Just as I was about to make my way upstairs, the curtains swirled in the gentle breeze, revealing a glimpse of the black vehicle outside. I paused, drew my brows together, and then walked over to the window for a closer look.
There was indeed a black vehicle parked across the street. However, it wasn’t the same SUV as before. My heart skipped a beat as I wondered whether I was being spied on. Was someone trying to scare me out of snooping?
It didn’t even make sense that the people involved would already have been tracking me so soon. I hadn’t even beguninvestigating. It had to be that my mind was playing tricks on me.
I closed the curtains tightly, my heart pounding in my chest.
This is all in my head…right?
Chapter 2 — Nial
The ground beneath my feet trembled as a train rolled across the flyover above, its loud honk cutting through the night. I stood beneath the structure, with cars parked behind me and my armed men flanking me.
My eyes barely squinted against the wind, my black hair tousled, strands framing my face. Smoke curled into the air, the scent of tobacco drifting into my nostrils.
Under the cold and distant stars, I waited, filling my mind with the satisfaction yet to come. The rules were simple. Loyalty to the brotherhood till death.
These men knew the consequences of their actions. Yet some idiots still believed in their puny minds that they could misbehave and get away with it. How pathetic.
A black vehicle turned a corner, its headlights on, tires splashing into a puddle. It drove toward my men and me, then parked in front.
The driver stepped out of the car, and three others did the same from the backseat. Two of them walked over to the trunk, popped it open, and yanked a blindfolded man onto the pavement.
He pleaded in Russian as he was being dragged like a piece of rag along the jagged concrete. They tossed him at my feet, took his blindfold off, and towered over him.
His hands were zip-tied, and his eyes were swollen from the beating he had already taken before being brought here. The deep cut on his upper lip was still fresh and bleeding. His face was a mask of terror, his hands trembling as he looked up at me, almost in tears.
Another thing I hated as much as betrayal was cowardice. If you had the mind to turn your back on me, you should bewilling to accept the consequences of your actions. Not this one. He was a pussy! I’d seen braver boys than this excuse of a man.
“Boss,” he called softly, his voice shaking. “Show mercy. Please.”
“Mercy?” My lips curled into a wicked grin. “What’s your name?” I asked him, my gaze unwavering.
He paused, eyes shifting across the men around him.
“Keep your focus on me, boy,” I said, retaining that evil smirk. “What’s your name?”
“Vik…Viktor.”
He was no more than twenty-five. Lanky. Tall. Brown hair and grey eyes. I hadn’t seen him before, but according to Boris, he was the thief who had been stealing from me for months now.
Boris was my trusted lieutenant, the one they called the One-Eyed Demon. He lost an eye three years ago in a battle with the Italians. Since then, he’d grown even more ruthless. Silent and deadly.
He was the one in charge of fishing out the parasites amongst us that needed to be cut off. He’d discovered Viktor’s crimes weeks ago, but I asked him not to raise an alarm until I was ready to make an example out of the unfortunate fool.
Viktor had run out of time because he had my full attention now.
“You don’t have to be afraid,” I told him, trying to make it seem he wasn’t in danger. “I’m just trying to have a conversation with you.”
“What?” His brows arched, eyes wide with shock.
“Listen, Viktor.” I crouched before him, flashing that deadly grin of mine. “I know there are rumors flying out about how ruthless I am and how I scare the shit outta people.” I placed my hand on his shoulder, fingers massaging his muscles. “Do I look scary to you?”
He hesitated, confused about what the actual fuck was going on. Misled by my smile, he shook his head, a quiet sigh of relief leaving his lips.
I chuckled, tapping his shoulder. “You see? You have nothing to worry about.”
The uncertainty in his eyes was crystal clear. And I could see how much he was struggling to believe me.
