I stifled a growl, unwilling to let them see how hard that particular blow landed. Everything I’d done last night had been to prove my loyalty. I’d ignored their calls because I’d been questioning Alexandra. I’d planned to scare her into divulge her father’s secrets. Once Ron Fitzgerald knew that I had testimony of his crimes and could leak it at any time, he wouldn’t dare come after my family ever again. We would be free to reclaim what we’d lost.
And it would all be because of me. I would be a worthy heir. A worthy son.
My cousins would have no part in it. This was my mission. The glory would be mine and mine alone.
So, I couldn’t tell them where I’d been or why I’d ignored their calls.
“I’m here now.” My fingers tightened around the hilt of the knife that hung casually at my side, an extension of my arm. “I know my duty. Better than you two ever will.”
Duty had been burned into me. It seared my soul with purpose, right alongside my rage and hatred.
Paulie snickered, his anvil-hard features twisting into a vindictive mask. “We didn’t have to have our sense of duty beaten into us. You think you’re more valuable just because you’re the heir. But one more fuckup, and your old man will probably let us put you in the ground.”
In a blink, I slammed into him. The metal wall boomed when his heavy body collided with it, reverberating around the dank, cavernous space. My knife was at his throat before he could draw another breath. The only language my deranged cousins understood was violence.
“Do not threaten me.” I hissed each word, my blood boiling in my veins. “I’ve had a shitty night, and I’m all out of patience. Give me one more reason to slit your throat.” He opened his mouth to speak, so I pressed my blade just deep enough to draw a bead of blood. “My father likes you, but even he knows that rabid dogs have to be put down.”
“Get away from my brother.” John’s deep voice rumbled with rage and a touch of fear. I could kill Paulie in a heartbeat, and he didn’t dare do anything that might make my hand slip. Not when my knife was pressing into his twin’s artery.
“Threaten me again, and I’ll end you.” I raised my voice, addressing both of them, but I didn’t take my gaze off Paulie. The whites of his eyes were huge around his dark irises, and his bulky body was utterly still.
“We have work to do,” I reminded them, impatience edging the words. I had to get the fuck out of here. Morning light peeked between the cracks in the huge metal doors, melting away the most oppressive darkness that clung to the corners of the massive warehouse. The rays of warm sunshine singed my insides with the burning need to get back to Alexandra.
If she went to the cops…
I pushed away from Paulie with a warning growl, freeing him from my knife. He gasped in a breath and rubbed his neck, swiping away the blood I’d drawn.
“Asshole,” John spat.
I nodded at the bleeding Russian. “Who’s shirking their responsibilities now?” I challenged, prompting them to get back to work.
Paulie stalked over to the man, who let out a garbled plea through broken teeth just before my cousin’s fist slammed into his jaw.
John addressed the Russian, but he kept a wary eye on me. “Tell us who your boss is. We want a name.”
We knew the man was Bratva. He’d dared to move his product in what had once been our territory—before most of my family had been sent to prison by Ron Fitzgerald. We would take back what was ours, inch by bloody inch. This man’s gory death would be a warning. We’d dump his body once we were done. But we wanted intel first.
Impatience was an itch beneath my skin. We’d been at this for nearly two hours, and the man hadn’t talked. He was either too loyal or too scared of his bosses to share information.
And I needed to leave. I had to watch Alexandra and make sure she didn’t break her word. If she called the police, I’d be fucked.
I won’t tell anyone about this. Her desperate promise echoed through my mind, and the memory of her wide, fearful green eyes cut at me.
My stomach turned. Innocent. Alexandra had been completely innocent, and I’d terrorized her.
Kidnapping her had been an act of desperation. I’d been after her father for nearly two years, and I’d gotten nowhere. I’d taken Alexandra to get the leverage I needed against him, but my mad plan had come to nothing.
My ruined face alone had been horrific enough to make her scream, and her terrified sobs had ripped at my chest as keenly as a serrated blade.