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“No. No! NO!” Frantic pleas bounced off the tiled walls as my sister leaned over the person tied to a chair, slicing his ear from his body.
My uncle relaxed against the back wall, watching as she meticulously tortured him. She was so fixated on her work she hadn’t noticed I’d walked in. It was always strange to see my twin sister destroy another human. There was no doubt she was good at her job, but I sometimes wondered what she would’ve been if our parents had lived. If we hadn’t been raised by our ruthless uncle.
I would always appreciate him for what he’d done. But it would never fill the missing gap inside me. Never make up for not having them.
“You wanted to see me.” I walked further into the room. Mila’s blood-splattered face broke out into a smile as she saw me. It even coated her honey hair.
But my uncle remained stoic as I crossed to him, kissing his offered hand in respect. Thankfully he was blood free, content to let Mila do the work.
He was dressed in his usual dark suit; smoke curled around his head as he held a cigar to his lips. His black hair was slicked back, and his mustache was going gray. He gave off the air of authority that he’d killed to earn.
“We have news.” A rare smirk played on his lips as he pulled the cigar from his mouth. “We’ve decided to make a deal with the Vancinis.”
I couldn’t hold in my sigh of relief. Mila and my uncle had started this war months ago. Convinced that it was time to enact their revenge on Leonardo Vancini for killing my parents. I wasn’t as eager to risk lives for a twenty-year-old grudge.
Not that I wasn’t upset by their deaths, but I wasn’t focused on revenge like they were. I was more worried about keeping this family alive. Ensuring the Gallos could make it another generation so my father’s legacy could live on.
This war didn’t serve that goal. And all it had gotten us was more death. More fuel to the fire until it was on the verge of explosion.
“I’m glad to hear that.” My body relaxed for the first time in months. My muscles lost some of the tension I’d been holding. “I think ending this war is the best idea.”
“We will end it.” Mila’s smile was vicious as she sliced at the man tied to the chair. Her body was fit from the years of training we’d both had. Turning us into the monsters we now had to be to survive. “With Leonardo’s life.”
“What?” She didn’t answer, turning back to her captive. I recognized him as a low-level soldier for us. But I didn’t care what he’d done to end up here, not when I needed answers. “Zio?”
“Your sister has decided the best way to get to Leonardo is to marry Leif.”
“No.” I shook my head, my teeth grinding together.
I liked Leif, Leonardo Vancini’s oldest son, or I had before this war had started. And I had only my uncle to blame for the deterioration of those bonds. I didn’t blame him for what he had to do to keep his family safe. Because in the end, that’s what it came down to. We’d always pick our family over our friendship.
“Mila,” I shouted over the screams. “Leif isn’t stupid. He’s going to figure it out. And he’ll kill you.”
“I’m a very talented actress.” She brushed away my concern as she cut off his other ear.
His moans of pain clawed at my chest. Each whimper grated my nerves. My skin tightened as the anxiety set in.
I couldn’t stand the idea of something happening to my sister. She’d saved my life. Pulled me from under my parents’ dead bodies when I’d almost been killed with them. She had no idea what she was doing with this plan.
She’d be trapped with the enemy. Completely at their mercy. And everyone might think Leif Vancini was a calm leader, but I knew the predator that lurked underneath. I’d seen what he could do.
“Why wasn’t this discussed with me?” My voice vibrated with anger. “I’m supposed to be your second.”
My uncle’s mouth pinched as he stared at me. “Exactly. Second. I make the decisions. And it’s been decided.”
Rage burned inside me. An inferno threatening to take over every rational thought. Sometimes my position as underboss felt like pity. Like I’d only been given it because of my last name. Mila and I were the only Gallos of our generation. The name would die with us if we didn’t have kids. Our father’s legacy turned to ash.
“So you’ll risk her life!” My words filled the air around us. My uncle’s head snapped back in shock.
I never yelled at him. Partly because he was the only father figure I’d had and partly because I feared him. Always sensed there was more than what he’d shown us.
“Matteo.” Mila’s voice was soft as she looked at me. Her amber eyes, so much like our mother’s, tore a hole in my heart. “I can handle myself.”
“It has to be done.” The finality in my uncle’s tone told me there was no arguing our way out of this. He was the boss. His word was law whether I liked it or not.
I hated it. Hated him. Hated this life that I could never escape.
Our captive took that moment to scream. The sound set off every nerve ending in my body. Before I knew it, the gun was in my hand. The trigger gave way easily as I ended his life.
