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Felix concludes, “Finally, the fire subsided, and it left us with a blackened griddle, a sticky floor, and a very defeated-looking Austin.”
Saint laughs and grips his stomach. “And that’s when we heard the sirens approaching. Austin had accidentally set off the smoke alarm, and his family had one of those alarms that automatically called the fire department if we did not shut it off.”
Felix raises his eyebrows and smiles. “So there we were, standing in the middle of a pancake disaster zone, when the firefighters burst in, fully geared up and ready to battle a blaze.”
“We had to explain the whole bourbon-infused pancake fiasco to them. They couldn’t stop laughing.” Saint chuckles.
“And the best part? Austin’s pancakes, the ones that had survived the inferno, were so charred we could have used them as hockey pucks,” Felix adds.
Saint and Felix burst into laughter once more, recounting the absurdity of that morning when Austin’s wish to provide for his pack almost turned into a fiery spectacle. Austin joins in with their shared laughter, rumbling through my back.
“It really wasn’t that bad,” Austin mumbles.
“I thought your mom would beat us with a broom when she came home to find the destroyed kitchen,” Felix replies.
Finishing up the pancakes and flipping the stovetop off, I turn in Austin’s arms, loving the feel of them holding me. “They are right, no pancake making for you.” I kiss the tip of his nose, and he gives me a droll stare.
“It really wasn’t that bad,” he repeats. He is adorable when all of his walls are down. I want to keep him like this forever.
CHAPTER48
Audrey
Nervous anticipation bubblesinside of me as Saint, Austin, Sin, and I pile into the car for the drive to Zade towers. I’m not sure what I should be feeling right now, knowing that in less than a half hour, I’ll be in that room with another one of the men that destroyed my family and tortured me and my brother.
Joy doesn’t feel right. Neither does happiness. But it is akin to both. Slaying the real live monster and giving them what they deserve is a new addiction. That wholelet karma take care of themdoesn’t always work and, in this case, change my name to Karma because I’m bringing it right to them.
I’ll deal with the morality of it later. But for once, it feels right to release that darkness that builds inside of me. The darkness I’ve suppressed for so long.
I’m in a haze until the metal walls and the unconscious man strapped to a metal table that reminds me of the one they had us secured to before we escaped, comes into view. Then everything snaps back into focus. Time slows.
It is Thomas, the embodiment of every painful memory from my past. The beta that followed anything Jason told him to, no matter how cruel or vindictive it was. My heart gives a painful thump beneath my rib cage, not out of concern but out of the sheer irony of the situation. Fate can be a wicked jesteress.
My palms feel clammy as my fingers curl in, and my nails dig into them, though this time, it’s not from anxiety or fear. It’s from the surge of anger and resentment that bubbles up within me. I watch with a mix of disbelief and disdain as Thomas lies unconscious before me, his once-controlling demeanor reduced to vulnerability.
Memories of his torment and cruelty flash before my eyes. The relentless way he would drag the scalpel down my side or across my back. Or the way he would cause so much pain, the blackness would rise to claim me. He never showed an ounce of remorse, and I had to bear the scars of his actions long after we parted ways.
But now, the situation is reversed. My voice, surprisingly steady, calls out to him, “Thomas.” There’s no warmth in my tone, no affection if there ever was, just a cold and detached acknowledgment of his presence. “You’re in quite a mess, aren’t you?” I can’t help but take a certain satisfaction in his misfortune.
Sin chuckles as he steps up next to me. The darkness flowing off him as if he wears it as a cloak. “I’m going to enjoy this one,” he murmurs, cracking his knuckles.
Austin and Saint take up posts next to the door. Letting us seek our vengeance in our own way, but making it clear that they are here if we need them.
His eyes flicker open, and for a moment, they’re clouded with confusion. It’s clear he doesn’t know where he is or what is happening. But there’s a flicker of recognition in his gaze as it lands on my face, then even more as it darts to Sin, and he tries to sit up, wincing in pain. The straps hold him in place, and he groans.
“What happened?” he mumbles, his voice groggy.
“I’d say you messed with the wrong Mafia,” Sin replies. “You should have killed us when you had a chance.”
Panic flares in the depths of his eyes, and I feel nothing but an icy detachment. “Oh my God,” he says as he struggles in earnest, and he wakes up fully to the situation he has found himself in.
“God can’t help you now.” I grin and pick up a short knife.
Sin adds, “And I’m pretty sure it won’t be pearly white gates you see when you get to where you’re going.”
“Please–” he begs, his murky gray eyes pleading with me, as if I have mercy to show.
We take turns, bringing the flow of blood to the surface, waking him each time he passes out. It is the release I need. Maybe I really am meant to head the De Luca Mafia. Apparently, I have the stomach for it. At least for this part. Because no one hurts our family and gets away with it.
