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“No. The one person I thought would never succumb to this life is responsible.” The ugly realization that Tomaso had harbored the same kind of anger and frustration that I had nearly gutted me. He’d looked up to me as a big brother, longing to be a part of a world I’d tried to shield him from. What had it gotten me? Resentment.
“Did you see where they took her?” Lorenzo barked.
“No.” Raphaelo shook his head. “Again, Don DeLuca, I’m sorry.”
I rubbed my jaw, putting myself into Tomaso’s mind.
“I know exactly where she is. This will end tonight. Where’s Enzo?” I shoved my weapon behind my back, raking my hand through my hair. How many men were loyal to Tomaso? At least two dozen had been killed during the attack, which equaled the number of soldiers I’d lost.
“I locked him in the wine cellar.”
“Use him to clean up this shit. But watch him.” There were two places the son of a bitch might take her, but I knew exactly where he’d want to end the charade that he’d carefully played out.
“Not a problem.”
“Round up the rest of them. This time, no prisoners,” I added.
He grinned, the order making him a happy man.
“Let me go with you,” Lorenzo said. “You need backup.”
“Not this time. This is something I need to do alone. This is my penance to face.”
I stormed from the house, staring up at the sky as a crisscross of lightning flashed, bolting through the horizon with an eerie neon glow. Some might consider it a warning, an omen of things to come. For me, it was a soulful awakening, as if the hellfire I’d spent my life embroiled in had finally released its monstrous talons.
He knew it too.
The boy who’d told me more than once he wanted to be just like me.
I’d laughed, telling him that wasn’t going to happen but here we were on a stormy night, prepared to battle the same demons.
Ones of bloodlust and hunger for violence. Were we any different? Up until days ago, I would have laughed at the thought. Now?
That remained to be seen.
As the rain began to come down, I never blinked, heading for the one place he knew could break me apart.
While the building was entirely different, no tiny apartment with limited air and zero sunshine, no stench of horse manure no matter how many times I cleaned the stalls, the memories were just as brutal. I hadn’t visited the location since being tossed out of the only home I’d ever known, considering the ground as evil as the man who’d tossed me aside.
But evil was spawned by hate and greed. Today, it wouldn’t guide me, nor would it bring the salvation I needed.
Only one thing would.
My need to save Lucia.
Nothing would stop me.
As soon as I moved through the trees surrounding the barn, smoke assaulted my senses. The fucker had set the structure on fire, determined that both Lucia and I would face the same fate. As if that would close the cycle of tyranny and pain.
Not a chance in hell.
After pulling the weapon into my hand, I yanked open both doors, taking long strides inside.
Flames were already licking up two of the walls much the same as had occurred before. The horses were terrified, whinnying and several of them kicking at the stall doors.
The sight was damning, unwanted memories rushing to the surface as the demon who’d taken a hold fifteen years before threatened to drag me into the pit of darkness permanently.
“D’Artagnan!” Lucia screamed, struggling to get out of Tomaso’s grasp.
