Roman slices his lethal glare to his uncle, something sinister playing in his eyes. “We won’t forget what happened here tonight,” he tells him, his lips pulling into a twisted grin and forcing a light sweat to appear on Louis’ forehead. Perhaps he forgot who he was dealing with.
Roman turns back to the rest of the table, raising his chin and the pride shining through his eyes warms something deep inside of me. The boys have wanted this for so long, and after the abuse they’ve suffered at their father’s hands, they deserve everything and more. Finally, it’s right there in the palm of their hands. Now all they need to do is hold onto it, because in a world like this, it could easily slip between their fingers. “Alright, if everyone has spoken their piece, then I say we call it a night.”
“What about your second in command?” A voice comes from across the table.
I have to step to my right to see the person’s face, and my brow arches finding Joseph, the boys’ final uncle who rarely has anything to say, nor wants anything to do with any of this. Hell, I’m surprised he’s even here. Though I have a feeling it’s out of obligation.
Roman indicates to his brothers at his side. “Do you believe between the three of us, that we really need a second in command?”
“Yes,” he says, bluntly, not trying to offend, simply just stating a fact. “Every leader who has stood at the head of that table has had a second in command. Who do we fall back on if you three were indisposed? Who will lead us then?”
Roman glances at his brothers and as one, all three of their dark gazes fall on me. “Oh, hell no,” I say, my hands flying up in defense as an eruption of rejection fills the room.
Roman’s hand slams down on the table, silencing his family once again. “ENOUGH,” he roars. “It is done. Shayne Mariano is our second, and in the event that we cannot lead, she will step into our place. Anyone who has an issue with that is invited to come and speak with us privately.” His stare meets every eye in the room, and sensing the unspoken threat, they all wisely keep their mouths shut, and with that, he indicates to the door. “We’re done here, you may all leave to spend the night with your families. As of tomorrow, we will start the search for my father, and it will not stop until he has been put down and my child safely returned to my arms.”
No one hangs around.
The room clears in a matter of seconds, and I’m not surprised when Louis is the first one out the door. The boys turn to me, and Levi indicates to the back of the room, silently telling me to follow. They make their move, big, long strides that I have to struggle to keep up with.
Marcus pulls back, waiting for me to pass before following behind me, pressing his hand against the small of my back to lead me through a hidden door in the back of the formal dining room. My brows furrow as I look up ahead of us through a dark passageway. I've never been through here before. I didn’t even realize there were passageways through here. It’s creepy, and chilling, and absolutely everything I expect out of the DeAngelis family home. They probably use these secret passageways to escape when bombarded with raids and enemies. Knowing the boys, I’d be stupid not to assume they haven’t hidden out in here a time or two just to overhear conversations that weren’t meant for their ears.
We rush through the dark passageway, and a shiver sails down my spine. “What are we doing?” I mutter, reaching out for Levi in front of me to avoid tripping over his feet.
“Coming through on our end of the deal,” Roman says from up ahead. “Now hurry up, we don’t have time to fuck around.”
My brows furrow and the boys pick up their pace. I try to keep up with them and Marcus scoops me up so I don’t get left behind. Then all too soon, they come to a stop outside an old door. Roman glances back at his brothers. “We get the drop on him. Make it fast.”
They nod and I swallow hard. “And me?” I breathe.
“Stay the fuck out of the way.”
That I can do. In fact, that I am very good at.
The door is opened just a sliver and the boys slip out the small opening as I follow behind them. We come out at the side of the property into the dark night, and I hear the hushed conversations of the boys’ family making their hasty escapes.
“There,” Levi says, nodding up ahead.
I follow his gaze to where Louis scurries away from the mansion, practically bolting to his car in order to get out of here with his life. Beyond him are Victor’s four remaining sons, waiting in anticipation. What better opportunity to take him out than now?
Roman grins and pulls his gun before twisting the silencer onto the top, not wanting to alert the other scattering family members. He holds up the gun, and without skipping a beat, takes a clear shot straight through the back of Louis’ hand as he reaches for his car door.
He cries out, roaring in pain as his head whips around, searching for the threat. His eyes are wide and fearful but there’s a dark edge hidden beneath the surface, reminding me of what the boys said months ago—Louis DeAngelis is just like them. He’s a fighter, he’s wild and unpredictable. Lethal. He needs to be pushed to the breaking point, and when he is, he turns as easily as if someone had flipped a switch.
If anyone hears his cry, they don’t look this way, trusting their basic instincts to keep moving.
The boys spring into action racing in after him as he’s blinded by the pain. They’re on him in seconds, and even with his hand out of action, he’s still able to fight back. He’s weak, and as he gets in a few punches, I realize the boys are only playing with him. I’ve seen them fight more than I care to admit, and this here is about proving a point.
Levi cuts in front of his brothers, grabbing Louis by his bad hand and twisting it behind his back. He screams out as his nephew plasters himself to his back, leaving his body exposed to Roman and Marcus. “You won’t get away with this,” Louis spits, seeing they’re clearly done playing with him.
Nobody moves, but Louis screams out again, and I can only assume that Levi tightened his grip on his hand. “We already are, Uncle,” Marcus purrs. “Look around. No one is coming for you. They all want you dead just as much as we do. Where’s your precious leader now?”
Louis smirks, a secret playing in his eyes. “Yours is going to be the shortest reign ever lived,” he taunts them, groaning as Levi tears his arm further behind his back. “Turn around, assholes.”
My head whips around just as the brothers do, and I suck in a terrified gasp, seeing Giovanni standing at the top of the property, his eyes cast down on us with a fucking wall of soldiers at his back.
Terror flies through me as the boys stiffen, furious anger streaming through our veins. Roman roars, his hand flinching at his side before lashing out like lightning, a blade slicing straight through Louis’ throat.
Time slows as Levi releases his uncle, letting his body fall heavily to the ground. Someone races toward me as shouts are heard across the property, and I’m distantly aware of them coming from Victor’s sons. Something curls around my wrist and I’m tugged back inside the secret door before feet pound against the hard ground.
My pulse thunders heavily in my ears and as I try to keep up with the boys, I realize that tonight is the night I’ve feared for so long.