Page 99 of Claimed By the Ruthless King

Not all. But enough for me to actually make a difference and save some lives tonight.

An arm grabs me from behind, shoving me to the floor. I retaliate, grabbing David, throwing him over my shoulder.

He rolls onto his back, but quickly climbs back up to his feet.

More Crows barrel forward, and in the corner of my eye, I see one of the enforcers lunge forward.

“No more boys die,” I shout. “Take your hands off him.”

The Crow smirks, using this to his advantage.

The room splits, some boys disappearing down the trapdoor; others retaliating.

I see the bloodlust shining in their eyes. Some of these boys won’t stop until they’re painting the walls with my blood.

I climb over David, slipping my knife from my belt.

“Boys!” he shouts, forcing them into position.

My stomach drops as I see a third pair of Crows approach Ophelia, and now I’m totally fucked.

Someone will die tonight. I either kill the Crows and save Ophelia, or I fail these boys.

Boots scrape against the ground. I look up, seeing two boys standing over me, both holding a knife at my face.

If I kill David, these boys kill me, and then how do I protect Ophelia?

If I set my men on the rest of these boys, I become an even darker, more unforgivable version of myself.

There is no resolution…

And David knows this too as he flashes me a smirk from the ground, feeding off my struggle.

“Perhaps you’re having second thoughts about the contract.”

I grind my jaw, glancing briefly at Robert and the assassins who are all silently telling me no.

“If I sign this contract and hand the empire over to you, what happens?”

“My Crows will fly. And with your empire, I will become the most powerful man in the city’s underground. Renato failed, but I’m rebranding his vision and turning it into my own. With the help of your men and your riches, I will solidify the Crows, making even the police force work in my favor.”

“Like a real-life Gotham…” mutters Ophelia, staring vacantly into space.

My heart breaks right down the middle. I become just another person who lets her down if I refuse to sign this contract.

And if I kill these boys, I never have a chance to save them.

I think back to the attack, to the memorial I arranged for Wilson. I’m no better than the man in front of me. I murdered a man to silence him. I organized an event to cover up the truth.

A boy shot himself in the head that night, the others sentenced to a lifetime behind bars.

Ophelia is right. Innocent people died. And they died on my watch.

“What if I let you kill me?” I say, watching David.

“Salvatore!” sobs Ophelia from the chair, tears rolling down my sunshine’s face. “Please⁠—”

The boys shove the guns harder into her temple, silencing her.