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“Should I call Doctor Chambers? I’ll have him make a house visit. No more you going to him. From now on, we’ll bring them to you. You can stay here, where it’s safe.”
Her hand pokes out from under the covers and falls in my lap. I realize a split second later she’s holding it out for me to take hers. I wrap it in my larger hand and bring it up to my lips for a soft kiss.
I don’t say anything else. She’s not in the mood for conversation. I’m not well-equipped dealing with emotion.
One thing is for certain—she wants to hold my hand. She wants me to stay with her. So I do.
We sit in darkness and listen to silence and grieve our little one in our own way.
There’s something tragically intimate about the moment, holding hands and thinking over what’s happened. It solidifies how unbreakable we are; we will always survive the dark. Eventually, we will always find the light.
I’ll see to it myself.
First, I’ll get my revenge. Heads will roll and the earth will be scorched.
I will destroy everyone and everything if it means avenging Falynn and our baby. I’ll become so powerful, so unstoppable, that no one will ever be able to hurt a hair on their heads. How can they if I rule the world?
I lean forward and kiss Falynn’s cheek again. Her eyes have shut and she’s slipped off to sleep, but I break our silence, anyway.
“Don’t worry. I’m going to fix this.”
Present…
We assassinate Paolo Rastelli in Sicily for his involvement with Luca Lovato. It’s possibly a controversial move that will open up a can of worms for future conflict between my family and theirs.
I’m more than out of fucks to give. My scorched-earth policy has never been more in effect.
I have nothing to lose.
Suddenly, the empire I’ve broken my back building over the last five and a half years means jack shit. The billions of dollars in net worth could disappear and I wouldn’t blink twice. My legions of loyal men could desert me tomorrow and I’d bid them farewell. The pure ambition that’s driven me from the time I was a small boy, and decided I wanted to prove to my father I could rule better than him, has vanished.
After our Italy excursion, I return to my main estate in New York. The large mansion empties as I walk through the double doors and fire my entire staff.
“Get the fuck out!” I scream at everybody.
They share quizzical looks. Some even question if they’ve misunderstood. I gesture to the door and tell them to get out of my sight. They’re not needed in a home that no longer has a heart.
My men are just as confused. Marino approaches to ask for instruction, but I tell him to defer to Vic. For the time being—indefinitely—Vic is in charge of the family.
What does a King do in his empty castle without his subjects? He wanders the dark halls and drinks until he’s belligerent and fucked up. He laments every foolish move in the past.
Funny how things never seem clearer than when you’re shit-faced drunk. I don’t see how I didn’t see it before. How I allowed myself to become ruled by my power and position.
I thought if I could dominate the world, attain so much power I was all-powerful, I could eliminate every last enemy. I could protect my wife and future children, while proving I could successfully be King. Better than my father in every way. I could have it all.
At least he owned his savagery. He was proud and aware. Instead, I told myself I was above him while it couldn’t be further from the truth. When Carlotta tried to warn me of what I was becoming, I refused to see it.
In my office, I stop at my minibar and pull the plug from the decanter of whiskey. It burns slipping down my throat, but I only guzzle more. I’ve never been one to get sloppy drunk or wallow in self-pity during times like these.
It’s impossible to avoid when I’ve fucked up beyond repair. I can’t erase the memory of the anguished look in Falynn’s eyes. The sad, pained expression on her beautiful face—and the bruises that marred her once unblemished, once glowing golden-brown skin.Idid that to her.
Maybe not directly, but it was me. I ordered Dante and some of my other men to track her down. I had her handcuffed to the bed to prevent another escape.
I told myself I only wanted to protect her, but somewhere along the line, my protection turned into tyrannical control.
A sick feeling roils in my normally rock-hard stomach. I’ve lost track of how much liquor I’ve consumed. Enough to empty a couple bottles on my own.
None of my men dare reach out to check on me. Nobody wants to end up like Dante. I’d gutted him like a fish, left him alive to bleed out and watch his insides spill out of him. It was gruesome, even for me.
