Page 55 of The Shadow King's Brother

The ground slips out from under me.

No. No, no, no.

My vision tunnels, the walls closing in. My heart is a war drum, and my ears ring with a roar of blood and rage. A red haze paints everything in front of me.

“Not. Your. Fault,” I grind out, forcing my voice through clenched teeth as I scan her for injuries. Nothing. She’s fine. Physically.

I stumble backward. My legs buckle. I drop to my knees, fists hitting the marble with a crack that echoes through the carnage.

The pain means nothing. Not when she’s gone.

There’s only the agony. And the fire it ignites.

“Fuck!” I scream, the sound ripping through the silence of the night. “Not her!!!”

My fist slams into the floor—once, twice, again—each blow a savage attempt to exorcise the storm tearing through me. The marble cracks beneath my knuckles. Blood spills from my split skin, painting the floor red. I barely feel it.

In the corner of my vision, Angelo and Vinny stand frozen. Then Vinny steps forward and places a tentative hand on my shoulder.

I swat it off like it burns.

“They’ll pay,” he mutters, his voice hoarse. “They’ll fucking pay.”

I glare up at him, my eyes wild. “They took her, Vinny,” I rasp. “They fucking took her.”

He doesn’t flinch. His hand returns to my shoulder, stronger this time. “Fuckers.”

The darkness coils tighter inside me, alive and snarling. They made a fatal mistake. They took the one thing that mattered. The one thing that made me human.

And now?

Now they’ll burn.

I rise, slow and steady, wiping blood from my fist. My eyes are cold—hollow.

“Find them,” I growl. “I want names. Faces. Locations. Everything.”

Vinny nods.

Angelo and Marco step forward, stone-faced. “What are your orders, Boss?”

I inhale through my nose, grounding myself, leashing the rage—barely.

“Marco, lock this place down. Every inch, every room, every shadow. If they left a crumb, I want it found. Angelo, hit every contact we’ve got. I’ll call Gio and the others. Spread the word—we’re hunting. Nica’s missing. The bastards who took her? I want them found before the sun fucking rises.”

They both nod, no hesitation.

Then I turn to Vinny. My gaze sharpens.

“I need you,” I say. “There’s a company—Broad Corporation. Someone there threatened her. Shook her up bad. I want to know who’s behind it. Who funds it. Who owns it. I want it stripped bare. Angelo’s going with you—just in case you get any ideas.”

Vinny meets my gaze. Doesn’t blink. “Consider it done. And not the screwing-you-over part.”

For the first time in years, I believe him.

There’s something in his eyes—something jagged and real. A shared fury. A common enemy.

We will find Nica.

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