Chapter 30
DECLAN
H is face bright red and slick with sweat, Conan jogs toward me, wiping his forehead with a strained expression.
“I told you not to be fucking late.”
I slap him on the side of his head, and Finn glares at Conan.
Con scowls, his frown deepening as he checks the time on his Rolex.
“I’m only two minutes late!” he protests.
A snicker comes from Finn next to me.
“And this is why we told you a time ten minutes earlier than Enzo was actually arriving,” he tells Conan, who smirks in response.
He’s so invested in reviving his cage fighting career, we hardly see him. He lives and breathes the cage.
But the Decadence Games bring him out to play.
He kicks his sneakers on the gravel and looks back at the front doors to the factory.
“What is this, show and fucking tell? He knows how we run our games. What makes this year different that he needs a damn tour?” Finn snaps.
I lift my shoulders in a nonchalant gesture. “We will never understand how Enzo’s brain works.”
Clearly annoyed, Finn lets out a derisive scoff beside me, making me turn to him.
“This isn’t very ‘silent partner’ of him. The games were our idea. We’ve run two; I’ve done what I had to do after. Con is right. Why is he suddenly so interested in it now?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s linked to the Russian family he invited? We know the game has changed in Russia recently. Maybe Mikhail is behind it?”
Finn bites his lip, deep in thought.
“With Ivan dead, that makes sense. Although, I’d have thought Mikhail would want to be as far away from Russia as possible after killing his own father.”
Pain twists in my chest thinking about our own father’s sacrifice. But his was different. Ivan tried to kill his own family first. He deserved it.
We’ve met Mikhail occasionally. We keep our alliance with him and his family in Vegas tight, and also with Frankie Falcone in New York. Seeing as we facilitate bringing in most of their arms and drugs now, they have time for us.
Silence falls as the gates to Decadence open, and we all crane our necks to see the sleek, black Bentley glide in, its tires humming on the asphalt.
“Here comes our King,” Conan whispers, full of sarcasm.
“He made us who we are today. This fucking empire was built with his help. Now play nice,” I hiss at Con.
As the Bentley smoothly comes to a stop, the quiet hum of the engine fades as his driver opens the door, and I head over.
“Enzo. Welcome back to Decadence.” I extend my hand, and he shakes it firmly.
“Good to be back.”
He nods curtly to my brothers, who stand silently behind me, their faces grim.
“The full family tour today, I see,” Enzo says, straightening his navy tie.
“Yes. Now, you want to see this year’s games?” I smirk.
“I do. Then I have some things to discuss with you.”
The sound of his fingers dragging across his five o’clock shadow accompanies my nod.
“Of course. Follow me.”
I swipe my card to the main doors of the factory. As we walk in, the sweet smell of chocolate hits you.
“Any new flavors?” Enzo asks beside me.
“AK-47 with a hint of honeycomb.”
He chuckles as we pass the loud machinery. Our workers are part of the mafia families or directly under me.
Sworn to secrecy.
The twins, Rowan and Reggie, appear from the side office, and I nod, hearing the soft click of their shoes on the polished floor.
We stop, and Enzo looks between them, studying them.
“Hang on.” He holds up his finger. “Don’t tell me.”
We all stand in silence as Enzo holds out a hand to Reggie on the left. They are identical, even down to the dark green streaks in their black hair. Same style, shaved sides, swept over on top.
“Reggie,” Enzo finally says with a grin, and Reggie bursts out laughing, accepting his handshake.
“Got it. What gave it away?” he asks Enzo.
“You have a slight speck of amber in your eye.”
Reggie looks at me, impressed. The twins are our right-hand men. Down to do anything. They mainly oversee the non-chocolate operations we have here.
“You don’t miss a thing,” Rowan says, and Enzo nods.
“Sir, we have a delivery coming today. We are going to split it between Mr. Volkov and Mr. Falcone and deliver one each tomorrow. Then we will be back in time to run the games,” Rowan tells me.
“Good job. Everything is ready for the games, yes?”
They nod, their eyes losing their light, a chilling darkness replacing the usual spark.
“Yep. I have to say, I’m looking forward to this. Whichever woman wins is a total badass.”
My lips curve into a broad grin, showing my teeth. That’s the plan.
“I said I wanted this year’s games to push them to their absolute limits.”
“Oh, it will.” Reggie grins.
Pain and pleasure. The premise of my games. A way I can find a woman—to inflict some of this torture I feel inside on.
No emotions. A clear deadline. No ties.
It’s perfect.
The games give us exactly what and who we need. But it’s far more than that. These games establish who the Quinn brothers are to the world.
They must believe the illusion that we are the true villains so we can be their saviors.
Once one steps into Decadence, there is no way out.
The illusion is real. In a sense, we make them walk through hell to get a taste of heaven.
“Are you ready?” I push open the door and turn to Enzo.
“Now you have me all excited.”
The group trails behind, their footsteps echoing softly as I lead them down the long corridor. We created this as an add-on to the back of the factory, completely separate with security to get through. Only to be used for the Decadence games.
Two secret exits exist.
One is for the winning girl to lead her to me.
I scan my finger on the pad and then type in the code, causing the bolt lock to turn. The first room to my left is the holding room.
Where the losing contestants are held before they meet their fate.
“New floors?” Enzo asks, looking down at the shimmering purple marble under his feet.
“Easier to clean up the mess,” I tell him and smirk.
I take him to the first door and look back at my brothers, who are holding it together. I can tell Conan wants to laugh.
I let Enzo go in and wait next to Finn.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Declan.”
That sends Conan over the edge. He bends over, clutching his stomach, tears streaming down his face as he laughs uncontrollably. The cool air makes me shiver as it beats against me from the room.
“It’s fucking freezing.” Enzo rushes out of the room and closes the door behind him.
“Gotta keep the molds in perfect condition. Chocolate melts.” I bite back my grin.
A low chuckle escapes Enzo’s lips as he shakes his head, a smile playing on his lips.
“I am lost for words. Creative. But an easy start for them?” He frowns. I can hear the cogs turning.
I clasp my hand on his shoulder.
“It only gets worse from here. False sense of security. I want to see how they behave. If they take it seriously or not.”
Enzo blinks at me. Taking in what he’s just seen, Conan finally stops laughing.
“Show me the worst room,” Enzo asks.
“As you wish.”