Page 59 of King Of Order

Not even her distinct scent, when aroused, on her tongue and coming off her skin, that drove me primal, had the power to lure me.

But what kind of monster made love to a woman when he was about to destroy a key pillar of what remained standing in her world?

I shrugged off my conscience, the voice of reason asking me to reconsider.

I wasn’t a beast, but as someone once said, exacting retribution for yourself or your loved ones was a right and an absolute duty.

Looking back, I didn’t know what was worse: the sharp ache of missing my parents or the helplessness that came with it.

I couldn’t bring them back.

For years, I couldn’t control my thoughts or emotions. Even basic things, like eating or showering, were sometimes impossible. It was more than sorrow; it was facing the unknown.

Questions kept filling my head—what if I’d reached for Olivio’s gun or one of his capos and iced them in time? Would I have saved my parents and uncle?

No answers came.

My grief washed over me in unpredictable waves. One moment, I’d feel numb; the next, in a fury or broken down.

Triggers burst out of nowhere, and despite counseling with my siblings, most days, I existed, unmoored from feeling and sensation.

So, as time passed, I built up an armor—perhaps one thicker than myfratelloin some way—because I witnessed it go down before my eyes.

Worse, I’d had the chance to stop it but hadn’t.

I’d used enormous willpower to become controlled, ordered, and focused on the task.

I labored alongside my brothers, coldly plotting the demise of the men who ordered the hit and the one man who’d held me captive and made me view my parents’ deaths in real-time.

It was all about to come to fruition on this night.

I waited for the darkness to deepen.

While I did, I sat at my laptop and worked some magic.

At 3 a.m., I drove through Naples’ quiet streets and returned to the hospital, dressed in the janitor’s uniform I’d helped myself to earlier.

I eased into the reception, head down, cap on, shoulders bent.

No one took notice of the janitor. No one ever did.

My filched pass got me into the ward I needed.

I spotted an empty cleaning cart lying in my way, so I nabbed it and pushed it along to add to my credibility.

Several doctors passed me, and I nodded at them as they trudged wearily past.

When I swung by the nurses’ table, the pair behind the desk were lost in conversation and never glanced my way.

On I continued, getting closer to my mark.

The place was quieter at night, and the hum of machines was the only sound filling the halls.

I made my way to a small maintenance room on Ward 9 and extracted my iPad. I used Ciprioni proprietary software to access the hospital’s security feed I hacked earlier.

I pulled up Olivio’s wing and tapped out a series of commands to loop the video footage showing his current status as asleep.

I couldn’t wait any minute further.

---