“Follow me,” he says, not introducing himself or telling us where we are going.
But we all know—the blood oath.
I have no idea what it entails, what I’m expected to do, or what vows of loyalty I will have to make. But I do know what the Retribution Kings would expect, and it makes me want to run in the other direction. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will make saying my wedding vows feel like a piece of cake instead of the hell I know it’s going to be.
We follow the guard through the sanctuary to a hallway at the back and then through a door that leads to a staircase and down to the church basement. We all have our hands inches from our guns, prepared for anything.
An unsettling feeling washes over me as I step into the basement and find Vincent Corsi standing in his tux in the center of the room, with a dozen of his closest men surrounding him.
If I don’t take the oath, I won’t be leaving this basement alive. Neither will Hayes or Gage.
I calm my emotions as I stand in the basement facing Corsi. Feel nothing, no fear, just pure determination. I know Gage and Hayes, standing at either side of me, are doing the same.
“Lennox Crane, you have been chosen to marry my daughter, Rialta Corsi,” Corsi starts, and the room goes absolutely silent.
I’m careful not to move or let my heart race. I will not let them think I’m afraid. I’ve faced death enough times that it barely phases me anymore. My only fear is that I won’t complete my mission before I die.
“Today, you will say vows before her and God, but you will also say your vows before us,” he continues.
I meet Corsi’s eyes with determination. Nothing he says or tells me to do will make me back down. I must marry Rialta. I must become Corsi’s successor.
“Lennox, do you vow today to give up your name? Give up who you once were and become a Corsi?”
“I do,” I answer him. “I, Lennox Crane, will forevermore be known as Lennox Corsi.”
He nods, satisfied with my answer. “Do you vow your loyalty to the Corsi name and to all who defend it?”
I look from Corsi to the others in the room. “I promise.”
“Do you vow to give up your loyalty to the Retribution Kings?” He narrows his eyes at me, expecting this part to be the most difficult for me. I was raised as a Retribution King. It’s all I’ve ever known—but it’s not who I am.
He doesn’t realize my history with them. It’s complicated, and there’s so much darkness associated with them that I’ve tried to put in the past.
I’ll be glad in a way to start anew.
“I give up any loyalty I once had to the Retribution Kings. I am no longer a Retribution King. I am now a Corsi. I am one of you. And I’m proud to call you my new family.”
Corsi looks at me with cruel eyes. He may love his daughters and treat them kinder than most dons, but this look is the man most of the world knows. He is pure cruelty.
“Then prove your loyalty in blood.”
I hold my breath, knowing this is the painful part. I still don’t know what’s expected of me, but the moment has arrived.
Corsi gives a nod, and his men part behind him. Two men drag a man forward. His arms are tied behind his back, a gag rests in his mouth, and his eyes are wild with fear.
In two seconds, I recognize him as a Retribution King. And I immediately know what is expected of me. I’ll lose what’s left of my soul if I do this.
I barely knew him, but he’s only a couple of years older than me. I never heard a bad thing about him, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a bad guy. I’m sure, like everyone else here, he’s killed, but that doesn’t mean he deserves to die. It doesn’t mean he killed maliciously or killed innocent people. I know very little of his history, but he’s never given me cause to want him dead.
And yet, he’s a Retribution King. He knows every day could be his last. Death is always a possibility when you’re in one of these gangs.
“Kill your fellow Retribution King. Kill a man who was once a brother. Kill the link between you and them. Kill him as your enemy, as our enemy. Prove your loyalty to us,” Corsi says, every word spit out like venom.
This is the moment I decide who I am. I decide what is worth it and what isn’t.
Hayes can’t help me. Gage can’t save me. I’m on my own. This is my decision. And I won’t let them ever take any blame for this decision. It is mine and mine alone.
I already know what I’m going to do. I knew what my decision would be the second I realized what was going to be asked of me.