The Savage Kingdom Box Set
Chapter 1
Chapter One
ANDIE
“Another.”
I slide my shot glass over as the bartender deftly pours two fingers of Patrón into it. This will be my third one in as many hours. Instead of tipping it back and downing the drink in one go, I nurse it like a fine ten-year Kentucky straight bourbon. I’m twenty, but I have one hell of a good fake ID that never gets questioned. Can anyone even tell the difference between a twenty-year-old and a twenty-one-year-old anyway? I find U.S. laws about alcohol completely asinine, after spending the past several years in Europe where I can basically get a drink wherever the hell I want.
“You know, bartenders are good listeners,” my server says to me. I consider that for a second and shrug it off.
“Trust me. You don’t want to have all my shit unloaded on you.”
“Maybe that’s exactly what I want,” he says, and my violet eyes raise to look up at him.
Any other night, I would welcome the flirtation. I have a soft spot for a man with dark hair, blue eyes, and one who’s covered in tattoos. Fucking asshole of an ex .
“Thanks, but no,” I tell him bluntly, throwing a few twenties on the bar and getting up from my stool.
I came here tonight because I knew they would be here. And I’m not leaving until I lay eyes on them. I need to know that what I’m about to put into motion is worth it. Because, honestly, I don’t know if I’ll be left standing when the dust settles.
I find a table in the dark recesses of the bar; a place where I can hide in the shadows. Setting my drink down, I finger-comb the length of my newly dyed, ash brown hair and pull it back into a low ponytail.
The sweltering heat inside the bar is stifling. Too many bodies packed inside a room making the inside humidity skyrocket. I’m wearing a dark tank top with dark jeans. Not the best outfit for a hot, early summer’s night, but one that helps camouflage me in a dimly lit bar. I scan the room again, just like I’ve been doing for the past three hours.
What the fuck am I doing here? I must be out of my ever-loving mind. I unlock my phone and am met with soft brown eyes staring back at me. The eyes of my brother, Kellan. Today would have been his twenty-third birthday. He is why I’m here in this godforsaken bar in this godforsaken city. I never thought I would ever again step foot in the city I grew up in. I haven’t been back home in years, not since Mom unexpectedly dragged me to Europe when I was just shy of turning sixteen. As soon as our plane crossed the Atlantic, she immediately dropped my ass at an exclusive private school in Switzerland, and I haven’t seen her or my father since.
The relationship between my mother, Cecelia McCarthy, and my father, Maximillian Rossi, was not pretty. They loved me as much as they loved one another, which means they didn’t. They only wanted Kellan, not me. He was the prodigal son and heir apparent to the Rossi kingdom, and I was the unwanted, useless daughter. I wasn’t even given my father’s last name. My birth certificate has me as Alexandria Donatella McCarthy, not Rossi. Makes a daughter feel loved and cherished, right?
I never resented Kellan for the fact he was the golden child of the family; the one they always fought and fawned over, whereas I was treated like discarded refuse or looked down upon like shit scraped off the bottom of a shoe. At least my brother loved me. Kellan was the only person in our family, other than my great-uncle Domenico, whoever showed me any kindness.
Kellan was more of a parent to me than Cecelia and Maximillian ever were. He was the best part of my day growing up. He played with me, read me bedtime stories, and helped me with my homework. He taught me how to drive a stick shift when I was thirteen, how to throw a punch, and was the person I talked to about everything. He called or videoed me almost every week while I was at school in Switzerland. He flew over several times a year to visit and made sure that I was safe and well-taken care of. As big brothers go, a girl couldn’t have asked for better.
In comparison, my parents couldn’t give a shit about my existence. No cards or phone calls on my birthdays or holidays. The only thing I was good for was… I refuse to let my mind wander there.
Taking a sip from my drink, I tap the sides of the thick glass with my fingers as the smooth liquid burns a path down my throat, helping to dispel the bone-deep chill that exists inside of me that never goes away. I’m all alone in the world now. The only person who ever loved me or gave a damn is gone.
On the bright side, if one would call it that, at least I’m set for the rest of my life. Kellan somehow arranged for an offshore account under my name a few years ago that he then began to secretly funnel money into. I never asked him how he could give me so much, and he never offered an explanation. All I’m aware of is that our father doesn’t know about it. Currently, the account holds over five million dollars.
I should take that money and go somewhere my father can never find me. Have a quiet life of solitude. Maybe go to college like I originally planned or buy a house somewhere and live an easy life. Those are things I should do. But they aren’t what I’m going to do. Instead, I’m using the money to exact revenge. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m here to see them . They left my brother to die and are as responsible for what happened to Kellan just as much as my father is. And no matter what I have to do, I’m going to be the one to take them all down.
I savor another small sip of Patrón and contemplate my first move. Even though I’ve been gone for almost five years, my hometown hasn’t changed much. I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or not. There are more green spaces than I remember; an aftereffect of Hurricane Harvey where heavily flooded land was bought up by the various county precincts and turned into public parks.
A shout from the other side of the bar breaks me from my musings and has me looking over. My spine goes ramrod straight when I see who it is. Wanting to become a shadow, I push back in my chair, hoping that my tiny dark corner of the room hides my presence. I haven’t seen the three men who just entered the bar since I left for Europe. My brother’s best friends: Keane Agosti, Jaxson West, and Raphael Ortiz. The men I will destroy, no matter how much I have to sacrifice, even if it means my revenge comes with trading my own life. If I’m being morbidly realistic, it’s not like I have anyone here that will miss me when I’m gone.
My stomach gives a little flutter as I watch them, and it pisses me off. They’ve only gotten more handsome over time. The gangly teenage boys I once knew are now men. Keane, Kellan’s righthand man. Well, I guess he’s the leader now. Tall, over six feet, with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and a body packed with lean muscle. Don’t let his preppy boy looks fool you. I once saw Keane beat a guy almost to death one night when I snuck out of the house to follow my brother to an abandoned warehouse. That was the night I found out exactly what my brother and his friends were capable of.
My gaze next lands on Jax, the guy I consider the brains of the group. Smart, sexy, and deadly. He could wipe your entire existence from the face of the earth with one keystroke. Dark blond hair, green eyes framed by black-rimmed glasses, and the most wicked tattoos I have ever seen inked from his fingers up to his neck. Jax has a similar build to Keane, but Jax is a couple of inches taller. The guy has always scared the hell out of me, even when we were younger.
Lastly, I turn my sights on Rafe. The man who broke my heart. My fucking ex-boyfriend. The boy I fell head-over-heels in love with when I was a teenager. The guy who took my virginity, promised me forever, then dropped me like a bad habit. I hate that he is still hot as sin. Black hair, golden skin that looks like he spends his days out in the sun, and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. He’s not the reedy boy I remember. His body is now broad-shouldered and filled out with muscle. Rafe’s father is the head of the Ortiz drug cartel. I’m surprised Julio Ortiz hasn’t dragged his youngest son’s ass back into the family business. Then again, Rafe had his reasons for why he wanted out from under his father’s thumb and that life.
I raise my phone, making sure the auto flash is off on the camera, and discreetly snap a few pictures. Once I’m done, I open my voice recordings app and listen to the last message Kellan sent me two days before he died.
“Hey, Tinker Bell. I can’t wait to see you in your cap and gown. I can’t believe my little sister is officially an adult now. Where has the time gone? Just yesterday, I was putting Band-Aids on your scraped knees. And now, you’re graduating high school. I know things have been hard for you. I’m sorry I was part of the reason for it. I love you to the moon and back, Andie. There’s so much I have to tell you. Things I’ve kept from you. I can’t keep those secrets anymore. You deserve to know the truth. How about after graduation, we go somewhere? Pick a destination. Anywhere in the world. Just you and me, like old times. I miss you, squirt. I love you. See you in a couple of days.”
I listen to the message again, while keeping my heated gaze locked on the three men on the other side of the room. As anger burns into an inferno inside of me, I replay the message one last time, needing to hear my brother’s voice. Needing it to reinforce the reasons as to why I’m about to unleash hell on this town. Keane, Rafe, and Jax don’t know it yet, but I’m the devil who will bring that hell to their doorsteps—and take my father down right along with them.