Page 62 of Her Wicked Men

Vincent would pay for his crimes, and I wanted to be there.

The cruelty and darkness of the brothers had scared me, but now, I understood it. This world was twisted, and you had to be wicked in order to survive the shadows. Be willing to cross a line to protect those you loved and save yourself.

Kieran had shown me his true self from all angles. The raw emotion when he felt like he’d failed me, and the need to comfort me and cherish me when I needed it most. He was not hiding who he was.

Had I been doing that all my life? Hiding who I truly was? Because knowing he’d been willing to burn down the city for me had delighted me. I was just as wicked and twisted as they were, I’d just tried to fight it for so long.

Maybe I belonged right by their sides, no longer fighting the darker parts of me that I’d hidden away.

I closed my eyes, wanting to finally get a decent sleep in the safety of Kieran’s arms.

Four days had passed since that first night, Zane and Enzo had returned with Thomas and had organized how things were going to proceed. Thomas’ mother and sister were flown overseas the very next day to be with those who were loyal to the Slades, using their current passports but then were transported by drivers across borders so they couldn’t be traced. They’d done a few video call check-ins so that Thomas knew everything was true, and they were getting their own identities too now.

Patrick Slade had been in discussions with the Morettis, and they’d agreed to be lenient on Thomas because his choice had aided the main family, but due to the fact that they were still sorting out their ranks, and they couldn’t locate Mario andMatteo, or Vincent, Thomas had chosen to continue with a new identity and leave the country for now.

His documents were being sorted and he was staying with us until everything was ready. I had a feeling they were taking their time unlike with his mother and sister simply because moving him was riskier.

I sat on the couch, enjoying some pasta delicacy dish that Enzo had made for the lot of us.

All three of them had been far too sweet, although Zane had kept his distance mostly, only checking in on me and making sure I had everything before moving off to handle calls and whatnot. I’d not had any alone time with him, and it saddened me.

I had no idea what he was thinking or feeling any more. Was it because of my attack? Had that altered his view of me? Or was it because he’d allowed his mask to slip, to show his emotions and reveal his rage? Was he filled with shame and guilt, or embarrassed? I had no clue, and I wasn’t about to press him.

“So, Jason, you have one confirmed kill, how old were you when you did that?” Kieran asked as he propped his legs up on the ottoman. He sat awfully close to me, while Enzo stood at the kitchen island to eat, and Thomas sat on the opposing couch. We were all trying to use his new name in an effort to help him get used to it so he’d respond to it. I was having the most difficulty remembering not to call him Thomas.

Zane was out on the balcony handling a call as per usual.

“Fourteen,” Thomas said. Yeah, I wasn’t going to be able to call him Jason. I’d leave that to the guys.

“That’s young,” I gasped.

“Not that young,” Kieran said with a shrug.

“How old were you when you first killed?” Thomas asked Kieran as he continued to eat, like they were merely talking about sport and not murder.

“Nine, I think,” Kieran mused thoughtfully. “Had to shoot a guy while he was on a walk. Typical hit for the family. No one suspects a kid.”

“Fuck,” I breathed.

“Enzo was eleven, I remember that day well. When the family truce was first made and dad pulled us all from our class at home, he took us down to the basement. Riccardo Moretti was the one who’d murdered most of the Carbone family, so our father gave Enzo the choice to return the favor and become a part of our family fully, or step away from the bloody side of this life and allow my father to handle it. He chose to join the family that day,” Kieran shared as he nodded at Enzo.

I looked to Enzo, knowing there’d been something there but never wanting the grim details. Now I understood their closeness, they’d only been children when they’d made their pact with blood. To become a family, brothers in the bloody war of their streets.

Enzo’s face was hard at the sharing of his first kill, and Thomas was quiet.

“I’m sorry my family did that,” Thomas said softly. “I know an apology from me means jack shit and won’t bring them back, but I truly am.”

“Thanks, it does mean something,” Enzo said as he frowned down at his bowl.

“Matteo and Mario will be joining their fathers once we find them anyway,” Kieran stated, shifting the topic as I stared at Enzo.

“Enzo…” I paused, not sure what to say as those dark eyes met mine.

“Mmm?”

“I’m sorry about your family,” I said, unsure of what else to say. I wanted to hug him, to take away all his pain from his loss. He’d endured something far greater than I could imagine.And seeing how close he was with Zane and Kieran, I could only imagine he’d been close with his family. Had he had siblings? He’d never mentioned any, but I wasn’t going to ask either. I didn’t want to rip into that scar and reopen the wound.

“Don’t apologize for something you were never a part of,topolina,” he said as he offered me a small smile. “That day I avenged my family, and became part of another. I found brothers who I’d die for, and who would do the same for me. Sometimes we need to lose things in order to find something else, something just as great or even greater. The great silver lining.”

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