Page 121 of King Of Order

I quivered.

My initial gut feeling about him from the first time I’d met him resurfaced.

This man was a wolf. One who lived and died for his pack, his protection relentless and unyielding.

Like a predator guarding its territory, he would fight with savage intensity when provoked, his calculated nature driven by pure instinct, sharp and unforgiving.

He was the embodiment of cunning and strength, patience and ferocity.

I was now at his mercy.

I turned my eyes to the guesthouse, where the lights flickered on. Mauri had just left the main house, and I almost wanted to call him back.

Somehow, sensing he was the lesser of two evils, I stared at the man glowering before me.

Rio leaned forward, nabbing the whiskey glass on my coffee table.

He sipped and reclined back, his sinewed arms rippling as he stretched out again.

I squirmed on the loveseat, waiting. Heart pounding.

When he spoke, it was without warning. It was also quiet as a whisper, yet growling with thunder.

‘My name is Valerio Calibrese. Together with my brothers, we are the so-called Kings of Omertà, the Sons of Honor, who enforce the sacrosanct code for several influential Mafia clans across Italy. Our renown is extensive and far-reaching from Europe to North America and even the southern hemisphere. We exist in utter secrecy, and the only ones allowed to share our identity are those intimate with us.’

I blinked at his hoarse rasp, believing every word given the iciness with which he delivered the words.

He went on, his voice stripped of all warmth. ‘Eight years ago, our parents were killed in a car bombing in Naples. A man known as Carlo Abrazzio ordered the hit. Carlo and his brother Ricco, as well as most of their family, are now all dead at the hands of my brothers and me. So is the famiglia of a man called Franco Conti, who started the rumors that led to my loved ones’ deaths. The man who built the bomb and detonated it was one Olivio Tirone. Your father.’

I jolted with fear, panic, and deep sorrow.

Fotto! My father was the man who chose to destroy Rio’s loved ones and take everything precious from him.

My mind spun, a whirlwind of emotions and memories crashing into me, leaving me unable to keep up.

‘I took it upon myself to take care of the Tirone family. I got close to you and Olivio. His death was not quite an accident,bella.’

The endearment was anything but. It was couched in a bitter, raw growl that sent shards of terror through me.

‘I was at the hospital the night he died.’

He said the words matter of fact, ignoring how I jolted in my seat.

I must have made a noise to urge him on because Rio continued. ‘I did it, Chiara. I shot your father.’

My hand flew to my mouth to stem the silent scream rising in me.

Rio leaned forward, and I jumped, but he only reached for his whiskey.

‘He killed my parents. It was inevitable.Occhio per occhio, dente per dente. An eye for an eye. That is the code.’

Which he sipped, eyes on me over the edge of the tumbler, cold as fuck.

The room felt like it was closing in on me. I couldn’t breathe.

Rio’s words replayed in my mind like a broken record, louder each time, until they were unbearable.

He got close to me to get to my father. He killed my father.

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