Page 60 of Dust to Dust

The girl who escaped death had escaped it yet again.

She lost half a spleen and some of her small intestines, but she was going to fully recover. Physically that is. Mentally, it's still a pan scramble mess in her beautiful head. "She's awake," Damian informed me as he exited her room. "You should go see her."

Instead, I turned my back to him and her as I exited the private hospital. We landed at a small airport in Canada, where The Rites of Passage escorted us to the hospital where Nova was at. I stood inside the surgery room, accompanied her to the recovery room, and then to her private room. But as soon as she started to stir, I left.

My steps hastened as I rounded the corridors that smelled like disinfectant. The pale blue walls started to tunnel in on me. When I pushed open the double doors and felt the Canadian air fill my lungs, I was about to have a full-blown panic attack. I bent over and rested my palms on my knees as I inhaled to calm myself. This had never happened to me. Usually, when I snapped, I killed, but this time I felt like falling down a dark hole. My hands reached out to find purchase but nothing was in sight. I just kept falling.

Once I felt like I could control my heart again, I grabbed the back of my neck, massaging it to try and release some of the tension.

"Who are you punishing? Her or yourself?" Anton asked as he joined me outside.

I've never wanted to kill a man so much in my life—even more than my father, which spoke volumes. Killing Anton might just piss off The Rites of Passage, the secret club I was now a member of, because my wife risked her life to pass a trial that was supposed to be mine.

"You were able to get to Franco all along." It wasn't a question; it was a fact. The Rites of Passage played game after game. You had to look between the words to figure out what they wanted.

Anton confessed everything to me as Damian and Dante held me back from killing him. Anton knew Nova went into Franco's compound. He spoke to her and allowed her to walk into death. Then after she completed the mission, he swooped in like the white knight he pretended to be.

"Yes, we could have killed Franco at any time."

"I'll never join." I seethed.

Anton laughed, then pulled out a cigarette box and lit one. "You will." He stated with confidence. "Like Nova, you'll do anything to protect those you love. You will love The Rites of Passage. You will be devoted to us because we are the biggest arsenal you can have against your enemies. We're the body armor, the first layer you have when protecting Nova and your brothers." He blew out a cloud of smoke, tossed the cigarette on the ground, and crushed it under his shoe. "This was a test of loyalty. How far you could be pushed. Like Lucas, who was willing to die for the cause, so was Nova." Anton reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone, "You can reach me anytime. I'm at your disposal. In one month, we will come to collect you, and then you'll be the one bossing my ass around."

I didn't take the phone.

Anton shrugged, "Have it your way. We're always watching." He turned and started to walk away, "I'll see you in a month." On cue, right as he reached the parking lot, a black sedan pulled up, and he slipped inside.

Footsteps sounded behind me. They were not running shoes or boots but rather formal dress shoes.

Dante.

"What are you going to do?" He asked.

"I want nothing to do with them," I looked towards Dante. The fucker always looked so put together. Where he found a suit that fit him like a glove was beyond me. Even with his dark hair messy and needing a shower, he still looked like the powerful Italian he was born to be.

"We need a man on the inside, Titan. Until we all pass, you can be our eyes and ears. I know I'm asking a lot."

He wasn't. I would do anything for my brothers, just as they had dropped everything to come and aid me when my wife went off the deep end. "You're not," I grunted. "The Rites of Passage knows too much. We can't afford to have them as an enemy."

Dante crossed his arms. "They said we all have seats of power. Power can persuade."

I raised a bow, and Dante beamed, "I'm not going to take orders, brother." He shook his head. "I'm going to give them. We formed our brotherhood to shake up the world. We agreed to play The Rites of Passage's games to see inside. You're in. You passed. I say we all pass, drink the knowledge, and then if we don't like the rules…." He grinned.

I nodded, knowing what he was thinking, "Fuck’ them. We burn it all down."

We stood in silence. The wind whistled through the nearby trees, creating a sense of calm that felt too eerie. "And what if we like them?" I pondered out loud. What if The Rites of Passage were really good, as good as ruling power could be?

Dante slapped my back. “If you can't beat them, then join them."

Chapter 48

Three weeks later…

I grabbed the small pile of shirts and tossed them in my small duffle bag on the bed. Looking over my shoulder, I noted Titan had blocked the door. "I'm leaving." It's useless to stay in a home where my husband won't speak to me, where it pains him to look at me. I expected a nice congratulatory dinner, makeup sex, and hate sex. I knew Titan would be angry, but I didn't think he'd be disgusted with me. His disgust was something I couldn't bare. It's worst than when I thought he killed me.

I was able to move on my own now. It still pained me to stand completely straight, and I wasn't given the clear to resume my daily exercise until my stab wound healed completely. It wasn't the physical wounds that pained and taxed me. It was the mental ones. Like how my husband couldn't look at me. Titan didn't stay by my side as I healed. Damian acted more like a husband than Titan did.

"The fuck you are." Titan growled.

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