He sat on a barstool and leaned his elbows on the counter. “To kill a monster, you must become one.”
I took the seat beside him and downed more water, dehydrated from all my drinking. “Even if I cut off the head of the snake, ten more will grow in its place. The Lucaya Group has cells around the world.”
“Attack their leaders. Cut off their resources.” Tate slammed his hand on the counter. “Drake, you know what needs to be done, but you refuse to do it.”
I gritted my teeth. “I won’t use Lovelace for evil.”
“What if something happens to Liv? You promised to put her first.”
“She’s not in danger,” I said, though that could have changed at any moment. “You, of all people, know I would let no one hurt her. I would die before that happened.”
No one on the Dark Web had mentioned Olivia’s name, but that didn’t mean a thing. Until Grace Hale moved to Fort Marshall, no one was talking about her either. The same was true for Alex Wellington’s arrival at the Salvatore Estate. Being attached to powerful men was the downfall of these women.
Any sudden changes to my status with Olivia would set new plans into motion. And for that reason, I kept her at arm’s length. Only within these walls could we be ourselves.
Olivia wasn’t from a wealthy family or connected to anyone in our world. The fact that she was not one of us benefited her.
“Drake, you’re the smartest person I know. Yet, you can’t see what’s in front of you. Do what needs to be done, or the people you love will die.” Tate slid off the stool and rose to his full height. “Just think about it. Please. I know what The Knights and I are asking of you is illegal and immoral, but if anything happens to Liv, me, or The Knights, you will have to live with this choice for the rest of your life. People don’t come back from the dead. Once they’re gone, that’s it. No do-overs.”
I was one of the good guys, or so I told myself. Growing up, Batman was my hero. I never wanted to be the villain, but even Batman crossed a few lines to take down his enemies. I wasn’t ready to take the next step, because once I did, there was no turning back from the person I would become.
CHAPTER 16
DRAKE
Later that night, I entered the second-floor library. Tate was keeping Olivia busy in the game room. Years ago, she learned not to ask questions about matters involving The Devil’s Knights.
In the library, I removed several books from the shelves and set them on the table. Every house on Founders Way had access to The Devil’s Knights temple via the catacombs.
I gained knowledge through computers and had no use for old, dusty books. But this room fit in with the rest of the house. No one would suspect a thing. They especially wouldn’t think a home this modern had ancient passageways.
After I cleared a path, I pulled on the lever at the bookshelf’s center. The founding families of Devil’s Creek had a similar secret door concealed behind a bookshelf. In every house, the lever was behindThe Count of Monte Cristoby Alexandre Dumas.
I yanked open the creaky door, reaching into the dark channel to find the light. Lanterns illuminated the stone walls and a narrow staircase. My father believed in removing fear from the brain. That if he pulled on the right trigger points, I would stop feeling it altogether.
As a child, my father forced me to learn the twisted maze. He’d blindfold me and tell me to find the Salvatore Estate. Then, he’d send me to Wellington Manor. From there, I had to backtrack through the catacombs until I found the Cormac Compound and Fort Marshall. Only then would he let me return home.
Whenever Luca called a meeting at The Devil’s Knights temple, I thought of my father and his cruel games. He didn’t remove my fear. If anything, he intensified it.
The old man would have forced me to use Lovelace to attack The Lucaya Group and the Russian Mafia. He wouldn’t have blinked. My father lost the capacity to care long before I was born. By some miracle, I held on to my humanity. And I wanted to keep it.
As I descended the stairs, my nose twitched at the scent of mildew and salt water. The air was thick and heavy underground, making it harder to breathe.
The temple was the furthest from my house, accessible via The Founders Club entrance by the harbor. I walked for almost fifteen minutes before I spotted familiar markings carved into the walls. Skulls with knives driven into the bone. Knights with the eyes of a demon wearing a helmet.
I liked the knight in full armor holding the Scales of Justice. The weight was unbalanced, dipping to one side from a giant serpent holding it down, slithering up the knight’s arm. This one reminded me that The Knights straddled two worlds.
The balance between good and evil.
The Devil’s Knights did terrible things both for money and to protect the world from criminals. Citizens of this country did not know what monsters lurked in the shadows.
With the doors to the temple propped open, voices floated into the hallway. Inside the room, two thrones sat on top ofa stone dais. Several knights grabbed their hooded robes from hooks, their backs to me.
Dressed in his robe, Luca Salvatore lounged on his throne, assuming his position as the Grand Master. He wore an angry scowl, which deepened when he saw me.
I slipped into my robe and took my place in front of the dais, waiting for Luca to lash out at me. He was an asshole of the highest degree. His verbal abuse and constant need to control every situation were frustrating, to say the least. But he possessed all the good qualities a leader needed.
At twenty-one, my cousin Cole was the youngest of The Knights. I move beside him, leaving room for Sonny Cormac to bump elbows with Marcello. Damian and Bastian Salvatore were on his right, joined at the hip. When Luca called local meetings, only members from the founding families attended.
