Page 4 of Mafie Kings

He just smiles and pulls an envelope from one of the files still in his hand. Hesitantly I take it, seeing it’s addressed to an Evie James. I lift an eyebrow at him, but he nods. Pulling a blade from the sheath on my leg, I slice open the letter.

Evie James,

You are hereby invited to attend Mafie University. The term will begin on 08 July. You will board a private boat in Naples, Italy marked ‘The Shades of the Dead’ with the enclosed gold coin. The boat will depart promptly at 1600 to take you to the hidden island of Elysium.

Enclosed you will find a packing list, your assigned suite number and room specifications, your class schedule, and the rules of the island. There will be a break at the halfway point of the year, allowing you to travel home from the island for exactly two weeks. Elysium is equipped with a state-of-the-art training center and a fully functional hospital.

You will be required to keep a weapon on you at all times during your stay.

If you choose to accept the terms for competing in the Cosa Nostra challenge in order to become a King/Queen (Prince/Princess for runner-ups), the camera and task are inside the red envelope. We look forward to seeing you at Mafie University.

-Mafie Society Board

“Evie James?” I ask, “Is that supposed to be me?”

“It’s close enough to your real name. I figured it would be an easy adjustment, and I thought you’d appreciate a tie to your father… having his middle name as a reminder that he’s with you.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal, then places his hands on the table to look down at the files.

I reach out, placing one hand over his. The fact that he would make the effort to do something like this for me almost brings tears to my eyes. “Thank you,” I say under my breath. He nods in understanding and pushes forward.

He walks me through all the details. Thick files containing all the information I need to know about my marks look overwhelming at first glance, but he helps me break it all down until I feel comfortable. It’s a lot to prepare for, but if I can pull it off, I should be able to accomplish this mission before the end of the year.

“How are you feeling?” he asks me as we walk up to our rooms.

“I feel like I’m ready for it all to be over,” I tell him honestly, “but this whole mission could really help us. I’m sure I can learn a lot in my time at the university in order to help our organization here. In addition, I’ll gain tons of experience being deep undercover.”

We reach the third floor, but before I can split off and head to my own room, my uncle pulls me into a hug. “He would be so fucking proud of you,” he says in a low voice. “They both would.”

I hug him back, swallowing the knot in my throat. I don’t want to think about them yet. Not until it’s all over, and I have finally fulfilled the promise I made over their lifeless bodies. Only then will I let the tears fall.

With one last squeeze, he releases me and says, “I’m proud of you too.” Then he turns and heads to his room.

I take a deep breath, shut the door behind me and focus on what I have to do.

I have three weeks to get ready. I'll need to research my targets at the university, call in Havoc for extra drill training, and decide if it's worth the risk to attempt the Cosa Nostra challenge.

My nerves start to get the best of me for a moment before I mentally kick myself. I’ve been waiting close to twelve years for this, training every moment I could. I can do this.

No, I will do this. For my parents and for myself.

Chapter 2

I'm in my father's office, trying my best to pretend I'm interested in anything he has to say. Lev is sitting to my right, fingers flying over his phone screen, no doubt coordinating the shipment I requested extra security for. Damien sits to my left, legs spread wide and looking bored as ever. Can't say I blame him. My father has been dragging on for twenty minutes about how he expects us to act while attending Mafie University.

We have been training to take over the Bratva since we were infants, so I'm not sure what a small island school is going to be able to teach us. However, my father holds the school in high regard, having gone there himself when he was my age.

“The Cosa Nostra challenge was created in order to make the Kings of the island known,” he tells us. “Everyone has a boss or someone they look to for guidance. Everyone except for us. The Solntsevskaya Bratva is the highest of the elite in the criminal underworld. It is important that you three are looked to as The Kings. You need to learn to not only fix problems but how to also best take care of your people. Teachers will answer to you boys, and the medical staff and trainers will want your input. Managing them as well as everyone else will show us if you boys are ready for this position or not. Do you understand?”

He looks at us, standing tall in his custom-tailored suit, not a single thing out of place around him. Perfection is the aim of everything he does: perfect clothes, perfect leadership, perfect family. No one questions you when there's no weakness to be found. It’s one of the few things I admire about him.

When he makes eye contact with me, I nod, understanding the concept the moment I read the invitation. But my father is a man of control and clear expectations. So even if we are all in our early twenties and have been working like a well-oiled machine since the three of us were in diapers, he is going to lay out each expectation as if they weren’t all already written down and drilled into our heads since we could talk.

I get to my feet, Lev and Damien follow my lead. “We won’t let you down, Father,” I say as I button my suit, which happens to be a flawless mirror image of his.

He nods then waves his hand to dismiss us as he sits behind his desk.

We enter the elevator, and I look at Damien. “You started working on the plan?” I ask, needing to know if he reached out to some old contacts we made in college.

“I started coordinating my part, Lev’s contact should be getting back to him with more information soon. I think it’s coming together.”

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