Page 1 of Darkness

One

Cain

“If I die,then I can be with you.” The words escape my lips with no hesitation. Just so I can be with her, I’d happily die tonight.

“And I would love you to be with me, but it’s not your time. You have too much to give.”

“Without you, what is there?” I stare into her beautiful eyes. She will never leave me. I won’t let her. She’s my world, my life, my air.

“Life. A life you should cherish, one which I can live through you.”

“Without you, I don’t want a life.”

“Are you planning on drinking yourself to death today? I’ve buried my brother, not planning on burying you too before I die,” I hear Uncle David say. He pats my leg, making me open my eyes. I stare at the woman dancing around the pole. “You’re drinking more and more.” He takes the glass from me and finishes my whiskey. “It’s not even five yet.”

I finally turn my head slightly to look at him staring at me. “The Pit couldn’t kill me. I don’t think anything can.” I look around the floor, the VIP area of the club. Parts are open, partsare closed, some are half and half. From my seat I can see the entire floor, but I’m still hidden from people around us. You can only get this floor if I approve it. I’m not letting some asshole come up here when my staff walk around naked, some will be dressed in sexy lingerie, not just the women but the men, too. It’s the floor where things happen, and with the woman dancing in front of me, I can say customers are happy with what they get. This has been my business, Skyline.

“You can leave,” Uncle David stops her from dancing. She looks at me, waiting to see if I’m happy with her leaving. Giving her a nod, she gets up and grabs her robe, which all my staff have to wear on this floor. If they aren’t working, and walking around, they are to wear the club robe. “Are you planning on fucking all your staff?” I laugh at him, shaking my head a little.

“I haven’t fucked all my staff. I fuck two of them when I need to fuck someone. Other than that, I don’t plan on fucking anyone.” I lean forward, refill my glass with two fingers of whiskey and drink the whole thing in one go, before he can take it off me.

“Your dad always said that in our line of work, having a good woman next to us will always-”

“Uncle David, do we need to have this talk again?” I cut him off. I’ve lost count the amount of times he has told me my dad’s words. . I know our family believes they can live the full American dream-– get married, have children and think nothing will happen.

But it’s all a lie. I lost my dad to this world because my mom didn’t believe in the family. I lost my mom to this world because she didn’t believe my dad could save her, and then I lost my girl to the same thing.

So what does having a girl get you? Nothing but death.

“Cain, you’re always alone. You don’t come over to the house. Your mom is worried about you. I’m worried about you, son.” Ilean back on the seat and say nothing, because there is nothing to say. “Cain-”

“Uncle David, I’m not backing away. I’ve always been like this since I came out of The Pit.” I attend one or two family functions a month. I only see Mom out in public, but there’s a reason for that.

“When are you going to make us part of your life, Cain? I did everything I could when you got out of The Pit. To make things-”

“Stop!” I shout, pressing my thumb and finger into my eyes to ease the pain shooting through them. I can feel the stabbing rushing through my head. Fucking hell, this headache is starting to kill me. The Pit couldn’t kill me, but the aftermath might. “You know why.” The words come out a little quieter this time.

“And you think we can’t look after ourselves? In this family, we know how to fight.” I chuckle to myself.

The family business which grandad started, then dad and uncle David took over, then got passed to his sons. They’re learning the ropes for it, and I think they’ll do a good job. But they’re not ready to go out for their first job yet. I should know I’m the one teaching them.

The family has the Crawford Rehab Clinic, one of the best clinics in America. There is always someone who needs help detoxing for something. But behind every good business, there is always some darkness which lingers.

To the world, I’m Mr. Cain, a good businessman. If only they knew what I’m hiding. I have more demons, more darkness than anyone could ever imagine.

The same way Grandad built the clinic, he also built up. The Crawford hitman, the Fixers. No matter who the target is, or where they are, we will kill them no questions asked. Well, not me. Once I got out of The Pit, I never took part in that family business. Uncle David and his sons run that side of it all.

The system has worked for years. Uncle David knows I want nothing to do with that business. The stubborn man refuses to listen and keeps saying if my dad was alive, I would have been part of it.

After about a year of coming out of The Pit, he finally stopped telling me about what was happening, yet the man still had money put aside for my share of the business. I never asked him to do that.

“I know you can. But I have more targets on my back to last me five lifetimes. I won’t have anyone else’s blood on my hands. Because of me, I’ve lost one person I’ve loved. I’m not losing anyone else.” I thought the worst day of my life was seeing my dad being shot between the eyes. Even after twenty years, I still see my dad’s body hit the ground, and cold blood runs through me.

But in The Pit, I lost my best friend–the man who wouldn’t let me go down there alone, because he needed to protect his grandson. All that got him was an early meeting with death.

“Cain-”

“Uncle David, stop!” I shout. He doesn’t want to know how I really feel about the family business and what they can do with it.

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