“You do as I say.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.” I shrug. “This is my world. This is my business. I run a very tight ship, and what I say goes. I need you to understand that, in this situation, I’m not your brother, Didrick. I’m the one they call Beast. And I don’t bend to anything or for anyone.”
“Do you actually use that name?” he asks, smirking. “I’ve heard our brothers call you that.”
“I do, and I fucking earned it.”
The smirk on his face immediately disappears.
“Every man in that room is under my command. All loyal to me and me only. If you step foot in that room, that means your loyalty is to me, too, not to our father. Do you understand?”
“I do,” he says without hesitation.
“Make sure you believe what you say, Didrick because if my men think you aren’t with me, that’s a death sentence. Blood or not, loyalty is everything to me and to these men. These men are my family, and our father is the enemy. Nothing you can do will save him, so make sure when you step out of this car, yourloyalty is to me. If it’s not, that means you and him will leave here in body bags.”
His eyes widen. “Are you trying to scare me?”
“No, I’m not trying to scare you, but I’m telling you how it will be. This is the reality of this situation, and I’m treating you like an adult. The blood we share doesn’t change the outcome of what happens today.Farwill die. Hopefully, you won’t join him. If you get out of the car, I have your complete loyalty. If you decide that you’re not ready to make that commitment to me, I understand, and I won’t hold that against you, but those are your two choices.”
As the car comes to a stop, I take a moment to give Didrick one last look before opening the door and stepping out of the vehicle. He has a lot to think about and a short amount of time to make his decision. If he remains inside, I have my answer. He isn’t ready to witness the death of our father. If he gets out, then he’s with me.It’s a tough choice for a kid his age, but a necessary one.
After a few minutes, the car door opens. He steps out and then looks at me. I give him a curt nod and walk inside the building with him following me. There’s no more time to discuss his choice. He has made his decision. I just hope he can live with it for his sake.
As usual, the men who work in this warehouse don’t payattention when I arrive. Without fail, I make it a point to visit Hell’s Kitchen at least twice every week so they can get used to my presence. If my men know that I’m always hands-on, then that leaves little to no room for anyone to make mistakes. However, today, I’m here for a totally different reason. Today, I’m here to kill my father.
“Are you sure Didrick being here is such a good idea?” Alrick asks.
“No, but he wants to be here, so I won’t stop him.”
“Can you trust him?”
His question gives me pause because I truly have to think about how to answer it. I want to trust Didrick, but the thought lingers in my head that maybe he’s been totally corrupted by our father, and there’s nothing I can do to change that fact.
There are only a handful of people I trust. Alrick and Asva, most definitely, are a part of the small number of people, as well as few of my other men I surround myself with, including Hugo and Nero. But those who are my blood relatives, I don’t trust at all, including Didrick. Of course, I want to trust him but wanting to and actually doing it are two different things.
“You know there’s only a few people I trust, Alrick, and he isn’t one of them. At least, not yet. But my concerns, as well as my expectations, have been made very clear to him. So, he’s a friend until he’s not.”
Alrick’s gaze shifts to Didrick, who scans the warehouse with curiosity as we stroll by my men who are stacking crates of guns and ammunition before returning his attention to me. Alrick knows exactly what that means, and a sly smile creeps across his face. If Didrick does anything to interfere, Alrick or Asva will kill him.
We make it to the back of the warehouse, and Asva opens the cooler doors. As expected, the twins have already restrained Olan and stripped him of all his clothes. I have no sympathy for the bastard. He doesn’t look like the strong man he likes to portray himself to be to the men who are loyal to him. He looks like a cowardly motherfucker who is finally going to meet his maker.
“You go in first, Didrick.” He looks at me with eyes as big as saucers. “Let him think you are here without me.”
“But why?” Didrick asks.
“Because I said so.”
He looks at me, his gaze lingering for only a moment before finally nodding. I can sense his nervousness as he steps inside the room alone, his eyes darting around anxiously. His trembling hands and unsteady stance betray his overwhelming fear of Olan—a reaction to being in our father’s presence that will take him years to get over.
“What do you think he’ll do?” Alrick asks.
I shrug.
This is Didrick’s test. I need to see how he will react when he sees Olan in this vulnerable position. Will he plead with me to let him go? Or will he sit by and let happen what’s supposed to happen? Hopefully, he remembers my warning.
I watch from the threshold of the door with my arms crossed over my chest. Olan’s shoulders sag in relief when he sees Didrick walk into the room. He thinks he will save him. Desperate times call for desperate measures if he believes the addict he kicked out of the house will save him.
