KILLER

ei

was a familiarity in her voice, a desperate warmth I couldn't ignore. Her

s raw pain in her words, and a bitterness that twisted them. 'They

poke felt like another piece falling into place. I tried to speak, to ask her who she was, why she'd abandoned me to t

eapon now and you

ing, daring me to hesitate. I looked down at the knife, the blade gleaming, and felt a sick, twisting sensation in my stomach. My body was shaking, but the grip on m

own, trapped between the sharp edge and the silent threat behind me. I didn't want to look at them, at their faces or their pleading eyes. I didn't want to think ab

as I stared at the ceiling, trying to shake off the nightmare's grip. That same horrible sce

nightmare refused to fade. The sharp smell of smoke filled the air, and distant shouts pierced the night. I froze, gripping the rai

under

ing, searching for any sign of help or escape. There was no time to think, no time to prepare. T

u

pistols, gleaming dully on the table. I grabbed them, feeling the solid weight settle into my hands, one aft

a steadying breath, feeling the familiar rush as I stepped back out onto the balcony. The shadow

my face. I wasn't t

ered, raising the pistols, ready t

e wall behind the door. I forced myself to be still, breathing shallowly, waiting for t

zle flashes lit up the hallway, and the silence shattered, filled with the sharp crack of gunfire. Bullets tore through

tion. The gunshots echoed off the walls, a rhythmic, relentless beat that drowned out everything els

get, even if it cost him his life. You don't double-cross an assassin and walk away unscathe

no's avengers was dead. Bodies lay scattered around me, reminders of the war one betrayal had sparked. By the end, the

the price with their life. After the brutal war between our gang and the Mafia, I turned

ut short as I found myself stari

ce cold and unwavering. "Leave no

owing at Nico. "I'm the reason we've made it

ay because of you!" Nico yell

dea formed. I wouldn't be

" I declared, a scoff escaping my l

, killer," he said, loc

climbed into Luciano's car, se

step into my po

ommitted a grave mistake and they knew it. I would kill all of them, I'll survive w

ds, fully aware they wouldn't let me pass. With my leg still healing, each s

house was beautiful, literally beautiful. The exterior design was blue

that image pierced through me, igniting memories of the life I once envisioned. It was a dream that felt painfully out of rea

the

began to blur. Before I could even blink, darkness

d on the edge of the bed, was a young woman. Her chestnut hair spilled over her shoulders, framing a face with soft, doe-brown eyes, full lips, and thick brows that gave her an intense, watchf

she'd been waiting for this moment. My stomach churned. She had to be Luciano's daughter. It figured-she had the same arrog

id, her voice calm but laced with venom. "I'm Marilyn by the way and get well soon because you will b

darkness she thinks she has, I'm ten steps deeper. She does

er neck. A flicker of fear filled her eyes and that smir

I can kill you right here, right now. You think you can scare me? I am not one of those idiots who bow to your kind-your father's kind. I do not take orders from faggots

. It was about me, about making sure I stayed on top. I needed to be the one in control, the one calling the shots. And once I was there, no one would dare to challenge me-not her, not anyone. I'd get others to do the

't here to console her or play her little mind games-I was here to remind her of

voice cold, cutting through the heavy

g gaze. I could see the fear creeping up on her, trying to fight its way through the bravado sh

frantic now, like she thought agreeing might somehow keep her alive longer. Without a word, she turned and started to move. Her steps were sharp, hur

their grip on the situation. I relished it, knowing that for all her show of strength, she was just as weak as the rest of them. She'd thought

. I'd let her sweat it out. She could take me to her mother, but it wouldn't change the fact that I was the one

like another piece falling into place, another marker on the road to making this house mine. The grandeur of it all didn't faze me

some illusion of control. But I didn't care about her fear, nor the game she was playing. I was

lurking behind her. She wasn't like her daughter, all bluster and bravado; this woman was c

thing, but with an underlying command that didn't escape

ontrol me. Not here. Not now. But I didn't make any immediate moves. I wanted to see how f

wiped the blood off my busted lips and chuckled like the devil. I

dress and was ready

trembling, cracking as the words esc

a cold knife. For a brief second, I almost saw her as human-her vulnerability, her love for her daughter, everything that had once made he

ago that people like her-people who thought they could manipulate through emotion-were noth

n close, just inches from her face, my voice low and chilling. 'Your daught

-was slipping through her fingers. She was powerless. She was scared. And in that moment, I felt nothing but a twisted sat

r else" I used my hands act

er double-cross an assassin.' I let those words linger, knowing the weight of them. The silence stret

'd seen from her, and it was a sign I was winning. I shifted in my seat, adjusting my position with deliberate ea

commanding, 'I own the Luciano business. I'm the Donna h

what that meant. Everything she thought she controlled-the empire, her position, her life-it was slipping fr

, like she'd already considered this move, knew what I was capable of, and was prepared to play her ca

e unwavering, 'is for me to adopt you and sign everyt

o victory. She understood, just like I did, that this was no longer about negotiation. It was about survival. But wha

thing she had built. But it was more than that-it was her way of buying time. She thought she coul

think that's how long you have? You think I'm giving you a chance to set things right?' I paused, letting the

l playing, but I knew better. The moment she made the offer, she was already conceding. I was th

p, my eyes cold and unwavering. "And do

empty threats-my actions spoke louder than anything I could say. If she pushed

y. The words sliced through the tension, and instantly, my attention snapped to her. My

out?" I asked, my tone s

was about to reveal. There was a flicker of something in her expression-maybe fear,

elf before continuing, "I'm not the on

you won't be the donna," she said, her

testing whether she should continue or fall silent.

patience already running dry and I wasn't

ng threat. "Either you tell me what I w

about? Lie and you die I always sens

arching for the truth buried beneath her