Page 61 of Vicious Rule

“With you now? What does that mean?”

“With me! What the fuck is so hard to understand about that? With me. Mine. So keep your fucking opinions to yourself since she’s not your concern anymore.”

Gideon walks toward my desk glaring at me. “Sasha will always be my concern, Alex. She’s one of my closest friends.”

“And a former fuck buddy. How does that little woman you’re having a baby with feel about you coming here on your white horse to save her like this?”

“Leave Aria out of this,” he snaps. “She understands Sasha is an important part of my life. Why you don’t is beyond me.”

“Because she’s not yours!”

“Fucking enough!” my father bellows, practically shaking the walls. “I swear to God the two of you and this jealousy bullshit has to end. Now shut the fuck up about everything but what we’re going to do to get her back. Understand?”

My brother and I stare daggers at each other until I finally look away toward my father. “Fine. You can come, but don’t get in the way and don’t try to stop me. This is my show. Understand?”

I’ve never said that to my father. He says it to me all the time, but I’ve never dared use that infuriating catch phrase of his until now.

He understands why I said that and smiles. “I’m sure your brother and I completely understand, Alex. Just tell us how we can help. That’s all we want to do here.”

I’ve already had enough of my family’s help, but I know better than to say that. Fine. Helix and Gideon want to help rescue Sasha? Then they can back me up.

“I’m going in hot. Whoever I run into I’m fucking shooting to kill. This isn’t about finesse or anything else. It’s about retaliation. Nothing more. While I’m tearing the place up, you go find Sasha and make sure she’s safe. I’ll meet you two back here. Just get her out and get her home.”

I expect them to argue at least one of those points, but instead they simply nod. Good. I don’t need any more aggravation from my family. I’m all filled up on that for the rest of my life.

They both assume when I say retaliation I mean for taking her, but this is even bigger than that. Yes, the Olivettis have to pay dearly for that mistake, but I’ve got other grudges to satisfy. Not only did that fuck Angelo take a shot at me, but Nico betrayed me when I trusted him.

Neither one of them gets to come out of tonight alive.

The three of us file out of my office, but my father hangs back. Pulling me aside, he whispers, “When we get back, we’ll be talking about what you were up to with Nico Olivetti.”

I stare him in the face and say, “Fine. We can also talk about how you give me every job under the sun to do but don’t cut me in on anything extra while Gideon and Alaric get to be the golden boys. You ready for that conversation? Because I am.”

My father smiles and pats me on the back. “It’s so strange that all of you are convinced the others are the ones I like best. You know you’re all wrong, don’t you?”

I laugh at how absurd this fucking family can be. “Of course. Everyone knows you like Autumn the most.”

As I walk away, I hear him chuckle behind me. Sometimes the truth is just that. The truth. No point in whitewashing it.

By the time we get inside the main house on the Olivetti estate, I’m as bloodthirsty as I’ve ever been in my life. I shot four guards on the way in and some guy who looked like Nico, so I’m guessing it’s one of his brothers. I hope it wasn’t Angelo. I wanted to drag things out a little with him.

With Gideon and my brother behind me, I march down the hallway throwing open doors left and right. Nobody seems to be here, though.

“Where the fuck is everyone?” I ask no one in particular.

From around the corner, someone takes a shot at us and we fire back until he stops shooting. Walking to the next hallway, I see Nico lying dead on the floor in front of me.

“Not the Olivetti I was hoping he’d be, but he’ll do for now,” I say as I step over his bloody body.

“Maybe we should split up. Gideon and I will take the back of the house, and you take the front here,” my father suggests.

“Fine. Let me know when you find Sasha. And Angelo is mine. You can wound him, but I want the kill.”

My brother and father look at each other and then me. “We don’t know what Angelo looks like,” Gideon says.

I point at Nico behind them and say, “See him? Taller and fatter. Looks like a less appealing version of that guy.”

“Okay. No killing the uglier Olivetti. Got it.”

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