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He wasn’t though, and I took joy that it was his weakness that was showing now.
The same words he’s echoed for years, no closer to any kind of answer.
I sat a little straighter and canted my head.
Fifteen years ago, my father would never have let his mask slip. Especially not with company standing right before him. He was the epitome of power and control, just to be near him was to quiver at the intensity of unwavering strength that could conquer cities. Yet, being undermined without ever knowing the devil he danced with had battered him down into this deranged version of himself, made him crack like a porcelain vase.
It started as a fracture and soon enough, the whole thing would shatter.
Now he just looked sad and pathetic.
Frenzied as the demon rioted in his head.
Telling him to trust nobody, not even himself.
“Fine, I’ll take bitch one and bitch two.” I sighed, standing from my seat like this conversation had bled me of any interest.
Clapping my hands together, I headed toward the door and sang, “Follow along, now, good puppies.”
When we walked out into the hall, I lead them around a few corners and once we were cleared and far enough away from any listening ears, I spun and punched Ronnie on the shoulder. He grunted and staggered back. “What the fuck, Alex.”
“You thought I wouldn’t recognize you? That this mask, or anything else in this world for that matter, would make it so that I didn’t know who you were?”
“I didn’t have time to warn you,” he grunted, shaking his head and removed the mask from his face, revealing his milk chocolate complexion, darkened by his blush that just made his entire skin look silken. Those deep gray eyes, so pale they looked like ice, bored into mine and my heart softened, even though my face stayed stern. “Don’t kill this kid either. Killian’s good people.” Ronnie nodded his head toward the guy who I’d avoided the most over the years. The one who watched me from afar, and apart from the night of my sixteenth birthday, never uttered a single word to me. He just stood there silently and unmoving. “Picked him myself.”
“Is that right,” I hummed, knowing full well Luigi would have passed the task on to someone else. “I don’t need a babysitter.” There was no heat in my words because I wasn’t going to fight this. I didn’t want to fight this.
“Just roll with it, kid. You have enough going on without worrying about two people more than willing to give their life up for yours. With the shit you get yourself into, you need us. You’ve always been a troublemaker.”
I narrowed my eyes as I stared into his with the slightest hint of mocked humor. Ronnie hardly left my side anyway since the man was basically my uncle, so having him here in an official capacity wouldn’t matter as much, but this other man?
I had no idea who he was, not really, and I didn’t trust easy.
In fact, there was one person in this entire world that I trusted and I was looking at him. My eyes never left Ronnie’s when I spoke. “You vouch for him?” I asked, finally turning to stare into deep blue eyes that peered out at me with something hard and brutal in their bottomless depths. The shadows circled his gaze through the holes in the mask and they brought the color to life with vicious vibrancy.
Gave them power, and electricity.
Something inside of me bellowed, but it was shoved so deep down, the voice was only a tiny whimper in the dark that had become my rotten soul.
“I do,” Ronnie agreed, crossing those thick arms across his chest and turning, so we were both facing this secretly masked man with intimidation.
“Then you know what he has to do.”
CHAPTER SIX
Alessia
—Twenty-Five Years Old—
“You think you can do this? You. A woman?” Raymond asked me from behind his black desk. His chin rested in his hand as he stared at me without an ounce of belief.
“Trust me, Raymond. I’ll get you that land and when I do, I can trust on your alliance and your discretion?”
He scoffed, sniffing before he smirked at me with mockery, “Yes. Prove you can get things done, and you’ll have my backing.”
I sensually wound my hips as I lowered my knees, arms in the air as I caressed my soft skin with my other hand. Losing myself to the music, I lashed out again. The tasseled end of my whip flayed open the flesh on Waylen’s back.
My current victim.
