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Jonas chuckled, muttering in Greek.
I nodded to my soldiers, who freed David’s arms. As I walked closer, he was forced to tilt his chin significantly given the height difference. Even his lower lip was trembling. While I doubted that I’d get any information from the treacherous shithead, I gave it one last shot.
While our family had a long list of enemies, several attempts made to destroy us over the years, none had been as egregious as this effort. The person responsible would be hunted down one way or another.
“Who. Paid. You?” The second of hesitation further infuriated me. I yanked the guy’s head by fisting his hair at the scalp.
The stupid son of a bitch had the audacity to smile.
That was the end of my patience.
The hard punch I issued resulted in a loud cracking sound as his nose splintered, the sound like shattering glass. As blood splattered across my shirt, it fueled the rage, the rush of adrenaline coursing through me becoming rocket fuel.
He threw his arms up, howling but his defense was weak. Perhaps he was prepared to accept his fate after all.
I released my hold, throwing four hard punches, snapping his head back from the force of one. He tumbled to the ground, hitting with a hard thud. I raked my hand through my hair then glanced at my bloodied knuckles. The pain coursing through my hand was exactly what I needed. After taking a series of deep breaths, I grabbed him by the shirt, jerking him off the ground and into the air.
His mouth was a canvas of red, yet he still wore the smile.
“Astvads Hogin lusavori,” he struggled to say but I caught it clearly, the phrase one I’d heard a half dozen times.
It was a warning sent to me personally. My sister had been forced to suffer for the war that had been brewing for years.
While I wanted the man to suffer, he was nothing in the world of my enemy, sold a bill of goods that his soul would go to heaven. I knew better. I tossed him aside, immediately reaching for my weapon, firing off three shots into the man’s brain.
“Fuck,” I hissed under my breath.
“What the hell did the dude say?”
Exhaling, I scanned the beautiful setting, the kill doing little to abate my fury. “It’s an old Armenian saying when people pass. Let God shine a light on their soul.”
Jonas chuckled. “What the fuck?”
I tipped my head in his direction. “It means the battle is about to begin.”
CHAPTER2
Phoenix
“I’ll have Elena out on bail in three hours,” Gregory Watson stated with confidence from behind me. He’d been the family’s corporate attorney for as long as I could remember, earning a license to practice law in California in order to protect my sister’s dreams of owning a winery. The girl was headstrong, refusing to kowtow to our father’s wishes. I admired her spunk and tenacity, but she was naïve, which is why she’d allowed herself to be conned by an aging man with gray hair.
The thought repulsed me.
What surprised me was that he’d obviously been working for the Armenians. He’d been vetted by me personally when hired. I’d found zero connection to any organization, law enforcement, or crime syndicate.
“That’s not soon enough,” I snarled, remaining in front of her office, the stark surroundings a perfect representation of the simple life she’d become determined to live. Elena hated everything to do with the family’s powerful hold on Philadelphia, refusing to return under any circumstances. While my two brothers and I were vicious by anyone’s standards, she was the epitome of a law-abiding citizen, which was another reason for my extreme fury.
“It’ll need to do for now.” He shifted his heated gaze toward the front of my formerly white shirt, the dark stains consistent with my usual behavior. As expected, his condescending glare followed. He wouldn’t ask. He knew better.
“My sister didn’t embezzle from her own company, for fuck’s sake. Nor did she suddenly go into the illegal arms trade business.” I chose my words carefully even around the man who’d experienced firsthand the power of my family. I’d been called away during a difficult time, my attempt at avoiding a war vital to the continued well-being of my corporation. I had zero patience for liars or thieves, especially when it came from within.
Betrayal was unacceptable under any circumstances, more so when it endangered the lives of a family member. The organization had its share of challenges, truths hidden beneath thick barriers, but the bitterness existing in my throat had left a significant burn.
Anger swelled deep within, my need for revenge as pronounced as it had ever been. No one fucked with the Diamondis family, especially highly valued employees. When I located the pompous accountant Elena had trusted, he was a dead man.
But he wouldn’t die slowly.
He’d experience the full wrath of my Greek blood for days until he begged me to die. Then I’d start over again.
