Page 1 of Ruthless Beasts

CHAPTER ONE

ADAM

“Do we have a deal, Father?”

I fought the urge to shift. My body cramped into the small confessional booth. Through the mesh of a window, I could see the faint shadows of the man aged with the weight of sin. I felt no guilt about adding to it.

“Will I be seeing you in my pews on Sundays?” he questioned.

“Now Father, I think we both know I’ve overstepped my welcome in the house of God long ago.” I leaned forward, getting closer to the window, trying to make out every line of his profile. “Let’s not tempt fate, or I might burn myself alive and take this whole place with me.”

“Nonsense.” His rebuttal was harsh.

“The devil tried once,” I reminded him. “I think a second time, he may win.”

“Adam.”

I cut him off before he could offer his pity or his false promises about God’s plan. I have my own plans, and I’ll burnagain before I let God take credit for the revenge I seek. “Do we have a deal?”

“I really?—“

“Do we have a deal, Father? That’s all I want to know.”

Even in the darkness, the shadow of him licking his lip was apparent. So was the swallow he took before clearing his throat. “We have a deal.”

“Thank you, Father.” I stood, even though I was forced to stoop in the small booth. “I’ll wire your account within the hour.”

I didn’t need to wait to collect his account information. This wasn’t the first time we’d worked together, though this exchange was probably the most unsavory of our interactions. My foot had just stepped out, the sole of my shoe touching the slate tile, when his voice stopped me.

“You were always such an ambitious kid.” He sighed. “I shouldn’t be disappointed in the path your life has taken when you turned away from God. But I had expected more from you. Revenge isn’t always the way.”

“Revenge is the only way, Father.” I stepped out, leaving him behind in the sacred space. I didn’t need a man of God to tell me of his disappointments. I’ve lived the pain of my life, sunk to the depth of sorrows, to know just how far I will go.

My footsteps echoed through the empty room as I walked away. The high ceilings carried the sound, spread it through the candlelit chapel, and expelled it into the night.

The air was cool when I exited the heavy wooden doors, the surrounding life deep in slumber at this ungodly hour. A car pulled up, the black tinted windows making it impossible to see through as I approached. I didn’t need to see him to know that the man inside was no threat to me.

I stopped in front of the car and pulled open the door, climbing into the passenger seat before slamming it closed. The car was already in motion before either of us spoke.

“Is the plan a go, then?” Ace, my best friend since childhood, asked as he took a right turn.

“I’m wiring the money now,” I informed him, not bothering to look up from my cellphone.

“And you’re okay with this? I mean, you can handle it?”

I looked over at him, a shadow of a man staring straight ahead. The glow of the dashboard gently illuminated his face. Even without seeing, I knew he was concerned.

He was there with me the whole time. He felt second-hand the devastation and the pain my heart endured. That pain never touched the physical turmoil that ripped through me and still tormented me to this day. But he knew the lasting effect it all had on me.

“I’m ready.”

And I was ready.

I was ready to end the life of Joseph Accardo; I just needed to cause him some turmoil first. Destroy everything he valued. Ruin the empire he built.

Five years. I’d waited five years to seek my revenge. It took the full five before I could stomach the attempt. Even now, when time has passed and memories have faded, my hand still tremored slightly at the thought of finally repaying what was owed.

A life for a life.

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