AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was born to be Jericho’s best friend and right-hand man, and how my father stole from me was our wake up call. From that moment on, our faith in Gabriel Viotto and Thomas Mondelli dwindled into ash.
Now, we only trust each other.
“You say he’s been sneaking into your room at night?” Gabriel asks, peering at me with an unreadable expression.
“Yes, Sir,” I whisper through quivering lips.
He was the first adult, besides my mother, that I could think of to tell and would help me fight him off.
Gabriel sits back in his office chair, shifting slightly as he looks me over with a sharp eye, taking in everything.
“And?” Gabriel responds with a roll of his wrist without an ounce of care.
“I… I… Want him to stop. He touches me, Sir. He…” I swallow hard, shame rearing its ugly head inside me.
Gabriel shrugs. “If that’s how your father takes care of things.”
I blink several times, and my fists clench at my side. Coming to him for help was the biggest mistake of my life.
When my father met his end, I rejoiced. My mother celebrated. We had a party after we buried his ashes at the cemetery. Never again would we have to deal with his bullshit ways.
No one on this planet misses Thomas Mondelli except Gabriel Viotto.
“Thank you for trying, Aiden,” Jericho says, dipping his head with respect.
It’s the one thing Gabriel never shows his men. Respect. Admiration. Loyalty.
He uses and abuses, throwing away perfectly good, loyal men without a second thought. Blackmail. Underhanded dealings. Murdering in cold blood. He’s done it all. Everyone in the family is beginning to suspect how unhinged he’s become. Even his competence as the great ruler of Briar Cove is coming into question. His brothers, Jericho’s uncles, have questions—ones Gabriel refuses to acknowledge.
No matter. We’ve been building an army of our own, collecting loyal soldiers right under his nose. He’ll never see it coming. Like Aiden and Brandon, our lead security at Rave.
“No problem, Sir. We’ll keep guard outside for now,” Aiden says, dipping his head again and then turning on his heel.
Aiden disappears behind the large doors separating us from the rest of the club below. Briefly, the music filters through on full blast, washing over us with its rhythmic beat.
Ah, to be young and carefree, dancing your life away as alcohol affects your ambitions. It’s something I’ve never had the pleasure of being—innocent, carefree, and ignorant of the world around me. Instead, I’m a broken soldier raised in the darkness of the basement with only a monster to guide me down the twisting paths of life.
“I like him,” Arrow says, puffing his cigar and wrinkling his nose again. Funny. Arrow doesn’t like anyone but us. And, of course, Journey. “And I don’t like this. Why do all the old men celebrate with these things? They taste dreadful. And they don’t make us look as important as I thought.”
‘He’s our most trusted,’ I sign. ‘He never rats.’
“He’s proven his loyalty to us,” Jericho murmurs, puffing his cigar again.
“Excuse me, Sir.” Aiden’s voice catches me off guard as he peeks his head back into our windowed room. “There are more players here. They have the golden coin.”
“Thank you, Aiden. Let them in,” Jericho says, rolling his wrist with feigned indifference.
Settling back into the oversized leather chair, I watch the door with a careful eye. In this business—money and mafia—you never know who is about to walk through your door. Could be hired guns, ready to fire rounds into our chests. It could be just simple poker players gambling their life savings away. Either way, we have to be on our toes and have our wits about us.
I’m sure Aiden checks them thoroughly, even taking their cell phones into a basket so they can’t make any calls, but there could always be a traitor in the mix.
Somewhere.
Three men, maybe a little older than us, waltz into our perch with smirks on their lips and a stagger to their steps. Cocky. Greedy. They reek of desperation. Perfect for our table. They will eagerly set their life savings on the line, betting it all away and lining our pockets. At least, they have enough common sense to dress for the part in three piece suits, expensive watches, and shiny white teeth.
“Hello, Gentleman. Have you come to play a game?” Jericho asks, tilting his head as their attention snaps to him with surprise.
I’m not sure what they expected to find when they walked in here.
