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Ricardo shook his head. "There's a connectivity issue right now. It's actually why I came to see you. And why I brought up being home. If you need me to have your back, then I will. I don't think I've ever point blank told you I'm on your side in this war, but I am."
"What war?" I asked as I pretended to not know what he was talking about.
He scoffed as he came over to the bag. Standing close, he kept his voice low. "The war between the Romano men. The one where you take down your father and change this organization. Bring us out of the dark and back to good times."
I raised my brow at him. Such a passionate speech for a man who usually bickered with me nonstop. He was one of my father's placements from the start. At only a few years older than me, I found it hard to listen to anything he said. We'd fought all the years he'd been with me from city to city.
"You're serious?"
"Absolutely. I wouldn't dare joke about such. That's why I jammed the signal first. We can't risk being outed before your father's demise. Is there anything I can do for you now?"
I thought over the plans I'd made when we arrived back in the city. There were several things that needed to be done, including convincing the locals to join us. They were going to be the hardest to turn since my father had been in control of them from day one. Those that had followed me saw the good I was doing for the organization. They trusted me to lead us into a new age where the line between wrong and right blurred enough to keep us out of prison and away from the morgue.
"If you're serious, then you need to prove it. I want evidence of your work within the week. Nothing small. I want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you're all in." I allowed the words to sink in before giving him a nod of dismissal. He turned on his heel and left me to vent out my frustration.
There was nothing he could do to fix my problems. Not yet.
But if I could convince him to come to my side fully, to know that he wasn't a double agent of sorts, then it would be one step closer to the thing I wanted most:Having my Daddy back.
* * *
Rememberingthe man I lost had me on edge. I wanted him back more than I wanted anything.
Timing was everything. If I could hold off long enough, then we could finally get our happily ever after.
The only problem I could see was keeping myself in check. I wanted to go to him and tell him I was sorry. I wanted to sink into his touch like I used to, since I knew he'd be the calm I needed.
Since that type of relief wasn't an option, I did the next best thing.
I hunted.
The city we lived in was relatively low on crime when compared with others of its size. That didn't mean it was rainbows and sunshine everywhere.
No, there were still people doing bad things. My father was one. And there were others. People the law couldn't touch. Or people who the law couldn't contain. The type with too much money and influence to ever be put away for their horrible behavior.
Those were usually my prey. I might not be able to do good deeds in the light of day, but I sure as hell could wipe away the shit stains of this earth in the dark.
They called me The Monster. It's been whispered in back alleys and at private meetings for the last two years. Ever since I decided to build a name for myself, for my future. No longer would I be Dante, the weak child on the playground that needed defending. I would defend myself and those who were too small to do so themselves.
I was prowling the streets, the dim glow of moonlight my guide for the next victim when a sound hit my ears. It was male, though it sounded young.
"Get off me! Please! Someone help!" The soft voice pleaded.
I rushed to follow the sound. It was only half a block up that I noticed an alleyway. Turning, I made out the shapes of three figures, two large and one small. Too small.
This was a child.
Fuck. Fury lit through my veins. The Monster was ready to play.
"Shut up you little bitch and take it. We know you're into getting fucked. Bend over and let us have it," one of the large figures taunted.
The other laughed as he spoke, "Yeah, you little bitch. Give us that tight ass and we won't tell anyone you're one of those gay boys."
My rage only increased with each of the words they spoke. I hated those who picked on people smaller than them, but I loathed vile humans who used someone else's sexuality like a weapon. They'd twist around the truth to make it into something brutal. They'd fill their victims with guilt to the point of madness.
I'd seen it time and time again in the moments I could get away. Because of this, I donated to charities for LGBTQ+ causes. I didn't want others going through what I did. I didn't want a world in which people couldn't be themselves.
"What do we have here?" I drawled as I stepped into the alley.
