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I felt the evil of his presence spreading across the estate and into the ground, spoiling the roots and unleashing infection. He wanted to destroy everything about Alaric Huber and his union with Catherine Venetti. Sal never forgave his sister for marrying Alaric’s father, Mitchell Huber. When she died, his despair and rage became a personal vendetta to ruin Alaric Huber—even the entire bloodline.
I knew that now. There was no other reason to order the hit on Bianca or use Carlo Tripoli and Rubio De Marco. He sent them to infiltrate Alaric Huber’s dynasty and wreak havoc from within. When Bianca and I were separated, I did some digging and found records of Alaric’s business dealings. There was as much blood on his hands as Sal Russo.
But neither man counted on Catherine Russo’s secret and the fortune she left behind. When the truth was discovered, and Anthony Huber’s will revealed, it shook up everyone’s plans.
It took a while to put it all together, but after I heard Carlo at the cemetery, I finally fit in the missing pieces.
I led Rael, Bodie, and Jigsaw to the old well on the property and to the hidden entrance to the secret tunnels. We moved beyond Craven’s cottage when I saw red lights gleaming in a consistent pathway that only led to one spot—the ivy-covered door. Flares lit up the dark shroud of night and illuminated the way in a crimson glow.
I didn’t have to reach the well to know the door stood open. I counted on it. What I didn’t expect were the voices that shouted loud enough to be heard as they echoed from within those stone walls.
Using caution, I entered first, taking the familiar pathway. To the left, my lair beckoned. To the right, it ended in the kitchens and old wine cellar. Straight ahead, I would find stairs that could take me to any floor in the house.
I only cared about the voices I heard coming from the right. The dirt beneath our feet helped conceal our footsteps as we approached the two men who stood and stared one another down in a face-off. Behind the racks full of aged and rare wines, I could see through the cracks enough to make out the men responsible for the death of so many.
Alaric Huber and Sal Russo each held a gun aimed at the other’s chest. They weren’t alone. Bruno stood behind Russo. Three more of the Russo henchmen waited for their boss’s order. Mike, Timothy, and Eric Huber stood behind their father. This would end in a bloodbath.
I moved carefully behind the rows, keeping within the shadows as I stalked toward the men behind Sal Russo. I purposely ignored the vile bastard, knowing if I looked at him, I wouldn’t be able to control the fury that erupted inside as soon as I heard his voice.
Rael paused next to me. “What do you need?” His voice was so low I almost missed his words.
“Reap their souls after I finish with them.”
A sadistic smile curved his lips. “Done.”
Six men entered my childhood home and tormented me and my father. Rubio De Marco was the first to die. He wouldn’t be the last.
Carlo Tripoli met his fate for touching my woman, but he wasn’t there the night my father was murdered.
As I scanned the faces of the men behind Russo, I recognized all of them. They would each meet their fate at the hands of a phantom. A shadow from their past that would show no mercy.
I felt the presence of my shadow as he laughed, then rushed to the surface, taking over as I stared down at my body, no longer seeing the physical limbs or parts. Darkness replaced every inch with shadows. I moved as silently as a ghost.
Wasting no time, I slid behind the man who stood in the back, the farthest behind Russo. With a quick slash of my hand, a claw appeared, slicing across his throat. His body dropped but never reached the ground. Bodie’s chuckle followed.
The first had fallen.
Two more joined him, snatched by reapers who dispensed quick justice. I would have taken my time with them, but I couldn’t tip off the two men ahead of me.
Only Bruno and Russo remained.
Neither of them noticed the absence of their comrades. We had moved so fast that no sound betrayed our presence.
I stood behind Bruno and remembered how he grunted when he forced himself inside me. The sick fuck enjoyed raping a child. He deserved the harshest of Lucifer’s punishments, and I hoped he rotted in hell until the end of time.
I closed my eyes, envisioning ten blades as they replaced my fingers. Each would stab a part of Bruno’s body and pin him to the wall. He would dangle until I finished with him.
As my eyes reopened, my shadow enacted my wishes. The phantom fingers moved first, ripping the clothes from Bruno. Ten blades shot out, and nine stabbed into his body.
Both palms. Two ankles. Through each ear as they ripped open, the tip of the blades embedded into the wall. One knife clattered to the ground after slicing off his balls. The two testicles dropped with a plop onto the hardwood floor. Another blade pinned his flaccid dick to the wall between his thighs. The ninth knife pierced his stomach and twisted his guts while the final blade hovered in front of his face. A warning that this wasn’t over.
His scream fed the darkness inside me, and the laugh that followed wasn’t my own.
Lucifer Morningstar. He eagerly awaited his meal.
Chaos exploded around us, and I finally stood in front of Salvador Russo. His gaze roamed over me in confusion at first. Then he appeared surprised.
Russo was an old man now. Fifteen years passed since we last met. The years hadn’t been kind.
