My aunt had people planted in the more legitimate places of power. My parents were still very much involved behind the scenes as well. When someone got the nonsensical notion to be a civil hero or flex their minuscule strength, desperate to take me down, they eventually fucked up and found out why smarter men knew to stay out of my way. If I decided to sit back and do nothing, another family would step in to handle it for me. The resulting bloodbath was always mildly entertaining.

  After Theo left, I moved on to the next task at hand. "Could either of you explain why the shipment to Liberty City was two kilos short?"

  "It was that new guy's responsibility. Joshua B-something," Sergio quickly responded.

  "We're already taking steps to fix it."

  Elias shook his head and chuckled. "What kind of idiot steals such a small amount when they'll have to pay so much more?"

  "Your guess is as good as mine. Angel didn't seem too bothered by it. In fact, he found it amusing."

  Sergio scoffed and crossed his bulky arms. "Of course he did. This is the same guy who tortured someone just for fun and then used it as an excuse to wipe out their entire family. What did he call it? A mercy killing? He's a sick fuck. I think he might be worse than both of you combined."

  "Well, there's a reason our parents split us up," Elias agreed.

  I chuckled, glancing at the time. Dealing with this mistake in the shipment wasn't part of my plans for today, but now that it had been brought to my attention, I knew I couldn't put it off for later. Why did recruiting new members have to be so difficult?

  “Is Diablo ready for us?”

  “Yes,” they replied in unison.

  “Good. Sergio, bring your camera. You’re going to need it.” Knowing what that meant, his face lit up with excitement.

  We left my office and exited through the front door of the house. To the far right, the UTVs solely meant to drive across my property sat parked and waiting. We climbed into one, me and Elias in the front, Sergio in the back with his black camera bag. We traveled down the long lane that ran between the stables and led to the warehouses. Horses grazed in the paddocks on either side, blissful in their protective bubbles.

  The majestic creatures had always brought me an odd sense of peace. When I needed a place to think, I would come and watch them for hours. My mother was an avid rider and thus, made sure we were as well.

  Arriving at a large three-tier building that didn’t look much different than the ones where the horses were kept, I bypassed the main entrance and then the second, going all the way around to the back where a single door stood. Once inside, we headed straight for the hall where the holding rooms were located.

  “Those from the club are on the left, room four. The others are in two,” Elias stated.

  “Let’s start on the right. When we get to the other room, I can consider it delayed gratification.”

  He snorted in response. I rolled my cuff links back and pushed open the steel door. I was greeted by the sight of two men tied side by side with cloth bags over their heads. Yellow and green puss had accumulated around the gaping hole I’d left in one of their thighs. The maggots I sprinkled over top were sliding right through it. If I listened closely enough, I could hear their tiny bodies moving.

  Diablo and his current trainee both stood waiting for my arrival, dressed in the usual plastic gear to protect their clothing from blood. The kid couldn’t have been any older than seventeen, but he showed promise, and his father had requested he be placed here.

  “They haven’t said anything new since you questioned them. I pulled that one’s teeth out about a half-hour ago,” Diablo explained, pointing to the man on the left.

  “Well, that explains why he's got drool all down the front of him.” I turned to my cousin. “I want you to capture every second of this. When it’s done, send a message to anyone you think might have the slightest inkling to do what these two did, or may find incentive to come forward.”

  He placed his bag out of the way and began pulling out his gear. I glanced around the room while I waited, my gaze landing on a lime-green chainsaw. “Is that new?”

  “Thought I’d switch it up,” Diablo replied with a grin.

  “By all means.”

  “You may want to move. This will be messy,” the trainee advised.

  I wasn’t sure why he suggested that. Blood didn’t bother me. It was as common as air. Some days I wore it like a second skin. He dipped his head, and I looked down at the same time my brother spoke.

  “He’s being considerate of our shoes.”

  “These are nice, aren’t they?” I mused, looking at my Mantellassis. “Good eye.” I heeded the trainee’s advice and moved to the far side of the room with Elias and Sergio, who was now poised and ready for the show.

  Diablo slid a face cover in place and grabbed the chainsaw from the large hutch that held his tools. He then approached the hooded men. “Good to go?” he asked Sergio.

  Diablo gave his companion a thumbs up before pulling the cord on his tool. The room was suddenly filled with a deafening whir as the motor kicked into gear.

  Diablo lunged towards the man on the left, wielding the large chainsaw with effortless skill. The sharp blade tore through flesh and bone, slicing through the man's neck with savage force. Blood sprayed and spurted from the wounds, staining the walls and floor red. Despite his strength, Diablo's arms trembled slightly from the effort of keeping the heavy tool in place. As the blade cut deeper into the man's body, his limbs convulsed and strained against their restraints.

  For a moment, it seemed as though he might break free in a burst of desperate adrenaline. But in one swift motion, Diablo finished the job and sent the chair crashing to the ground with its lifeless occupant. The severed head rolled across the concrete floor, leaving a trail of blood in its wake before coming to a stop at my feet. The sudden movement caused Diablo to lose control for a split second.

  The chainsaw veered off course and sliced through the next man's arm. The sound of bone being torn apart mingled with agonized screams as he writhed in pain. With a dark grin, I watched as Diablo continued his brutal work, relishing the chaos and carnage that peppered the room like macabre confetti.

  He cut the chainsaw off and the kid stepped forward, putting an end to the whole debacle by shooting the man in the side of his head. The bang echoed throughout the room. Once it receded there was no sound but both bodies twitched for a few seconds, making a slapping sound in blood that had congealed around them.

  “Well, that was just fucking beautiful.” I clapped slowly. “I suppose we'll have to add that technique to your repertoire," I said to Diablo.”

  "It would be my pleasure," he replied with a possible grin. It was difficult to tell with his mouth covered in blood and a facemask.

  As he began to clean up, I noticed Elias was watching the trainee with contemplation. I’d ask him about it later when we were alone. I turned to Sergio. “Did you get it all?”

  “From start to finish, a few frames each.”

  I gestured to the door, and he and Elias walked with me as I left the room. “How soon can you have everything ready?”

  “Within the hour.”

  “Alright.” I crossed to room four, my pulse picking up the moment I entered. Four different men were bound by their wrists and ankles, all stripped naked. The chains that restrained them were bolted into the concrete, offering no slack, and constructed in such a way that regardless of how badly the muscles in their legs burned, they had to remain standing.

  “Which one of you pissed yourself?” Elias asked jokingly.

  I chuckled and rolled my sleeves higher. Only one dared to lift his head and look at us.

  The others remained staring at the floor. They reminded me of terrified rodents, trapped and huddled together as much as they could be in some pitiful act of comfort and solidarity.

  “Should I capture this too?” Sergio asked.

  “Only some of it. I’d like to have a couple mementos.”

  “In that case, you’re going to have a collection before you even get the girl,” he joked.

  “Get the girl? I already have her. She just hasn’t accepted it yet.” I went to the hutch that was kept in this room. While I surveyed my options Elias reached beneath his suit jacket and removed his gun. These tools weren’t as personable as the ones Diablo did his interrogations with, but they sufficed. I picked up a machete that had a curved blade and tested its weight. It would have to do.

  I turned and walked slowly towards the group of men. No, not men. These were boys who had never matured or evolved.

  They were young, closer to Elena’s age than ours. The youth of today was such a fucking embarrassment. The new money breeds were even worse. They would be lost without their trust funds and parents who offered hush money to solve all their problems. Unfortunately for them, I couldn’t be bought.

  The actions of one would cost them all. There was no excuse for what happened the night prior. I’d watched the footage from my club back-to-back, making sure I didn’t miss a single detail of what transpired. I had to sit in my office for a good hour afterward, convincing myself not to act rashly. Driving to Elena’s and snatching her out of her bed to chain in mine would more than likely have caused some friction between us.

  I should have done it anyway.

  “I’m sure I don’t need to explain why you’re here, but if you find yourself confused, well, that's too damn bad."

  The redheaded boy on the end took a deep breath and clenched his fist. “Sir, please. I know my friend messed up, but please don’t hurt us,” his voice cracked on the second plea.

  I regarded him for a moment. “Your name is Cooper, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” he answered after taking another breath.

  “Cooper,” I repeated his name as if I knew him personally. “Do you see this knife in my hand? Have you not realized you’re standing in front of me chained up, naked with your tiny dick out? Don’t you think we’re beyond begging?”

  "Sir--."

  "All the respect in the world won't save you. You can stop embarrassing yourself."

  He began to sob and the boy on the other side of him whispered to him to stop. I shared a look with my brother and shrugged. Without needing any further encouragement, he shot Cooper twice.

  A small amount of blood landed on the side of his friend’s face. He jolted in response, his eyes wide with fear as Cooper’s muscles went languid. His body remained upright due to the chains.

  I gestured to the boy who had been whispering to Cooper. “Him too. He tried to console him and that’s somewhat admirable.”

  The gun went off again, this time only once. That left two. One had already pissed himself--again-- and was shaking uncontrollably, the pleas coming from his mouth hard to understand and broken. Not needing any urging, Elias sighed and ended him too.

  “And then there was one.” I stepped right in front of Jay and took hold of his sweaty face. He’d perspired so much the edges of his blonde hair had curled and were plastered to his forehead. He attempted to spit on me, making a sound of pain when I applied enough pressure to pop his jaw.

  “Even in this situation, you behave with no basic decency.”

  “Fuck you,” he managed to hurl at me.

  “And now you want to be brave?” I brought the machete up and teased the curved blade against his throat.

  “Fuck you, just do it,” he forced through clenched teeth.

  “So impatient to die.” I took a small step back. “Killing you outright would be a dishonor to both of us. You put your hands on someone that belongs to me. The only reasonable response is to remove them.”

  I grinned as his fear grew right before my eyes.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ELENA

  I stared into the backyard from the window above the sink. The sun was shining, but it had rained most of the morning so now everything was wet. I turned around when I heard my grandmother approaching, her heels announcing her arrival seconds before she entered the kitchen carrying a small, pale yellow gift box.

  She’d styled her dark hair with barrel curls and put on a modern vintage dress that was nearly the same shade of grey as her eyes, pairing it with silver accessories. If I wasn't imagining things those were my mother's earrings.

  “You look nice.”

  She smiled and smoothed a hand down her side. “Thank you, cariño.”

  “Are you going somewhere?” I asked, noticing she was carrying her purse.

  “Yes. I have a few errands to run and then I’m going to meet your uncle for lunch. You can come if you’d like.” She looked at me expectantly, but after last night making nice with Uncle Luis wasn’t how I wanted to spend my afternoon.

  “Um, that’s okay. I’m not hungry. Maybe another time.”

  “Sí. Another time.” She smiled, but as I was beginning to see more frequently, it didn’t reach her eyes. “Oh. I came in here to give you this. Your friend left it with me when I was outside.” She held the small box out for me to take.

  It was lightweight, wrapped in pretty lace trim. “Which friend?”

  “The Petrov girl.”

  I had no idea who that was.

  “I don’t--.”

  “I’m so glad you’re branching out. I know you're fond of those other two, but it’s good to have options.”

  My brow pinched. What the hell was talking about? Options? She made it sound as if Melody and Peyton were in some kind of competitive line-up. But really, what did I expect? Most people around here wouldn't know the first thing about genuine friendships. It was all about who could do what for you and had the most to offer. I knew close to nothing about this Petrov family so I couldn’t speak on their social standing. The families my actual friends came from? They weren’t ones to turn your nose up at. I found it a little suspicious she wasn’t pushing for me to keep them close.

  “I’ll have to thank her for dropping by," I lied with ease, wondering what the deal was with this box. A phone began to ring, interrupting our conversation. She fished it out of her purse and smiled at whoever the display showed was calling.

  “I have to get going but send her my regards.”

  I forced a smile and replied, "Enjoy your lunch"

  As soon as she left, I opened the box. Carefully, I unwrapped the lace and lifted the lid. Inside was a layer of white tissue paper covering something solid and stiff. Tilting my head, I pushed the tissue aside with my fingertips. Instantly, I felt an overwhelming urge to gag when my brain registered what I was staring at. Panicked, I covered my mouth to suppress a scream.

  My body backed away from the kitchen island and collided with the countertop behind me. In that moment of shock, it dawned on me to move away from the nearby window just in case someone was watching this disturbing scene unfold. I stared down at the box, and the severed hand inside of it.

  I jogged along the curved tarmac, focusing on my breathing and watching where I was going. I’d only encountered one other jogger, a woman, and her dog, but with the way the path wound all it would take was someone coming around a corner too fast for me to be down on my ass.

  The ground was damp from the recent rainfall, leaving the warm air with a wet cedar and moss smell. I found it relaxing. This park didn’t exist when I lived here as a kid. I’d done a quick search of the nearest running trails, and it was the first result within walking distance of home.

  A perfect place to get some air and attempt to clear my head. An attempt I was greatly failing at. After my initial shock wore off it didn’t take much contemplation to connect A-B-C. The problem was, that I didn’t know what to do with the connection. If I hadn't been feeling in over my head before, I certainly did now.

  I was a regular person.

  The biggest conflicts I’d ever had to deal with were irate customers making returns at my old job, and making sure I didn’t wake up to the power being off. I wasn’t proficient in dealings of body parts. While I'd love to say that If I needed to be an expert in such matters to find Eva, that I would force myself to be scholarly in the subject, I now knew didn't have the stomach for it.

  As I approached another bend in the path. A man came from the opposite direction. The moment I saw his face, recognition was instant. I hadn’t seen him since he dropped me off after the bizarre breakfast incident.

  He jogged closer and my stomach became inundated with fluttering. I inhaled and exhaled, telling myself to remain calm. After the whirlwind that was the last forty-eight hours, I wasn’t surprised he was here. I would be more shocked if he stayed away. I slowed and removed my phone from the rear pocket of my leggings to pause Purple Rain.

  Mateo came to a stop a few feet in front of me, not at all out of breath or having broken a sweat. He was completely dressed down, in black sweatpants that slightly hung off his hips, tennis shoes, and a simple dark-colored life beater that revealed how toned he was and the shaded tattoo I’d caught a glimpse of. It was larger than I first imagined. A money rose, pocket watch, and three playing cards came together in one sleeve, wrapping around his left bicep and extending the length of his forearm to just above his wrist where his family's emblem was etched.

  A few stray locks of his dark hair had fallen across his forehead. I did my best not to ogle his body, but I was only human. I tried to resist the urge to admire his physique, but it was impossible. He was undeniably gorgeous. My eyes wandered down and settled on the noticeable bulge between his legs. My goodness, was that what I thought it was? Soft at that?

  “My face is up here, Elena.”

  The smugness in his tone and the way he practically growled my name had me snapping to attention. He stood with his hands perched on his hips and the hint of an antagonizing smirk on his lips. I scowled at him, ready to inquire about the package he had delivered earlier. Just as I opened my mouth, I heard approaching footsteps and decided to hold my tongue. “Do you usually run this trail?”