“You boys made your own choices,” I reminded them again. “Built a club with a casino below it. Decided to cater to the wealthy and the well-connected. Made deals with the kind of men your parents ran from. You thought you were staying in the gray, but there’s no gray in this world. Just light—and the dark you stepped into willingly.”
“Jack’s ready to bring you into his inner circle,” Luca said. “He knew exactly who you were the second your names hit his radar. And while he’s letting you swear fealty to Nik, to the syndicate, make no mistake—you’re Byrnes men. And once this war withDelgado ends, you’ll serve under the family flag. You’re joining with the full weight of your family legacy.”
Lucian stepped back as if he’d been sucker punched. Lachlan ran a hand through his hair, swearing again under his breath.
Luca turned his attention to Gabriel. “Now, you.”
Gabriel met his stare but said nothing.
“We traced you back through a string of foster homes. Abandoned at age two. No real record before that.” Luca shrugged. “But you’ve survived. And you’ve always been loyal to Anastasia.”
Gabriel gave a faint nod. “That won’t change.”
Luca’s eyes lingered on him a second longer than necessary before moving on to Julian. “You’re the enigma.”
Julian raised a brow.
“Your father’s doing life in Sicily for killing your mother,” Luca said. “No other living relatives we could find. No childhood friends. No school records after age sixteen.”
“I got bored. Dropped out,” Julian said.
Luca stepped closer. “You work in the shadows. That’s fine. We need men like you. But know this—if you ever think of betraying this syndicate, we’ll bury you where no shadow can reach.”
Julian smirked. “I don’t betray men who treat me right.”
Luca didn’t smile back. “See that you don’t.”
The room went quiet again, the candle flames dancing on the table beside us.
I stood with my arms folded, watching each of them absorb the truth of their new circumstances. They were part of our legacy now.
Luca moved in front of the altar and lit another candle.
All eyes turned to the etched blade and stack of saint cards laid out on the cloth.
“Gather round,” he said quietly. “It’s time.”
Chapter twenty-two
Lucian, Lachlan, Gabriel, and Julian moved without a word, forming a loose semicircle in front of the altar. Tension was carved into their faces.
I stood behind them, silent.
Luca rested a hand on the altar. “This rite is sacred. We don’t do it often. We don’t take it lightly. Once you cross this line, you don’t come back.”
No one spoke.
Julian cracked his neck. Lachlan and Gabriel stood stiffly, arms at their sides. Lucian’s hands squeezed into fists.
Cutting between them, I stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Luca before the altar.
“I’ll go first.”
Luca turned toward me, brows pinched. The corners of his mouth curled up in approval.
“You don’t have to,” he said.
“I know.” I looked down at the blade.
