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Dropping my shirt down, I squared my shoulders. I refused to let Andraius hold the power of his marks over me any longer. It was time to put something on my body I actually wanted.
Stooping down, I slid on my sneakers and then exited the bedroom.
“Good evening,” Stefano said the moment he saw me.
He’d returned to heading up my security and was much easier to handle than Theo and Xander. Plus, being around him and my original team felt more comforting than it would have with someone unfamiliar.
No matter how much I wanted to resist the around-the-clock safety protocols, I understood that as I was the head of the family, it was more than necessary, and if it made the two men in my life easier to handle, then why not? Plus, after the discussion with my sisters, I couldn’t complain when I would put them under the same kind of protection.
“I’m going to make a quick visit to the old side of the house and then stop in to see the guys in the barracks.” I strode through a long corridor and down a short set of stairs leading to a landing.
“Are you sure you want to go down there? It’s not something you will enjoy.”
He couldn’t be serious. Could the originals who knew about my relationship with Theo and Xander have kept the information from each other too?
I glanced over my shoulder, continuing to my destination. “I know what happens down there. I doubt anything can shock me.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
It looked as if they had.
“Do you have orgies down there now?” I came to an abrupt stop before he could answer. A surge of anger pushed into the forefront of my mind seeing my parents’ old bedroom.
Behind me, Stefano said, “It’s over. Remember this. They are only walls.”
“I will gut those suites and turn them into something useful. What? I haven’t a clue. But I’ll erase every trace of that bastard from this house.”
“Sounds like a great plan.”
Taking a deep breath, I continued down the hall until I reached the blue door I’d used throughout my childhood. I reached up and traced the script carved into the wood bearing my name.
The girl who’d resided in this room knew hope and possibilities. She hadn’t experienced suffering or loss. She wasn’t naive to the world she’d been born into but wasn’t jaded. She’d accepted the role she’d play in her family’s legacy.
Parts of her still lingered deep in me. However, her innocence no longer existed. I understood the cruel reality of our world, and the only way to fight was to be the most ruthless one at the table.
I was far from that person at the moment, but I had allies to back me as I built my power.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
I stepped into my old room and closed the door. I wouldn’t linger in here. This place only represented the past. I only needed one thing from a secret location.
Moving to a dresser in the corner, I shimmied it forward and then stooped down. In the back sat a small panel that I slid open, and inside was a black plastic box. I took it out and then opened it.
Smiling, I picked up the paper, unfolded it, and tucked it into my pants pocket.
Less than ten minutes later, Stefano and I reached the barracks, where I could hear the buzzing sounds of a tattoo machine and a group of men shouting at something they were watching on the television.
“This doesn’t seem any different than before.” I looked at Stefano.
He cocked his head to the side as if in confusion.
“You know that I came down here when I was younger?”
A crease formed between his brows. “I wasn’t aware of this.”
“I was a notorious pool shark. The amount of money I hustled out of the guys would boggle the mind.” I couldn’t help but smile at the memory.
“I take it Theios Peter didn’t know this information.”
