Chapter 4
Levi
INITIATION:TESTTHREE.
The first task was the hardest—it challenged our willingness to comply with what was required of us to be worthy of the secret society.
The second tested our sanity and ability to adapt to the dark and depraved.
Dane was a fucking psycho, bar none. His reaction to our torturous killing was something out of a horror movie; the unnatural smile as he watched the man suffer and die. It had me begging the question of where we would go from here…
Did our kills always have to end in brutal, bloody disaster, or could we end our target’s lives instantaneously, with less of a mess to leave for housekeeping?
With Dane as our sponsor, I assumed we had to perform as instructed by him. But once we were on our own, he had nocontrol over our executions, leaving me to hope and believe that the method of murder was ultimately and entirely up to us.
“I want a gun,” Lucas stated as he dropped himself into the empty spot beside me on the couch.Well, that’s one way to start a conversation.
Today was our day off from the world of the wicked: no show, rehearsals, or mandatory gym time. It was simply a day for us to disconnect and relax, catching up on the new life we were slowly acclimating to—one body bag at a time.
“Do you even know how to use one?” I teased, turning the TV off and tossing the remote onto our cheap black coffee table.
The majority of the furniture in our twelve-hundred-square-foot two-bedroom apartment was from IKEA, and it was an absolute bitch to put together.
Our first week of moving in generated a toxic team-building experience, ultimately ending with us working in separate rooms to avoid confrontation—or the sudden urge to hurl my brother off the third-story balcony.
“How hard could it be? You load it, aim, and pull the trigger. Bang! Easy as pie.” I wanted to ask him if he’d ever attempted to make a pie—the science behind the process and how one incorrect measurement could lead to complete fucking disaster. I was no pastry chef by any means, but at least I knew that nothing in life waseasy. “Look, I know you wanted to use knives because they’re your specialty, but after that last guy… I can’t. I need something quick and deadly.”
“Knives can be quick if you know where to throw them.”
“I’m not arguing with you over this. I’ve made up my mind and I’m using a gun for our next test. If a fucking Legacy can use one without feeling any less of a man, then so can I.” I mean, Lucas had a point, and I had no intention of changing his mind—I also never said it made him lesser…
There was no shame in using a gun; more power to you. I just wanted to add a little more flair to my kills and create a signature for myself—that’s where the preference came in. I enjoyed playing with butterfly knives like fidget toys. They were both satisfying and stress-relieving to open and close.
“Better get your practice in while you can, because Dane won’t wait for you to become an expert marksman before delivering us our final target.” I placed my hands behind my head before resting back onto the couch and crossing my ankles on the coffee table.
“Yeah, yeah. I—” Lucas stopped, pulling his phone from his back pocket and reading whatever was on his notification preview screen. “Awe fuck…” He sighed with a deep groan, dropping the phone into his lap and rubbing his face with both hands.
“Let me guess…”
“Dane.” We answered in unison.
“Uh-huh. I figured as much. I guess you’ll just have to use ourtargetastarget practice.” I joked, pushing myself off the couch before heading toward my room to change out of my sweatpants. “What time?”
“Seven…” Lucas whined through his palms with a hiss. “Ffffuuuccckkkk…”
Murphy’s law, ain’t it a bitch.
“IknowIdon’tneed to explain myself to either of you—” Dane started as we approached him, standing outside of District Nightclub, casually dressed in his typicalI’m too fucking cool to own anything more than thisattire, aka, the same thing he wore for our second test. Only this time, his hair was slicked back like Danny Zuko from Grease—a near spitting image, actually. He could give John Travolta a run for his money if he tried. “But I feel some clarification is needed regarding your last test.”
You mean the man you indirectly made us overdose on his own drug?
Lucas and I stopped a few feet away from where he leaned against the building, crossing our arms over our chests and staring at him with narrowed eyes.
“Torture isn’t the name of the game, or the priority of the MUR. The key is always to eliminate the target, however you see fit. As long as they’re out of the picture, your work is done… Although from time to time others, such as myself, prefer to have a little extra fun before pulling the trigger.”
“So what you’re saying is that last—”
“I’m saying you don’t need to follow through with additional steps if you choose not to. The kill makes you worthy of membership, not the method in which it’s delivered. Now come on. Your final target is inside, a piece of shit loan shark posing as afucking mafia boss.” Dane snarled, straightening his leather jacket and turning to open the club’s back door.
