Prologue
CASTELLO
Two caskets. Two painful reminders that we would never know peace again. As I watched my brother and father slowly being lowered into the ground, I knew a war had begun.
My family thought we’d been at war for years, fighting to rule the streets of our city. The battles that had been fought in the past would be nothing compared to what lay ahead. Everything had shifted, and nothing would ever be the same again. Ourfamilywould never be the same again.
Iwould never be the same again.
I glanced at my mother standing to my right, which was another huge change for us—for me. It used to be Carlo who stood to my right. No matter where we were or who we were with, I would always be on Carlo’s left. Why? Because his rank demanded it. As the Underboss, the next in line to be head of the family, Carlo would always stand to the left of our father. This way everyone would see who my father’s successor was and show him the level of respect his rank earned him.
To Carlo’s left would be me, and to my left it would be my younger brother, Vico. Our positions gave a clear indication to the succession of the family.
But from today, it would all change.
Here I was, standing to the left of my mother, the place where my father stood for over thirty years. A man’s wife who he loved and respected always stood to his right. With a small step behind him, she would show her submission to her husband.
Today my mother showed her approval of me being the new leader of the family by standing just a tiny step behind me.
I hated it.
I didn’t deserve it.
I didn’t deserve her approval or anyone’s respect, because I didn’t want the burdens that came with it. But I had no choice. This was my new place.
My mother wiped away a tear. I thought about placing my arm around her, but how did you console someone when you had so much grief of your own?
Our family had been torn apart, and it was up to me to put it all back together. My life was no longer my own, as I held the future of everyone who once served my father in the palm of my hand. Too many depended on me, so the luxury of living a free life was no longer mine.
Beneath the black veil that hung over my mother’s face, she looked up at me as the priest said his last Amen.
“Promise me, Castello.”
She didn’t have to say it out loud. I already knew what she wanted me to promise her, what she needed—and expected—from me.
“I promise,Madre.”
She nodded before turning around and walking back to the car. I couldn’t leave yet, so I stayed behind and once again stared at the two open graves in front of me. My father’s heart was too weak to handle the news of Carlo’s death, which was why we were burying two Fattore men today. What no one knew was that there should have been three open graves. I died alongside my brother that fateful night…and now I would suffer in Hell for the rest of my days.
Chapter 1
CASTELLO
Seven months later
She had no idea what was going on. The drug that still lingered in her veins had her disorientated, and I was pretty sure her vision had been affected too. Blonde hair stuck to her face, sweat beading on her skin while she shuddered as chills wracked through her body. I kept watching as she tossed and turned on the bed, scrunching up the old, dirty sheets beneath her while she cried and mumbled words that made absolutely no sense. Lines formed just above her eyebrows as she squeezed her eyes shut. Clearly, she was in pain, but I didn’t care. I didn’t give a flying fuck that her face was contorted with agony. In fact, I relished her pain. It soothed the darkness inside me. It silenced the monster as I continued to stare at her, witnessing as she slowly started to resurface to reality—her new reality.
I’d waited months for what was about to happen. I’d dreamed about the moment when she would realize she no longer lived but only existed. Soon she would discover there were worse things to fear than death and that eternity in Hell would be a far lesser punishment than what had now become her world. Her world now only consisted of one thing…me.
Tatum Linscott would never know peace again. This all would be her payment, her atonement for what she had done, for what she had taken from me and my family. I planned to break her, then mend her, and then break her again.
The scary part—I would enjoy every fucking moment.
“Everything is going according to plan, brother.”
I looked up from the monitor as Vico took a seat next to me. I didn’t say anything as I turned back to watch the woman on the screen.
“They don’t know she’s missing yet,” Vico continued. “Her parents usually check in with a phone call every second night at ’round about eight.” He leaned back in his chair. “They won’t call before tomorrow night, and the fact that she won’t answer won’t raise any suspicion just yet since she’s been missing a lot of phone calls lately. It’s not unusual for her to not be at her apartment when they call. Apparently, she’s been quite the party girl the last few months.”