Sergio
SHIT, THAT HURT. I rubbed my head, my temples were pounding. Was I hungover? Wait, it was morning and—
I jolted to my feet and grabbed my gun.
The house was silent.
Quietly, I stepped around the corner into the kitchen, two men were laying on the ground. Blood pooled at their backs. Mother of God, what had happened?
I walked out into the front of the house where a few of our men were normally stationed and cursed.
Dead.
Five of them.
All dead.
Shot in the head. I leaned down to feel each pulse. Nothing. A piece of white paper fluttered on the last man’s chest.
Are you listening now? said the note.
“Shit!” I kicked the ground and pulled out my cell. Nixon answered on the first ring.
“What?”
“It’s the men—”
“My men?”
“I was knocked out, we’ve got seven dead.”
“Where’s Mo?”
His question swamped my body with a chill. I dropped my phone and raced full blast to the back yard, almost tripping on my own feet as I made it to the place where I’d last seen her.
Only to find one of her flip flops on the ground.
And blood right next to it.
I fell to my knees.
They had no idea what they’d just done.
I knew though—I knew who did it, just like Nixon knew, and I knew, in the end the war they’d just started wouldn’t just go down in history.
It would freaking define it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Doing anything to save someone isn’t really a sacrifice, not if you truly love them.
Tex
“WAKEY, WAKEY.” Something slapped me on the face. With a grunt, I tried to open my eyes but the pain was exploding down my leg. Shit, had I been shot? Again?
“I said…” Another kick to my good leg that was, soon to be bad if the bastard kept kicking. “Get the hell up!”
“And?” I blinked my eyes adjusting to the dark room. “Do a little circus dance? I mean—” Another kick this time to my shin. I wheezed. “Damn at least stop tickling me, if you want me to dance just ask, I don’t care that—” Three more kicks, well I was going to be lame the rest of my life nothing more to say about that. I’d been tortured many times, always came out with scars but I hated, despised, freaking despised getting kicked, it was… degrading. “Fine, fine.”
I tried to rise to my feet, but my left leg was still bleeding, I could feel the warmth seeping through my jeans and my right leg was bruised from my ankle to my hip.
“Tex!” Mo screamed.
What? Why was Mo with me?
The events of the afternoon came crashing down around me like a blanket of rage. With a shout I ran in the direction of her voice but was stopped by another kick to the back of my knees.
“Shit.” I fell to the ground. “Stop kicking me!”
“I’ll stop kicking you,” the heavily accented voice teased, “when you stop irritating me with every breath you take.”
“So first—” I moved to my knees and faced the stranger “—you want me to get up and dance? And now you want me to stop breathing? Anyone ever tell you that you have ridiculously high demands?”
“You’re mouthy.”
“Aw, you staring at my mouth?” I joked, backing away, more like sliding away towards Mo on my legs.
“You will not reach her,” the voice mocked. “She’s tied up, but never fear she can see you. She will watch everything we do to you.”
“At least give her popcorn,” I muttered.
“I’ll do better.” The man’s footsteps echoed as he walked towards me, then suddenly the lights flickered on. We were in a basement, no windows, no doors that I could see, and really poor lighting. Mo was to my right chained to a freaking chair, and the man walking towards me was none other than my uncle.
I smiled when he stopped in front of me.
“You think this is funny?” he spat, his eyes damn near popping out of their sockets.
“It’s so damn hilarious I’m having hard time not having a case of the giggles.” I narrowed in on his gaze, his mouth was tightened in a firm line, his eyes clear but dilated, he was either high or really pissed off. Faint bruising darkened the skin beneath his eyes; he hadn’t been sleeping, and by the smell of him he’d possibly been on the run.
“Tell me.” I smirked. “You get your invitation to The Commission?”
His nostrils flared.
“Oh wait, did they send it to my house by accident? My bad, I’m sure they’re just confused as to who owns the power to the Campisi clan. If you want I can give them a change of address form or something.”
Snarling he backhanded me across the left cheekbone almost ripping apart skin with his giant ass ring.
“You step up, you die.” He wiped his hands on a silk cloth he’d pulled from his pocket and snapped his fingers.
The two giant dudes came rushing towards me and lifted me into the air then sat my ass onto the coldest metal chair ever created.
“So.” I nodded, allowing them to tie me up. “What is this? You kill me, deliver my head Goliath style, and then what?”
“This?” My uncle smiled. “My son, this is me welcoming you to the family.”
“Awesome.” I nodded. “So it’s like a hazing ceremony. You gonna put some body paint on me? Because I have to say Mo would totally dig that.” I winked in her direction. She gave me a watery smile but said nothing. Had to stay strong for her. Had to be steel. Had to live. Had to survive.