Chapter 34
ADRIEL
I head to meet Michael at Gio’s house the following day. Checking on Kayla’s location, I’m assured she’s in class with that bodyguard on her tail. Hopefully she’s safe there until I’m done with this bullshit with my brothers.
I’ve yet to speak to my mother, not knowing if she opened her mouth to them about our little reunion.
But I don’t think she’s told them yet. Maybe she never will.
If it’s because her guilt’s eating at her, then I’m glad.
I hope it always does. I hope she suffers every day knowing her sins grew a monster. And that monster is me.
Arriving at a gated community, I park in the three-car driveway before I’m greeted by two men I recognize.
“They’re inside.” One tilts his head toward the door.
I nod before I open it, finding a few others on Michael’s payroll. As soon as they see me, they greet me.
“How you doin’, Chris?” He gives me a sharp look. “How’s the mother?”
“Not well.”
“Shit, man.” He frowns. “Sorry. Lost mine last year. I get it.”
“Thanks. Where’s Michael?”
“They’re in the den.” He points in that direction.
“Why aren’t you guys there?”
“We’re not on the intel for this assignment.” He shrugs. “Not high enough on the food chain.”
I snicker as I walk past, anticipation buzzing through my marrow. If my brothers are here to kill me, there are enough men here to ensure I don’t escape alive.
Rounding the corner, I head for the wide foyer, a few other men greeting me before I continue further past the large dining area, hushed voices coming through.
“We will get it done,” Gio says, then everyone goes quiet.
“Chris, that you?” Michael asks, and my hand immediately goes to the nine in my waistband.
“Yeah. Sorry if I’m late,” I say as soon as I enter, seeing my three brothers there plus a few others I recognize.
“Sit,” Michael instructs.
“I prefer to stand.” I grip the back of the chair with on hand, keeping the other close to my waist.
This is a fucking ambush. I can feel it.
“So…” Michael starts. “A few of the Cavaleris have taken hold of a couple of men. They’re being interrogated.
We’ve also located more trafficking rings overseas connecting to whoever is running the show in Boston.
We’ll be setting up teams to head to those locations.
I’m putting you three in charge of those teams.”
He looks to the two other men, then to me, his eyes cast tightly.
“What do you think about that?” His question is directed at me.
“Whatever you need.”
“What I need is…” He paces closer. “Men I can trust.” His eyes are expressionless. “Think I can trust you?”
“Of course you can.” My tone is steady. My pulse too. Not a shred of evidence that I’m anything but a loyal little puppet in his army.
He drags in a long, deep inhale. “Where were you, Chris? Were you really with your mother?”
“I told you I was.” I stay rooted. “You saw photos. What is this about?”
He clenches his hand, and Raph clasps Michael on the shoulder as he passes by. Now Raph’s the one slowly marching up toward me. His eyes search mine, like he’s trying to find something that isn’t there.
“Who are you?” he asks.
And I know for certain.
They know who I am.
While he’s distracted with me, I reach a hand inside my pants pocket, quietly finding the keychain inside.
My forefinger on the button, I wait for the right moment. The instant they know that this will either end in their deaths or mine.
“I’m Chris.” I chuckle dryly. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on here, but if you no longer want me here, just say the word.”
“Who are you?” Gio asks this time, his teeth clenching as he gets to his feet, the other two men slipping out the door.
Instead of denying it, a slow-growing grin curls up the ends of my mouth. “Why don’t you ask me the real question? You know you want to.”
Michael’s gaze narrows; Raph’s eyes grow a fraction.
“Are you…” Raph’s mouth starts to move, but no sound comes out. There’s a tightness in his features that wasn’t there before.
Michael carves away the distance, staring me down with an icy gleam once he nears. A flush creeps up his neck as the tension grows thick between us.
“Are you A?” Glaring anger pours from his eyes. “Are you our brother?”
An infinitesimal twitch of my lips has his upper lip curling.
“Fuck yeah, I am,” I laugh just as my finger presses a button and everything goes BOOM.
Smoke and chaos surround us as I rush out of the room, removing both of my weapons, the one in my waistband and the other in my ankle. I have another two strapped to me and more bombs around their property.
This one took out one side of Gio’s house. Oops. It was a nice house.
“You’re fucking dead!” Michael roars. “I never liked killing a brother. But you? I’ll gladly take out, especially after the bomb you put in Raph’s car. We know it was you.”
“Sure fucking was.”
My gloating chuckling has him roaring in rage.
“Never had a brother!” I shout over from behind the bar. “Not a mother either. She tell you what I did to her?”
Raph growls this time. “You fucking hurt our mother?”
Guess Mommy really did keep her mouth shut.
Pop. Pop.
Two bullets whiz past my right.
“I would’ve killed her! She’s lucky all she got was the little scratch my knife left on her throat.”
“You’re fucking dead!” Michael snaps. “When I’m through with you, there’ll be nothing left to recognize.”
“You keep saying that, but I’m here alone and managed to blow half of Gio’s house away. So let’s see you try, brother.”
“Don’t you call me that!” He shoots at me through the bar while I slide my hand out straight ahead and fire back at him. I can tell where he is from the direction of his voice.
“You try anything else…” I warn. “And I blow your house too.”
“You son of a bitch! My fucking daughter lives in that house.”
“Yes, my lovely niece.” My laughter echoes. “Sweet little girl. What a great soccer player too. Definitely didn’t get it from you.”
“You ever come near her, and I’ll take everything from you!” His beastly sound reverberates through the space, and he bellows as he rushes toward me.
I’m ready for him. Ready to take him on. Because I won’t die today.
Never had anything worth losing.
Except now. Except her.
My baby bird.
I hurry to my feet and open my arms with a cold, calculating grin. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
He guns for me, rushing forward while I do the same.
I’ve been waiting for this. If I can kill one of her sons, one of the ones that actually matter, maybe that’ll hurt. Maybe for once, she’ll know what true agony feels like.
Michael swings a hit into my jaw, and that’s all it takes for the demons to come out. I kick him in the gut while the other two brothers point their weapons at me, waiting, hoping. But at the same time, they want to give him this chance to hurt me or kill me.
Don’t they realize? I’m already dead.
This is child’s play.
Laughter spits from my lungs while I lick the blood from my own mouth, unsure if it’s his or mine. Either way, it’s victory. I got to him. I got to all of them.
They must know what a fool I’ve made of them.
“Do you know how fun it’s been to pretend to tolerate you while I hate you?”
He kicks me hard in the thigh.
“Knowing that you had no idea who I really was.” A blow hits him right in his scar. “Your enemy right under your nose.”
He groans and tries to flip me over, using his foot against my ankle, but he’s unsuccessful.
“Let’s just kill him already!” Gio adds.
“Of course you’d want it the easy way.” I laugh, catching his tight, enraged glare.
“Fuck off, you piece of shit!” he thunders. “You’ve hated us for nothing! We’ve done nothing.”
I strike my foot into Michael’s ribs, and when he goes down, I force myself on top of him, smashing the butt of the nine into his nose. Blood gushes out while I use my fist next.
When Raph tries to get to Michael, I point the gun at him. “No, don’t you dare. You come closer, and I blow him away. Can you live with that?”
He flays me with a thunderous look. “You’re angry.” His tone is even as he raises his hands in the air. “How about we all just talk? Maybe we can figure this out.”
“Fuck you all! I’ll nev—”
A bullet rings out, and we all turn to face a mob of angry fucking women. Iseult’s with her own gun pointing at the ceiling, her bright red hair like flames across her shoulders.
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” she snaps. “A bunch of grown-ass men behaving like children! What the hell are you doing?” Her body visibly shakes with rage. “Other than destroying my goddamn house!”
Shit, even I’m a little afraid of her.
It’s then I see Kayla move from behind her, tears in her eyes.
Baby bird. I’m sorry.
Elsie’s holding her around her shoulders, while Nicolette is staring at Raph, crying against my mother. That woman, though… She stares at me. And there’s no anger there, just sadness.
Iseult bravely walks up to Raph and Gio. There’s a tightness to her face, her eyes flashing.
“Give me your weapons!” She holds out her palm. “Now!”
Gio exhales a quick breath, giving her a hard stare.
“Did I stutter, husband? Now! You too, Raph!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Raph mutters as they both hand her the weapons.
She struts off to Michael and me. He’s still beneath me, both of us covered in blood. It’s all over my hands. His face. Our clothes.
“You too!” Her cold tone matches the icicles that now adorn her eyes.
I swear if I look hard enough, they’re about to shoot out of those green eyes and kill us both. My half sister is fucking insane. I have something in common with one of them, it seems.
I grin.
“What’s so goddamn funny?” Her stormy gaze hits me without blinking.
“Nothing,” I chuckle.
“Just do what she says, man,” Gio grumbles. “Better not to fight it.”
I tip up my chin and hand her the weapon. She snatches it, then takes the one from Michael.
“Great!” Her lips thin. “Now, you’re gonna talk it out. And I swear if I hear anyone killing each other, I’m gonna kill you all. ’Kay? Bye.” She waves her fingers in a feigned goodbye and gives us her back. “Come on, ladies. Let the children learn how to use their words.”
“I have nothing to say to this asshole,” Michael throws out.
“Well, sweetheart…” Elsie eyes him with disappointment. “You’re just gonna have to figure it out while us girls are gonna be right outside this room.”
She comes to stand before us, and I finally get off him.
“Because this whole putting-yourself-at-risk-and-being-reckless thing is not gonna work for me.” She chokes up. “Or Sophia.”
“You have no idea what he’s done.” Michael jumps to his feet and takes her hand, but she shakes it off.
His nostrils flare.
“I’m aware of everything. We all are.” She peers behind her at the women.
“Your mother told us. None of us are happy about any of it. But trying to kill each other is not gonna help anyone. So talk! Understand each other! Because this is the breaking point. You either make up…” She looks up at me before staring back at him.
“Or you all stay the hell away from each other.”
“Gladly,” I tell her. “I have nothing to say to anyone here.”
I head for Kayla. The only person I need. I take her hand in mine and kiss the top of it.
Giving my mother a lethal look, I say, “I’m done with you. You can all rot in hell! I have no family. I never did!”
“Good,” Michael snickers. “We didn’t want you anyway.”
Something in my chest tightens, but I brush it off.
“Michael!” Mother Dearest reprimands. “Don’t say that!”
“Come on, babe, let’s go.” I drag Kayla out of there while she gazes back at Elsie.
“I’ll call you,” Elsie tells her.
“I love you,” she says to her friend as we exit the room.
Need to get the fuck out of here.
Just because Kayla is friends with Elsie doesn’t mean I need to be around my brothers. I’ll skip all the family events. My lips curl. Wouldn’t wanna get trigger-happy.
Time for me to move on.
I feel better anyway.
Even if my mother still breathes.
I have Kayla.
That’s all I’ll ever need from now on.