Page 55 of King of Violence

I can’t look at him. I can’t face the way he sacrificed himself for me, for my mistake.

“You’re lucky Elijah is a weak man.” My father’s voice slices through the silence like a blade. As always, he’s cold and unemotional, but I hear the disappointment lingering in his tone. “I’ve already dealt with him. And now it’s your turn.”

I don’t move. My heart races, but the words won’t come. The guilt weighs on me, suffocating. Elijah did this for me. He accepted the blame, knowing full well what the consequences would be.

Elijah took it all—the bruises, the cuts, the unrelenting physical torture—but it’s the emotional cost that cuts the deepest. I can see it in his eyes. It’s not just the blood on his face. It’s not the bruises on his body. It’s the quiet acceptance in his gaze. He did it because he loves me. Because, despite everything, he’s still my brother, and he’ll always protect me.

I want to scream at him, beg him to stop, to make him understand that he doesn’t have to do this for me. But I know it won’t change anything. Elijah never wanted this for me.

I’m frozen, my body refusing to move, my mind too full of anger and guilt to think clearly. My father’s eyes flick to me and a knowing look crosses his face, but he says nothing. He doesn’t have to. Elijah’s silence speaks volumes.

Elijah finally meets my gaze, his expression unreadable. His lips part as if to say something, but the words never come. Instead, he simply nods, a quiet acceptance in his eyes. I can’tbear it. The pain I see in him tears me apart. I want to say something, to make it right, but I can’t.

“Why?” I whisper, my voice breaking as I finally allow myself to look at him. “You shouldn’t have taken my punishment.”

Elijah’s lips curl into that faint, tired smile that always seems to hide the weight of the world. “I’d do anything for you. You should know that by now.”

I can’t look at him anymore. The guilt is too much. I want to apologize and tell him how much I hate that he had to go through this for me, but the words won’t come. All I can do is stand there, silently watching him as the weight of the moment crashes down on me.

Father lets us have this piece of solace. Until he pushes me against the wall and wraps his callused hands around my throat.

“Listen, boy. I know you’ve been fucking that lawyer. I know what he’s been researching. I have a reputation to uphold. I can’t have word on the street that my son’s gone...soft.” Father spits the word in my face, causing me to flinch. “You have twenty-four hours to make your choice—either that snitch or your fucking family.” He presses his fingers against my airway. “And if it’s anything except the latter...well, you don’t want to know what I’ll do.”

He throws me away, leaving the room. The men guarding the door follow at his heels.

Elijah collapses to the floor, not trying to hide his pain from our father anymore. I rush to him and try my best to pull him off the ground.

“Why did you do that?” I say tightly. “It should have been me.”

His blood soaks my hands, but I can’t tell where it’s coming from.

“Shut up,” he interrupts, his voice a quiet command. “I made the choice. And I’ll do it again if it means protecting you.”

I look at him, a mixture of gratitude and pain flooding my chest. “But why? Why would you do this for me?”

“Because you’re my brother,” he says simply. “And I’ll always protect you, even if it means taking a beating to do it.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I can see the toll it’s taken on him, the way it’s changed him, but he doesn’t regret it. Not even a little bit.

“I’ll make this right,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “I’ll fix this, Elijah. I promise.”

He nods, his expression softening just for a moment. “You better, Julian. Because I can’t keep doing this forever.”

I pull my brother up and drag us both to the infirmary.

The air is thick with tension, heavier than it has ever been before. My father’s ultimatum echoes in my mind like a constant drumbeat: Felix or the family. It shouldn’t be a choice, not after everything that’s happened, but it is. And now, with every passing second, it becomes clearer that the decision I make will change everything…forever.

I know what my father expects of me. He expects my loyalty and obedience, as always. The Greco family has been the entire foundation of my life. But Felix...Felix isn’t a part of this world. He’s everything I’m not supposed to want. He’s a distraction, a weakness. Or at least, that’s how my father sees it.

The problem is, Felix isn’t just someone I want anymore. He’s someone Ineed. I can’t imagine a future without him, even if it means sacrificing everything. And yet, I can’t escape the gravity of the family I was born into. The weight of my father’s threats, the power he wields—it’s crushing, suffocating.

I don’t want to lose Felix, but I don’t want to lose myself, either.

After a sleepless night of second-guessing every decision, I make up my mind. I can’t risk Felix. Not after what he’s already been through because of me, not after everything we’ve shared.

I have no choice but to protect him.

Felix doesn’t ask questions when I arrive at his door. He doesn’t challenge me when I tell him we have to go. He just follows me, his gaze dark with concern but silent. I can feel the tension between us, the unspoken fear, but there’s a quiet trust in his eyes. He isn’t scared of the danger anymore. He trusts me to keep him safe, even if I’m not sure how I’m going to do it.

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