Chapter 1

Diego

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Bullets fly from my gun, ricocheting through the chest of the bastard who betrayed me. "What a fucking waste," I sigh, watching blood pool onto the floor. I shove the gun back into my waistband holster, inhaling the addictive scent of gun powder and revenge.

Turning to my second-in-command, Leonardo stands near the door, gazing down at the body with a stoic expression. "Leo, get somebody to clean this up!" I bark.

With a curt nod, he's on the phone with the "cleaning" crew. They'll have this piece of shit in a body bag within the hour, ensuring there's no trace of him left behind.

I storm back into the club, where loud music fills the building, drowning out the sounds of sex. I head straight to the bar and order a shot of tequila. Axel places it in front of me, worry etched on his countenance.

"Is it done, Jefe (Boss)?" he asks, his voice tight with emotion.

This has deeply affected each of my men, whether they admit it or not. We're supposed to be a familia, loyal to each other and protect one another at all costs. Or at least that's what I used to believe until I was viciously stabbed in the back.

My jaw tenses. "Yeah, that backstabbing motherfucker is dead," I mutter. As I down the drink, there's a welcoming burn in my throat. "Fuck!" I roar, launching it towards the wall. Axel swiftly steps aside, avoiding the flying glass.

My temper has been out of control lately. But who can blame me? Antonio was one of my best men, and I found out too late that he was stealing from me. Besides the men I've already tortured and killed for information, I don't know who else could have been working with him besides the Russians. Any of my men could be traitors, and I fucking hate traitors. Nobody steals from me. NOBODY!

My blood is boiling, threatening to explode. Killing him wasn't enough. Once you join the mafia, your family automatically becomes collateral. He took from me, and I'm going to take everything from him even if he's already rotting away in hell.

Leo emerges from the back room, locking the door behind him so nobody happens to walk in on the dead body lying on the floor. "Are you okay, Diego?" he asks, his Italian accent thick seasoning his words.

"No!" I snarl, grinding my molars together. "I don't feel any better after killing him. I know he did well to hide his family from us. Find them. I'm going to make sure his lineage is destroyed."

My voice is calm, but the fury boiling beneath my skin is anything but.

He quickly exits the room, his phone pressed to his ear once again.

Time for my revenge, Antonio.

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My driver, Charlie, pulls in front of a house. It's small and worn-down for a man that was stealing millions from me. For a moment, I wonder if Leo didn't send me the right address, but I know him too well. He doesn't make mistakes; he prefers to keep my wrath aimed away from him.

My crew steps out of the black SUV as I do. We silently approach the lawn, the grass withered and dotted with brown patches and dandelions. "I want everyone inside tied up. I will kill them myself," I say into my earpiece.

They all nod silently. We stop near the porch and wait, taking a few minutes to listen for any sounds. The night remains calm, indicating that everyone inside must be asleep.

""¡Rompe la puerta ahora (Break the door now)!" I motion with my finger, and they burst into the house, their loaded guns pointed and shouting Spanish obscenities.

I follow behind them lazily, waiting for the task to be completed. There's a loud bang followed by high-pitched screams that carry outside, but luckily, no other homes are nearby. When I kill them, no one will know, and even if anyone were to call the police, they wouldn't do shit about it. The LVMPD is on my payroll. I own those motherfuckers.

"¡Jefe, los tenemos todos amarrados (Boss, we have them all tied up)!" Danny shouts.

Great, the job is done.

Entering the house, I find two women in their pajamas tied to their own dining room chairs. My men ransacked the place, but it was done intentionally. It will appear as though a break-in went wrong very fast.

"¡Revisa to' la casa, asegúrate de que Antonio no dejó ni un billete por ahí. ¡Todo lo que le queda es mío (Check the whole house, make sure Antonio didn't leave any bills lying around. Everything he has left is mine)!" I snarl fiercely.

Approaching my victims, I feel a twinge of pity. These women are technically innocent, but Antonio roped them into his bullshit. He knew the consequences for betraying me, yet he obviously didn't give a fuck if it endangered his family.

I could easily shoot them in the head and be done with it, but a pair of grey eyes halt me in my tracks. I stand before her, mesmerized by her beauty. Her hazelnut skin is flawlessly smooth, and her ash-brown hair pulled into a big, poufy puff on top of her head.

She glares at me with furious eyes, while the woman beside her (I assume her mother) sobs loudly.

Interesting. I've only had women look at me with fear or desire, not like they want to rip my dick off and beat me with it.