AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“This is what you and Leo wanted. I’m here, killing the Italians for you. Now give me what is rightfully mine,” he growls. I don’t want to see confirmation on my uncle’s face. I get it now. He knew I would never be able to kill Luna. He knew I loved her too much. The Russians are here to do the job I couldn’t.
“Shooting up a wedding is not the way to get what you want. You have two choices. Leave, or stay and die.”
Luna’s brother vibrates next to me, his anger unable to be masked. His energy is full of turmoil caused by me pulling a gun first and then at the idea his father is on the brink of being killed. I was once in a similar position.
“All I care about is that my family is safe and happy,” Nicoli says to his son, willing to sacrifice his life for everyone. It causes a pang in my chest. I never had that.
I watch as Katrina stands up, and Demetri loses focus on me as his eyes land on her.
My gaze turns to my uncle, and my thoughts are confirmed. He planned this. It was never about wanting me to be happy. My uncle’s eyes dim, as he knows me better than anyone. We both know he will die anyway within a few days. To save everyone, I have to kill himnow.
I fight with myself on pulling the trigger. It would create the distraction we need to have the upper hand. But I would be losing him and quite possibly the respect of his men. It’s not public knowledge that he has cancer.
My gun rises, and my uncle shouts, “Do it!”
On command, I shoot my uncle in the heart. I leave zero chance of survival, proving once again to everyone that I’m better at killing than protecting. Luca, being the man he is, shoots at Demetri, and I follow his lead. Nicoli twists away and brings out his own gun, shooting his way clear as he steps back toward his family.
My eyes focus on the next task while my body continues to stay numb to the chaos around me. I don’t even notice them taking Luna away until she’s no longer there.
Demetri bulldozes his way to Katrina, but Nicoli steps in his path. Gunshots are fired as everyone begins to position themselves in front of Katrina. Family protects family.
The men in Luna’s family stay side by side as we push the Russians out, but it won’t be long before they turn those guns on me. I would look down on them if they didn’t. Hell, I would purposely invade their territory if they showed me mercy. I am now the official leader of the Irish mafia with my uncle dead.
When all the Russians lie dead or have run, the bloodshed is overwhelming. Red is everywhere, as dead bodies scatter across the room.
“Call in your cleaning crew,” I demand the Rossi family.
Whatever Irish are left nod toward me, giving me their silent support, their guns on anyone who is not one of us.
“I’m going to give you one minute to leave with the rest of your family in peace,” Nicoli grates, giving me an ultimatum. He’s bleeding badly but shows no signs of pain. He’s going to need a doctor soon if he’s going to survive. I’m jealous of the role model Luna had growing up. All I ever wanted was a family, but I cursed everyone around me.
“Watch your back” is hissed. I’m not sure from who.
I walk toward the double doors, and the rest of my side does the same. By this time, it’s all of my top men with me. The idea of that is foreign. Each step I take, my body tries to turn the other way. It wants to search out Luna. I should be the one holding her hand, praying she makes it. But I know my prayers have gone unanswered for most of my life.
I’m truly the monster the Irish mafia wanted. The perfect heir. I can feel the new burn in my veins, the need to have blood on my hands. It was the same feeling right after I killed my father. It’s why I am a better assassin than a lover.
My feet are heavy as I walk. Glancing over my shoulder, the Rossi men give me a courtesy nod. But I know the truce won’t last much longer. There’s no way to deny I wanted Luna dead—it appeared as if I shot the only woman I have ever loved, in front of everyone.
Only now, I am questioning everything. What made her change her mind about killing me? I was expecting her to shoot first. I was waiting for her to raise her gun. She doesn’t even shower without a gun near her and sleeps with the weapons she holds most dear to her.
Myuncle’srighthandman,Aiden, punches me in the face when we leave the church. “We both knew he was dying, but no one else did,” he hisses. I step into him, but he doesn’t flinch and continues to lecture me. “If you want to be boss, you’re going to have to prove you can be. Killing your uncle will be seen as a traitor move.”
“Why isn’t anyone talking about him setting up my wedding?” My hands link behind my neck, and I stretch out my tense muscles. “Fuck,” I curse, running my fingers through my hair. “Call a meeting with all the men.”
Within an hour, I’m standing in a boxing ring, my uncle’s men inside it, the centerpiece of the room. The chatter is loud and heated.
“Gentleman,” I greet them all, “Leo is dead. I will not lie to you; I sacrificed his life for everyone else.”
Their uproar grows in volume, but the lights dim as a video is projected on one of the walls. It shows the conversation my uncle and I had the day I told him of my engagement. I never in my life thought I would have to show this. In fact, I almost never even recorded it, but something felt off. The video has my uncle explaining that he has cancer and has been given days to survive, and that I am to be his successor. I wonder if my uncle knew I could never go through with killing Luna, and wanted an easy way out. This way he didn’t have to continue living as a weak man with cancer.
“I will accept challenges,” I announce after the video. “Fight to the death.” The men’s eyes widen with the new information. “After today, the leader will be official.”
An underboss steps up with his head held high. I look around, and no one makes a sound.
I gesture for him to enter the ring, and after we knock our fists together, and a bell rings. He’s fast on his feet, but I’m faster. I dodge, tiring him out, before I knock him unconscious. The fight isn’t even a challenge. He’s been standing behind men who protect him for too long. The room is silent with me standing. I hate knowing I have to kill him while he can’t fight back. But rules are rules. Kneeling down I break his neck.
“Who’s next?” I ask.
