But she just gripped me tighter as a storm built inside my chest.
All of the cousins were on the outside of the bosses, some were eating and or drinking quietly, but not Ash, he had a gun in his hand, as did Breaker, and slowly but surely, I saw that my cousins, the Elect, were not going to go down without a fight.
“I wonder…” Uncle Tex took a step toward me. “…did you ever think that your love would start a war?” His face was livid, contorted into rage as he got right in my face. “You think with your dick, and you divide this entire family! You divide kid from parent; your fucking selfishness is going to bring down an entire dynasty.” He sneered in disgust. “I hope it was worth it.”
I lunged even though Serena had my other hand, and managed to hit him across the face with my fist. “Take it back!”
I’d just hit our godfather.
Again.
If I wasn’t already dead.
That did it, sealed my fate.
He spat out some blood. “Sex is never worth breaking up a family. I don’t care how good it is.”
“Say something like that about Serena one more time, and I’m going to fucking rip your lungs out through your throat!” I roared.
Someone let out a low whistle, but I didn’t care. All I saw was rage, rage that he’d disrespect her like that.
“Serena,” Nixon said in a soft and gentle tone. “Give me your hand.”
“No!” she said sharply.
I’m positive it was the first time she’d ever yelled at her dad in front of anyone by the look of pure shock on his face.
“Let go of his hand,” Nixon growled. “Now.”
“No!” she screamed. “I LOVE HIM!”
Her announcement was worse than me hitting the Capo by the curses that exploded around us.
“You’re too young to know what—”
“So help me God, Nixon, if you tell your own daughter she’s too young to know what love is, you’ll be the one peeing through a straw!” Serena’s mom Trace piped up, and then one by one, the wives stood with the kids.
Oh, this was not going well.
At all.
“Trace, you know the rules we gave then,” Nixon said in an irritated voice. “They knowingly broke them because they’re horny college students! You get punished when you break the rules, and we were clear from the beginning what they were! Look at us!” He spread his arms wide. “Of course you didn’t think this would happen, did you? If it was any other person—”
“Stop.” My dad lifted his hand. “Stop draping my shame on my son’s shoulders.”
“Wh-what shame?” Serena’s clear voice filled the tense room.
Trace slowly walked over to her daughter but didn’t try to take her from me. Instead, she shared a look with me and whispered, “Honey, it was a long time ago, but some things are harder to forgive.”
“I tried to rape Trace.” My dad just out and said it.
Serena sucked in a sharp breath and clung to me tighter. “What?”
My dad’s eyes held so much pain that for a second, I wanted to drop her hand and give him a hug.
“It was a dark time.” Dad swallowed while my mom came up and grabbed his arm like he needed her strength. “Junior knows, I told him when he was young, just in case, just in case—” He squeezed his eyes shut. “My dad at a young age told me I was just like him, just like his father before him. He said men like us needed to dominate, needed to hurt, needed to break girls in, make them bleed, use them as a currency. At a very young age, my only job within the De Lange Family was to break them, some were virgins, but we were held at gunpoint. Doesn’t justify it. The first girl I tried to save shot herself in front of me when we were finished. I was fourteen.” His eyes filled with tears. “I was filled with so much hatred over Trace that I couldn’t see straight. She showed up on our campus, my campus, and stole Nixon’s friendship, stole my only friends, the only solace I had in my godforsaken life, and I snapped. I set her up, and because of that, my dad was no longer boss, and I was cut from being his heir. Our family suffered, so I wanted her to suffer, seeing her as the reason. I never—” He took a deep breath. “It never got that far because Chase ran in and saved the day with Nixon and Tex, but it’s something that I will never forgive myself for. It’s why Junior wears the mark of your family, Serena. Because no matter what, the Nicolasis will always honor the Abandonatos, no matter what choice is made. My firstborn was always supposed to be a penance, at the beck and call of the Abandonatos as a way to show forgiveness and fealty.”
I stared down at my arm and tried not to let the rage hit me again, but it was impossible to stop the shaking as Nixon walked up to me, with my dad silent permission and my mom’s tearful sobs, took his dagger and fucking cut into the Abandonato symbol on my skin, ripping the scar to shredded pieces.
I let out a little groan while Serena still clung to me. The burn was deep. And I knew, in that moment, I had relived the sins of my father.
Because Nixon Abandonato was cutting me from the families.
All because I fell in love with his daughter.
“Serena,” Nixon said in a low tone. “Come here. Now.”
“My place is by his side,” she answered, her voice clear and bold.
“Serena—” My voice cracked.
“No!” She bellowed. “You don’t get to give up right now.”
My smile was weak. “When have I ever given up?”
“Then what are you doing?”
I gulped and then. “I don’t want you to see me break.”
“Too bad.” She turned around and held out her left hand. “Where he goes, I go— even if that means you bury me too. And I answer to Asher.” She glared at her dad. “Not you.”
A gasp resounded through the group.
And the ever-silent Chase finally spoke up. “Let Asher deal with it. It’s what he does best.”
He left out the “kills people” part, but it was there regardless, in the heavy pregnant hush that settled over the room.
Ash stepped forward and sighed. “Please don’t make me force you two.”
“You won’t have to,” Serena answered for me.
We walked in steady cadence down the hall, and then down to the basement, bypassing the gym we so often sparred in.
Down another set of stairs we went until Ash stopped us in front of one of the soundproof rooms.
Two metal chairs were already in there, not facing each other, another curse, dying without seeing the last breath of the loved one. Or maybe it was a blessing. I couldn’t decide.
I just calmly walked to one of the chairs and sat.
Serena did the same.
“I won’t kill you quickly.” Ash’s voice caught in his throat. He looked like he was going to puke.
“I know.” I locked eyes with him. “Ash, for what it’s worth, I’m glad it’s you.”
“Don’t say that to me, man.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how much more I can take right now. It’s fucking hard to breathe, and I wish they knew. I wish they knew how long, because maybe then they’d know this isn’t screwing, this is… this is so much more.”
“Would they even listen?” Serena asked quietly. “Or would they just assume we’re high on sex?”
“You could at least try.” Ash looked away from us and walked over to the table. I knew what was there, several guns, torture devices, rope.
He grabbed the rope.
Great choice.
With a pale face, he wrapped the rope around our joined bodies as our backs were pushed hard against the cold metal of the chairs. The knots were tight, digging into my skin like an ever-present bruise.
When I looked up, he had the chains.
Again, solid choice, at least I couldn’t fault him for sucking at his job.
“Good choice,” Serena muttered.
And for some reason, I laughed.
Because it was so fucked up that we were proud of him for torturing us then killing us later.
&n
bsp; “Are you guys seriously laughing right now?” Ash gave us both incredulous looks as the door opened. The rest of the cousins piled in. Maybe to say their goodbyes.
“This is wrong,” Maksim said through clenched teeth. “You know it, we know it! So stop it!”
Ash stared pretty boy Maksim down. “Does it matter? Because I guarantee you’ll be tied to something if you try to fight for them.”
Violet gave a panicked look to Breaker, who grabbed her hand and slowly pushed her behind him.
I knew it.
“Don’t worry.” I gave them a sad smile. “If it were anyone else, they’d probably just get a warning shot in the leg, nothing fatal.” I stared at Breaker.
His eyes narrowed.
I continued. “Chase knew anyway…”
“What?” Ash stopped grabbing the chain. “You mean the first time?”
“Yeah, but the second time too,” Serena said. “He told us not to get caught.”
“That’s…” Ash didn’t finish his sentence. He did, however, grab the stupid chain again and start wrapping the heavy thing around us. It pressed into our bodies tight while at the same time pulling us toward the floor with its heaviness. Sooner or later, something would break under the pressure, or crush beneath bone; it was too heavy for either of us to last that long, especially Serena.
And if we moved during the torture, it would slowly slip getting tighter and tighter around our bodies until we suffocated.
So it forced you to sit there and take it and try not to pass out.
Ash went over to the table and braced himself against it, then grabbed his phone. “I need you guys to do me a favor.”
“Really?” Serena said with heavy sarcasm. “You want us, the ones about to get tortured to do you a favor?”
God, her strength was incredible.
The rest of the cousins slowly trickled out of the room as the door gave a resounding click behind them.
I smiled despite the pain in my biceps muscles, slowly squeezing me to death.
“I know, right?” Ash suddenly looked way too happy to be inflicting pain on us. “I jus— I want the cousins to hear your story. From beginning to end. They don’t know, and I think, when you guys die, they’ll understand how important it is to fight for what you loved even if it means dying by their side.”
“Was that your pep talk?” I wondered out loud. “Do you seriously do this shit to everyone you torture? That’s messed up, even for you, Ash.”
“I think—” Ash’s eyes flashed. “That this might be a good way to save lives, so maybe stop talking out of your damn ass and tell the story.”
Serena’s annoyed sigh jumped me out of my stupor. “She sighed like that the first time I fell in love with her.”
Ash held out his phone and then walked to the corner of the room. “Yeah, Maksim? It’s Ash… Yup, you got the text? …Good. …Yes. I’m sorry too. …Yeah.” And then Ash held out his phone and slid it until it was by my feet. “Talk.”
“I sighed in annoyance?” Serena asked with what sounded like a small smile.
I needed to keep her awake, keep her alive; the only way to do that was to keep her mind off the pain that was slowly choking the air out of her body.
“Yeah.” I snorted out a painful laugh. “You were so easily annoyed by everything, and then I was annoyed you didn’t give me any attention even after that time I climbed the tree and threatened to shove you out of it.”
“Because boys aren’t supposed to go, ‘By the way you’re pretty, whoops don’t fall, don’t fall!’”
I choked on my laugh. “Oh, shit, you were so pissed at me you ran to your dad crying that boys were mean. I’m sure that didn’t help my stellar reputation with him.”
“It’s because I liked you, stupid. And you threatened to kill me!”
“Oh, hell, Serena, it was like maybe five feet.”
“I was short still!”
“And you aren’t now?”
“Take it back, you bastard!”
“Stop moving!” I laughed despite our predicament. “And I would take it back like I stole all those kisses.”
“Hah, you think you’re sly enough to steal them, I gave those freely, willingly the day I told you I loved you.”
“Fifteen is too young.” What I said.
“I argued with you until you finally gave in.” She sighed. “You looked over your shoulder for a good year every time we had family dinner. But it didn’t matter; you made me yours.”
“Yeah.” My body heated, “Maybe we leave all that part out, so your dad doesn’t come back and kill me a second time.”
“Let them know,” she whispered. “You were so… gentle.”
I squeezed my eyes shut as she spoke.
“You took your time, you kissed my mouth like you worshipped me—you still kiss me that way.”
“Because I do,” I told her softly. “Because I fucking worship the ground you walk on. Would sacrifice my body just to honor yours.”
She sniffled. “And then the great disappointment.”
“You mean when Chase found us having sex…”
“Awkward.”
“It’s not like he watched. I mean, it could be worse. Remember Claire and Ash? He was literally inside her, ass naked while his dad came charging in like a bomb going off.”
Serena laughed. “Okay yeah, that’s worse.”
“So much worse. I mean, have you seen Ash’s ass?”
“Um… something you wanna share with the class?” Serena asked.
I rolled my eyes. Shit, my lungs felt heavy. Focus on her voice. Focus on my soul mate. “I think you know one hundred percent that I’m all man, and I’ve only ever been yours.”
“Despite your attempts to make everyone believe you’re a manwhore.”
I swallowed the emotion in my throat. “You know I’ve only ever given myself to you, only you, forever you.”
“I shouldn’t have—”
“You wanted to make me jealous. That was understandable after the incident.”
“Ash turned our love to hate,” Serena admitted. “But the thing about love and hate… the pendulum often swings all the way back.”
“I couldn’t stop my heart from falling, Serena, even now, know that it beats for you, until the very last faint thump against my chest.”
She started silently sobbing. “I love you so much it hurts.”
A tear slid down my cheek, hitting the cold metal keeping us tied to each other. “For as long as we both shall live.”
“For as long—” She hiccupped. “—as we both shall live.”
She let out a sharp gasp.
“Serena? What’s wrong? Talk to me, princess. Serena!”
“I’m—” She was shaking. “I’m okay. I think.”
“Where does it hurt?”
Suddenly the chains felt loser; I tried looking over my shoulder. Then realized that they were getting pulled from us by my dad and Nixon and that behind them, we had several wives bawling into their husbands’ chests, and looks of pure annoyance were being directed at Ash like he was the reason for no bloodshed.
We had all five bosses with their wives packed into that small room, and then the oldest kids with Ash giving each other high fives like they’d just won the lottery.
I stood on shaky legs and barely had time to turn around before Serena launched herself in my arms. “Is this real?”
“I have no idea.” She said against my mouth. “But I’ll take it.”
“Junior,” Nixon growled. “The Ring. Now.”
This time I did listen, because getting the shit beat out of me sounded a hell of a lot better than death.
“Try not to die,” my dad said under his breath like that had me thinking happy thoughts.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered as we all piled out of the room, me with my dad by my side and Serena on the other.
My dad just smiled. “I think this would have been a lot better had you not been idiots, hellbent on keeping
it from us.”
“Right, because telling you would have what? Saved us?”
“Maybe,” Dad said. “Maybe if you would have come to us first, asked permission…”
“But you said by penalty of death…” I reminded him.
“Well, yeah.” He shrugged.
“We’ve killed people for wanting to walk away.”
“The rules are there to keep you from being idiots.” Dad slapped me on the back of the head. “From thinking with your cock and just taking something because it looks pretty and is forbidden. But love, the kind of love we just heard on the phone. Well, that’s different.”
Serena shrieked out, “What?”
“Thanks for that replay, by the way,” Ash said from his place ahead of us. “Really wanted to relive the moment I fell in love and got caught.”
I could tell he meant it.
I could also tell a lot of blood was about to get spilled as Nixon stripped off his shirt and jumped in the ring.
His fingers weren’t wrapped.
And I knew firsthand that he was an excellent street fighter.
The only bonus was that my own dad had taught me Jiu-Jitsu to the point that I could hopefully escape without dying.
“Six rounds,” Tex called out. “For every year you loved Serena and kept it from her father, from her protector, from your father, from your boss, and from me, your Capo.”
Ash let out a low whistle. “That’s gonna be really hard after being tied up and—”
I shot him a look. “How about you stand by my side the way I stood by yours?”
“I did.” He sobered. “I’m the one who saved your lives.”
With that, he patted me on the back and then shoved me into the ring with the very pissed off father of the woman I loved.
He was a big man, six-two, enough muscle on his muscle that his sweat probably had muscle.
He had maybe fifteen more pounds of muscle on him, but I was taller, and my reach would be better—hopefully.
“Nixon, go ahead.”
Nixon stepped forward, and then with a cruel smile on his lips, said, “How many times did you sneak into my house?”
“Oh, fuck.” Maksim looked ready to puke in the corner.
We really needed to talk about the guy’s ability to encourage and lie!
“I didn’t really keep track, sir—”
Ruthless Princess Page 24