Page 111 of Devil's Property
Did that exonerate him from the ruthless choices he’d made early in his career or the fact he’d allowed both daughters to be used in a vicious game? Fuck, no. But his actions did tell me that the story he’d told over speakerphone inside her Santa Barbara home had an air of truth.
Would the outcome be ideal for any of us? No, but the game was about to be finished one way or the other.
I’d considered myself always in control of my emotions no matter the difficult circumstances, honing my professional skills to the point remorse was no longer in my vocabulary. The violence and bloodshed undertaken through the years had simply been par for the course, a necessity when dealing with lowlifes and traitors.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt any hint of guilt for something I’d done or a decision I’d made.
The only guilt in my life lingered in the past where it should remain. But it had taken me telling Fallon to realize the pain haunting me was multifaceted. Including feeling bad for livingwhile my brother had died. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as Lucian’s dying face popped into my mind once again.
I’d all but driven the words he’d whispered while spitting up blood from my mind. Remembering them was a double-edged sword. Using the knowledge could change everything from respect to friendships.
As hard as I’d tried to ignore the electric prods manifesting thoughts of remorse, with Fallon suddenly appearing in my life, doing so had simply become impossible.
Everything I’d coveted over the years meant almost nothing any longer. How strange that a single kind act undertaken by a kid who’d dreamt about becoming a powerful, merciless leader would ultimately become my possible downfall.
Not from a well-aimed bullet fragmenting my brain, but from realizing everything I’d believed most important meant absolutely nothing any longer.
All that did matter? Family.
Fallon.
She mattered.
The life we would build mattered.
Shedding my anger mattered.
Providing her with a life untethered by constant violence and fear of being killed—mattered.
Money? Power? They were not worth anything to me.
Blood ties andfamiliawere valuable assets, but they were also considered weaknesses. The fact I cared about Fallon wasn’tthe only issue. The bigger one was that my strong feelings and intense desires for her were already well known. That’s what Fassi had wanted, the bastard who’d played another hand, used another avenue to try to destroy what he’d already fractured.
I’d allowed myself to believe I had found a family in the Torres organization. I had, but knowing the personal betrayal was difficult for me to handle or accept. As of right now, everything I’d worked so hard to achieve seemed intolerable.
I laughed softly to myself as I gazed out the windshield. Nothing was the same any longer. Not the expensive vehicles in my garage, the hand-tailored suits straight from Italy, or the beautiful views from my house windows. The pristine landscaping and stunning foliage I’d all but completely ignored since moving into the house a few years before. Hell, I couldn’t even remember when I’d purchased the place. The only criteria offered to the real estate agent had been a secluded location with enough land I wouldn’t feel crowded by assholes and paparazzi.
High ranking members of the Torres regime had been considered celebrities for years. I’d endured the notoriety, shying away from the camera for countless reasons including that I preferred my privacy.
I’d become wealthy without trying, my fortune built on both hard work and acts of extortion and blackmail. Up until recently, I’d thought nothing of my actions, including taking a man’s life when necessary. I’d been taught never to second guess my decisions and to never change my course of actions.
Be bold. Be virulent. Be decisive.
Good advice that I’d needed to hear as an enraged kid with a hunger for revenge.
I pulled up to the gate, lowering the window. The guard had a weapon in his hand as he stepped from the guardhouse. He also had a bomb-detecting device in the other, quickly sweeping the underside of my Maserati before bothering to ask my intended business with Rafael Torres.
The powerful patriarch of the Torres Cartel had earned his retirement as well as his continued respect from both peers and allies.
Even in a country filled with crime syndicates, he was a true legend. But his rise to power and mine wouldn’t have been possible had the war between him and Valentino not broken out twenty plus years before. The horrific battle had altered the face of politics and crime, offering opportunities for new regimes to snag a foothold.
I’d been offered a place within the hierarchy, a true honor for a kid with no family and zero training. I’d learned to do my job better than anyone else in my capacity, quickly rising in the ranks, becoming invaluable to him and to his son, Jago after Rafael’s retirement.
But I’d never truly felt as if I’d fit in.
After the guard waved finally waved me through, the massive estate came into view. How long had it been since I’d set foot in the sprawling mansion? Two years? Maybe longer. I’d once spent days here at a time, eating, sleeping and drinking my job.
Then I’d retreated to a place of my own, convinced it was a natural progression. Nothing was natural about loneliness.
