time. They died too quickly.
There wasn’t any pain. There should have been more pain.
“A truce has been discussed and agreed to,” Alexander informs me.
“Fine. Whatever.” I shove out of my chair and stalk to the wet bar in the corner, pouring myself two fingers of vodka. It’s not enough—the burn it gives me—but it takes some of the edge off.
I want to kill.
To avenge the pain my little sister is going through.
To get vengeance for all the fucked up, horrible things that family did to us over the past few months.
“They’ve proposed a marriage.”
I pour another shot. “Oh yeah? Who’s?”
“Turns out there was a sister. Sienna DeAngelo. It’s been suggested she marry one of us.” Ivan says, getting up from his chair.
I pour the drink down my throat then laugh. “You’re both married already.”
“Right.” Alexander nods, waiting for reality to hit me.
And then it does.
Like a sledgehammer.
“You want me to marry the DeAngelo woman?” I laugh again.
“It would calm things down overseas and here.”
“Is she taking the head of her family?” There’s no way the Italians would ever let a woman sit at the head of their table.
“No. Someone else, a cousin. You’ll marry Sienna; they’ll move their operations out of our city. A two-year ban on any DeAngelo business coming through here.”
“We killed all three of them, and they’re leaving town?”
Alexander gives a slow nod. “This is our town.”
“Okay, then why does anyone need to marry?”
“To solidify the peace. You know how these things work,” Ivan says.
They ruined my sister. And now they wanted me to marry one of them?
I take another shot, and then another.
“It can be a marriage on paper only, Kaz. I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to let you continue your freedom. Stick her in an estate on the east coast. She can be around her family, and you can visit whenever you feel the need to…well, if you ever feel the need to.”
I drag my hand through my hair.
They left Elana feeling battered and hurt and angry. She may never come home again.
I want revenge for her.
“Fine.” I slam my glass down. “I’ll marry her.”
“You will?” Ivan sounds surprised.
“They took our sister; why the fuck shouldn’t I get one of theirs.” I grab my jacket and head to the door. “Set it up. I want it done by the end of the month.”
Slamming the door behind me, I stalk down the hall of Obsidian to the stairs taking me down to the club. I need something rough, something that will take this pain, this anger away.
They want to offer up the girl for a peace offering.
Fine.
I’ll take what they offer.
And even more.
Vicious Sinners continues with Book Five, Devious Revenge…