Page 381 of Savage Bosses

Dark Cravings

SAVAGE BOSSES

M’Renee Allen

Chapter One

PART ONE: THE PAST

Bryceson

Five years ago

I

t was crazy, the things people did in the name of love.

For love, some spent their entire lives pretending to be someone they weren’t. For love, some traveled hundreds of miles just to spend one day with the person they cared for. For love, some would sacrifice their own life to protect their beloved. Some would even kill to keep the person they loved safe.

He had someone he’d do all those things for. And right now, he’d rather be at home with her. Instead, Bryceson Cattaneo was spending his Saturday night breaking into the home of a wealthy businessman. Because of his father’s order, Bryceson found himself on a mission alongside his cousins, Vincent and Cas.

They’d also brought along their friend, the son of their family’s consigliere, Matthew. Bryceson’s father’s orders had been clear: retrieve the money owed to him by a wealthy businessman named Richard Jensen or bring back a piece of Richard Jensen. Richard had borrowed money from the Cattaneos last year.

This year, he’d fallen behind on his payments. The Cattaneos were not ones to be trifled with when it came to financial debts. The man would’ve been better off going to one of those fast loan places instead of coming to the Cattaneos. Sure, the interest rates would’ve been higher at one of those loan places, but at least they wouldn’t kill him if he was late paying.

His father would kill a man over five dollars just as quickly as he’d kill him over five thousand. The amount of money wasn’t important. If he was owed it, his father wanted it, and he wanted it on time. When he didn’t get it, he sent his goons after you. Tonight, Bryce and his gang were the goon squad.

However, unlike most of his dad’s men, Bryce had one rule:no killing. He was no stranger to the ways of the world of crime. How could he be when he hailed from a notorious family with a long-standing reputation for their involvement in various illicit activities?

As a member of a crime family, he’d grown up surrounded by tales of daring heists and lucrative deals gone wrong. He knew his father and uncles had caused enough bloodshed in their time to fill an ocean. Even so, that didn’t mean he was completely on board with everything they did. That didn’t mean he wanted to be like them.

He wanted to be better than them. Hehadto be better than them…for her. Sure, the woman he loved knew of his family’s dark background. She came from a family of politicians who owed part of their success to the Cattaneo crime family. So, she knew how his family worked. Their families lived on the same street.

The two of them had grown up together. Their mothers had been playing matchmaker with them for years but were still shocked when Bryceson told them that he and Tatianna had been dating since high school. Tatianna knew who he was and who his family was. Therefore, he didn’t have to hide things from her.

But he did hide things from her. Though she knew what his family did, though her family benefited from the things his family did, he knew Tatianna wasn’t anything like his family or even like her own family. She didn’t boast about being a politician’s daughter. And she didn’t take advantage of his family’s connections.

She was all about forging her own path, and her path was nowhere in the vicinity of the path his father wanted him to take. Which was why he was slowly trying to untangle himself from the corrupt world his family belonged to. No, he’d never turn his back on his family. But he no longer wanted to do tasks like the one he was doing tonight.

He no longer wanted to cause Tatianna to worry about him when he was out on missions. He no longer wanted to see the fear in her eyes when he told her he had to go on a run for his father. Each time he saw that expression, his heart broke. He couldn’t keep doing this to her. This had to end. And it would end, soon.

But soon wouldn’t begin tonight. For tonight’s mission, Bryce and his entourage had meticulously planned their approach, aware that a direct confrontation with their target could attract unwanted attention. To avoid that, they decided to break into Richard’s luxurious mansion during the dead of night when the businessman and his family were sound asleep, unaware of the impending danger lurking outside their doors.

Bryce’s cousin, Vincent, was a computer and tech genius. He was able to hack into the Jensen family’s security system and disable it with minimal fuss. It had only taken thirty minutes to get the system down. They’d parked their black van as close to the house as they could without being noticed so Vin could access the family’s Wi-Fi.

Once the cameras and alarms were down, they exited the vehicle and headed toward the property. With their black attire allowing them to blend into the shadows, Bryceson and his team silently approached the mansion. The night air was heavy with tension as they entered the home through a window in the study.

Once inside, they made their way down the lavish corridors, relying on their extensive knowledge of the mansion’s layout they’d spent a week studying. They’d studied every nook and cranny, every security measure, to ensure that their intrusion went undetected. The sound of soft snores guided them toward their target’s bedroom.

When they entered the spacious bedroom, they found Richard and his wife peacefully asleep, their chests rising and falling in synchrony. How could the man sleep so soundly knowing he owed the Cattaneos money? If Richard had only sold some of the outlandish shit he had in his home, he wouldn’t have had to borrow money from Bryce’s family.

Bryce never understood why someone would live above their means. Apparently, for Richard, keeping up appearances was more important than his life. Bryceson’s gaze flickered momentarily to a family portrait on the bedside table, a stark reminder of the consequences their actions could have on innocent lives.

Determined to carry out their mission swiftly and efficiently, the group subdued Richard without waking his wife. Bryceson placed his hand over Richard’s mouth and nose. Once it became hard to breathe, Richard’s eyes popped open. His wild gaze met Bryceson’s.

The man began to panic. Bryceson’s eyes bore into Richard’s, silently conveying the severity of the situation. Bryce placed his finger over his lips, signaling Richard to be quiet. It took Richard a few seconds to assess the situation. The man’s gaze darted to his left, looking toward his wife.

Richard’s eyes widened when he saw Matthew standing over his sleeping wife with a gun pointed at her forehead. Bryceson tapped the man’s face, bringing Richard’s attention back to him. Bryce nodded. With tears spilling from the corners of his eyes, Richard nodded.

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