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Popping a cigarette in his mouth, he lit it up, deeply inhaling and enjoying the combo of alcohol and nicotine as it hit his system.
"I can only do it like this," he confirmed.
Thismeant keeping himself closed—an island among continents. It meant forging his path ahead disregarding any and every potential casualty.
It meant hell. And there was no joy to be had in hell.
He could only fulfill his revenge if he kept his pain onto himself, honing it and turning it into a deadly weapon. He could only go forwardbecausehe had nothing left to lose.
The moment he did…
The moment he found something more important was the moment he failed.
And he wasn't about to do that.
He'd own his pet and he would take care of her like his most prized possession. He would woo her until he'd gain her love once more—for that was the only resource that could energize him like no other. And he would feed off her adoration, as he'd done from the beginning.
All until he could exorcize her from his body and his mind. Until he numbed himself to her and everything she made him feel.
She would be his. But she would never bemore.
She would only ever be hispet.
And for that, he must steel himself against all further temptation.
THIRTY-FOUR
MICHELE
"I don't careabout the chain of supply, Jimmy. I told you I wanted it done by the end of the month."
Michele tapped his foot on the floor, rolling his eyes as the excuses flew from the young man's mouth.
Of course, nothing would ever get done unless he got personally involved.
"I'm so sorry, sir. I'll try to hurry it along. But the shipment is already lost and…"
"Call me when you have actual information, Jimmy. Not excuses," he said as he cut the line.
Michele's plans were scheduled in minute detail, and though he always accounted for unavoidable delays, he couldn't account for human stupidity. And this was exactly what had happened in this case.
From the moment he'd woken up in the hospital as the only survivor, he'd promised to Solomon and to himself that he would make McBride pay.
Yet that was only the beginning.
Michele still had the list of people Solomon had remembered by their given names. And though most were incredibly common ones, Michele was certain that once he got to McBride, he would be able to find the others too. In fact, considering McBride's exalted position and moniker as theNation's Hero, Michele had no doubt that the others involved in the trafficking ring must hold equally important functions.
Alas, first he needed to get to his main target. Slowly, methodically.
For years he'd been doing hostile take-overs of companies of interest, placing a false leadership while he controlled them from the shadows—all in an effort to gain ground within the impenetrable world of politics and state affairs.
The goal of the entire mission was secrecy. He couldn't afford to make mistakes like he'd done the first time which had resulted in his son's death.
No, this time everything would be so methodically planned, there would be absolutely no room for error.
In the end, the objective was to infiltrate McBride's circle, which had proven quite the Herculean task. No matter how much Michele tried, the circuit seemed to be closed.
They were all a bunch of paranoid old men with a lot to hide.
