Page 111 of Peaceful Chaos

Damien responds by holding on to her harder, one hand moving to her throat and threatening to squeeze.

"Give me a reason," Raven hisses. "I'll cut your fucking head off."

"What have they done to you? This is not how you were taught at those schools I sent you to. You were trained to be a lady."

"No, I was trained to be a doormat for you to use like a prized horse. They freed me. You will not get a do over with my sister. Now, let her go, or you die. Yours will not be the first body to drop at my feet tonight."

His hands unfurl and he releases Tempest. She doesn’t hesitate to run straight into my arms. I bend down to try and put her more at ease when I speak to her. "Your dad is outside, sweetheart, why don't you let Teddy take you to him?"

Ted steps out of the shadows, and I watch him transform from stone cold killer back into the harmless joker we first met. It puts Tempest more at ease, and she accepts his outstretched hand. "C'mon, Tempe, let's get out of here."

Holbrook steps up behind me, and Damien's eyes latch on to him. "You have to stop them. I'm unarmed. I surrender."

Holbrook steps into the room, and my spine straightens. It would be so like him to slip back into his boy scout tendencies and force us to take Damien into custody. He surprises me by grabbing the bassinet instead.

"I still see a threat, don't you?" he asks us and leaves the room.

I smile at Damien. "Looks like it's just the four of us."

Raven presses harder with the knife, but Lucien holds his hand up for her to stop.

"I knew you couldn't do it." Damien is relieved, and I'm a bit confused again.

Lucien gestures for her to come to him. "C'mon, little bird, you've done enough tonight. This doesn't belong on your conscious."

I expect her to fight against his demand, but the look in her eyes tells me she's done.

Carefully, she backs away from him and presses against my side. Lucien looks at me. "The shot is yours if you want it."

I shake my head, and Damien sighs in relief. He still thinks he's going to walk away from this.

"Wise decision. We can come to an understanding. If you give me back half of my money, I'll disappear and you'll never see me again. I promise you."

We ignore him. His words aren't worth shit. Instead, I focus on Lucien and shake my head. I've had enough death for one lifetime. The satisfaction of killing Damien isn't worth the cost of my soul. I can’t seem to hand him any more of it, not even to save Lucien a piece of his.

"Look at me, father." There's a hypnotic quality to Lucien's voice, but it's far from soothing.

"The world will be a better place without you in it. Our name is going to end with you. Everything you've built, I'll make sure to tear it apart bit by bit. No one will remember you, and not a soul will grieve for you when you're gone."

"Lucien, wait, son," Damien begs.

"Hmm," Lucien hums. "I thought you had a new heir? You've replaced me, right? You don't get to claim me as your son. I sure as hell am not going to claim you as my father."

"I was too hasty. I can see now you've got what it takes to run my empire. Just let me walk away. You don't want to do this."

"See," Lucien cocks his head to the side, "that's where you're wrong. Thanks to your training, I very much want to do this. Not only that, but I can do it and sleep without a single nightmare."

He's lying of course. Lucien has always suffered through sleepless nights and nightmares like I have, but he won't reveal any weakness in front of his father. Damien will leave this world without the satisfaction of knowing a part of him will haunt us forever.

He racks a bullet in the chamber of the nine-millimeter pistol he's holding and aims the gun at Damien's head. "Any last words?"

Damien opens his mouth, probably to beg some more.

"Just kidding," Lucien interrupts. "I don't actually give a shit." And he pulls the trigger.

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