Page 52 of Love & Power

“Because they don’t fear us,” a woman called out.

When no one else had anything to add, I rested my free hand on my hip. “Are you all silent because you agree?”

A flurry of yeses and other agreements sounded from the crowd, showing me that I had my work cut out for me.

“So what have you done about it?” I pressed but didn’t wait for the answer as I yelled, “Absolutely… fucking… nothing.”

Back up the steps I went, wanting to make sure everyone could see me. “When did you lose your pride in the name you bear? We are the third strongest Family out of the five who founded our way of life in Nepreea. The only reason we’ve held onto that is all thanks to Frediano Raffa, who’s run this family for almost sixty years. He was wise enough to plan for the future when he picked me to be his heir. For years, I was trained like all Raffa men who’d come before me so when the time came, nothing would break me.”

Darkness surged forward, lending me the cool calm that came just before you knew someone was going to die by your hand. The rage, frustration, and disgust for these people who pissed away a legacy that was now mine, I wouldn’t tolerate for a minute longer.

“They pushed me to the brink of insanity, where I looked into the pits of hell and came back with a demon of my own. Darkness is what I call her, for she lives in the shadows of my soul. She only comes out when death runs rampant and blood must be spilled, removing all hindrances in my way…” I paused, letting my words die off as I held them trapped in rapt attention. “I am what it means to be a Raffa, to lead this Family, and reclaim the respect the name deserves.”

“How will you do that?” a voice called out.

Smirking, I knew it was Von setting up the perfect moment for me to drop the biggest bomb of the night. “We are going to destroy the top two families and snuff them out of existence.”

Panic began to churn in the room, but no one dared to turn away from me and risk being shot. At least I know they can learn. Tossing the gun back to Luca, I freed the blade from my heel, the main reason I chose these shoes for tonight. I wasn’t sure if I was going to demand this from people tonight, but it was clear to me how complacent these so-called family members were.

“If you’ve heard anything about me before tonight, then you know I’m more than willing to cull the herd to save the best. So my question to you is…” I paused for dramatic effect, “… do any of you deserve to hold the Raffa name?”

Von and Ivy walked down the aisle to the front, each with a stack of paper St. Jude talismans. Bear was right behind them carrying a small table with a lit candle in a large metal bowl. He placed the table before the steps and took his normal place behind Von. As if they were coming up to take communion, they filed out of the pews and stood before the table. Walking down, I halted on the opposite side of the table and held out my hand. The man before me placed the image of the saint on the table and extended his wrist over it. With a quick swipe of my blade, blood spilled onto the paper.

“Do you give your oath of loyalty to me and the Raffa name?” I asked.

The man held my gaze while he picked up the saint and lit the corner of it on fire. “As burns this saint, so will burn my soul if my oath is not true. Life, loyalty, and honor to the Raffa Family.”

“Family ’til death,” I said, finishing the oath.

It was slow-going since I had to be the one to spill the blood, which meant cleaning the knife between each person. Honestly, I was just happy I didn’t have to spill any blood for this ceremony since my hand and arm were recovering from the other two oaths I’d gone through. What I found so disheartening is I didn’t feel the passion in their words. I had no idea if what they were saying meant anything to them or if it was just a way to keep me from killing them. Time would tell because, oath or not, if they didn’t contribute to the Family, it was the same as stealing in my eyes, and those who steal from me don’t live long after.

Then I was met with a face I did know and smiled at Zani. “Zani, do you give your oath of loyalty to me as head of the Raffa Family?”

I purposely changed the wording, knowing he was the person the Family had championed to take my place by force. He returned my smile, and instead of offering me his wrist, he pulled back the collar of his shirt and bared his neck. Since he was the second to last person, everyone could see what he was doing. With this action, he was offering me his life in penance for allowing anyone to believe he would steal my rightful place.

“I’ve broken my oath of loyalty and honor to the Family,” Zani announced, loud enough for everyone to hear. “I offer my life in atonement for this sin.”

“Your life is mine, Zani Briffa, but I choose not to take it from you today,” I decided, but with the flick of my wrist, I nicked his throat, allowing blood to fall on the saint. “While I still allow you to keep living, do you give your oath of loyalty to me, Astin Caprioni-Raffa, as head of this Family?”

Without bothering to stop the blood that seeped from the cut, he lit his talisman and held it aloft for everyone to see. “As burns this saint, so will burn my soul if my oath is not true. Life, loyalty, and honor to our leader, Astin, and the Raffa name.”

Well, what do you know? Maybe I picked the right guy after all.

The last person stepped up, a woman I guessed to be Sienna, Zani’s wife, offered her arm, tears streaming down her face. “Thank you for sparing my husband,” she managed to say, her whole body heaving as she tried to stay strong in front of everyone.

“Your husband is a good man who was just trying to do his best for the Family. Zani did the honorable thing and told me himself what transpired within the ranks of the Raffa Family. They chose him, he didn’t go looking for the chance to take over the Family,” I explained, grasping her hand gently to stop the shaking. “Wipe your tears, Sienna. They are only seen as weakness in our world, and trust me when I say weakness is something none of us women can afford to show.”

Sienna flinched as I cut her, but she did as I instructed, brushing away her tears before offering me her oath. Zani wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders and guided her back to their seat, completing the oath ceremony. It was far less bloody than what I’d experienced the last time, but I suppose that’s to be expected from a Family with such a long history.

Taking my place once more on the raised platform, I looked out over the faces who vowed their lives and loyalty to me and this Family. “Understand this, if nothing else, we are at war, and I am the general leading us into battle. If you do not pull your weight, man your posts, or provide some sort of value to this fight, then you will be considered dead weight, and we can’t afford to carry you along with us. In simple terms, get your shit together and your ass in gear, or you’ll find yourself burning in hell.”

Observing the reaction to my reality check, I noted those who seemed to rebel against the ultimatum. However, the ones I was worried about were those who turned green at the thought of having to apply themselves. People like them were the ones who wanted the easy ride through life and would happily betray us if given a better offer involving less work for them. Who knows, there might be more blood spilled before the night is over.

“As is tradition on these happy occasions, we will now share a meal with one another, forging the bonds of family to become even stronger. Our staff has been slaving all day to provide everyone with a delicious dinner, so join me in the dining hall behind this building. Staff will be waiting outside to guide you in the right direction,” I said, dismissing everyone.

It might seem odd to force the tradition at eleven o’clock in the evening, but I planned to use that time to observe people. Hound had set up the chapel and the dining hall with cameras so we could go over everything with a fine-tooth comb, but I liked to feel the energy of a room. It gave you information you’d never find on a video recording.

I felt one of my guys step up behind me and, without a second thought, I leaned back allowing their body to support mine. My leg had healed, but when forced to stand like this on a hard, unforgiving surface, it made my thigh ache. While all of my men were sweet and supportive in their own way, only two of them would think to offer me a way to ease the pressure on my leg while not looking weak.