AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER1
Carlo
Ican tell you how many shots it’ll take before a bullet chamber is empty. I can tell you precisely where to shoot if you want to kill someone, maim them, or just graze them. I can tell you how to elicit the loudest screams when a person is tortured.
What I can’t tell you is how it feels to love someone. What I can’t tell you is how it feels to be alive.
* * *
My gaze straysdown to the people kneeling at my feet. Two men, one woman. Their mouths are moving, and I know they’re begging for mercy. But my brain has blocked out their cries. All I can hear is the roaring in my ears; all I can feel is the ice chilling my veins. My mind is miles away, pretending like I’m not even here. Like I don’t exist.
I drift back to consciousness in time to hear the question directed at me.
“What do you plan to do with them?” one of the capos asks.
Michael Slade. He’s been loyal to the family for years. My father saved him when he was a kid, pulled him from the streets, clothed him, fed him, and then sent him to school. He owes us everything.
For the longest time, I used to think true loyalty was earned. But loyalty comes at a price. Sometimes the price ranges, it differs, but ultimately, you can’t earn anything without giving something in return. That’s just how life is.
The only thing you earn for free is your family. People like Michael Slade are loyal because their conscience drives them to be.
Conscience—another thing that feels foreign to me. I haven’t had a conscience in years.
“The Don’s orders were clear,” I say, glancing at Slade’s focused blue eyes. “Kill them.”
When Slade hesitates, I grab my gun and point it at the woman’s head. Mentally, I recite all I know about her.
Clara Jane, 28 years old. She joined the D’Angelos last year, seeking a break. She agreed to deal drugs for us as a side job. Things were going well. Until she got sloppy, messed up, and tipped off the police that she was a drug pusher for us. In a bid to escape jail, she flushed her supply down the drain.
It would have been fine if she’d stopped there. Losing the drugs was stupid but we would have forgiven her. But then Clara approached a rival gang and offered to trade the family’s secrets in order to pay back her debt to us.
It was a betrayal. And it’s unacceptable.
“Please,” she cries, tears streaming down her face. “I have a little sister.”
“She’ll be taken care of” is all I say—right before a bullet hits the middle of her head.
Clara falls to the ground. Her death quiets her accomplices, who stare with wide eyes, unbelieving and terrified.
With gritted teeth, I turn back to Slade. “Are you going to handle them, or should I?”
His throat bobs. He looks at me and nods his head. “I’ve got it, boss.”
My jaw ticks as I walk out of the warehouse. I glance back at Clara’s body, wishing I could feel something, anything. But all I feel is ice.
By the time I reach my car, there have been two more gunshots in quick succession. The entire ride to Christian’s house, my mind is blank. I arrive at the gate and it’s immediately opened, granting me access to the mansion.
Every time I drive onto the grounds, I remember a time when I was normal. A little kid with no worries and fears, innocent and so full of life. Then I almost died and everything changed. The events of one night made me the man I am today.
The house is quiet as I make my way up the stairs. Usually, the kids are running around, raising hell. Wondering where they are, I arrive in front of Christian’s home office. One short knock and I hear my brother’s voice asking me to come in. He’s seated in his chair and Daniella’s leaning on the edge of the table in front of him.
Her cheeks are flushed and I don’t even want to think about what they’ve been up to.
“Hey,” I say, walking in.
“Carlo.” Christian nods in acknowledgment.
“Hey, Lo,” Daniella greets enthusiastically.
