Page 225 of The Obedient Lie
And Damius?
He waswaiting.
Waiting for the moment Vince was too weak, or too compromised—to stop him.
And then he’d make his move.
Luca moved across the room, pacing like he couldn’t bear to stay still. I watched him from the edge of the bed, papers still in my hand, the names on them burning like brand marks into my skull.
He stopped suddenly, eyes dark, voice low. “You remember what Damius did to Vince?”
I didn’t answer.
“Used to lock him in the basement forweeks, Bastion. No food, no light. Just him and those fucking concrete walls.” Luca’s voice cracked. “Remember when he used to show up to family dinners? Cut Vince up like meat, made him clean the wound himself at the table—while Nik tried to distract us.”
My grip tightened on the papers.
“And then he’d smile,” Luca shook his head. “Fuckingsmilelike it was all love. Like he was teaching him how to be strong.”
I could still see Vince’s body. All those old scars. The ones no one talked about. The ones Damius never tried to hide, because pain was part of the bloodline.
“That’s what we have to look forward to,” Luca muttered. “That’s what he wants fromus.” His fists clenched at his sides. “Break us. Rebuild us. Marry us off to whatever dynasty daughters will breed killers into our legacy.”
His voice dropped to something hoarse. “He wants usempty, Bastion. Just like he made Vince.”
My throat burned.
Because every word was true.
Vince had sacrificed himself so we wouldn’t become monsters. So we wouldn’t forget how tofeel.
“Then maybe it’s time we repay him.”
Luca went still.
The kind of still that only came when something dangerous had been said out loud. His chest rose and fell like he’d just taken a hit, but his eyes—his eyes locked on mine like he already knew where this was going.
“We take our place beside them, help build Villain into something stronger than they ever saw coming,” I said, voice low. “Bigger than the Grimaldi syndicates. A fortress of legacy. A dynasty so untouchable that not even our cousins can breathe without asking us first.”
Luca didn’t move.
The silence between us burned.
“And then…” I met his gaze. “When no one’s looking—when everyone least expects it…”
I let the words land like a knife.
“We kill Damius.”
Luca blinked once.
Then again.
He didn’t flinch. Didn’t look away.
But his voice dropped into something sharp and barely audible. “Speaking that out loud is enough to have your tongue removed.”
I didn’t blink.
