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“He doesn’t wish to lead.”
Zion hummed. “He might get his wish, but I fear it will deliver him to his death.”
“When you meet, perhaps share these insights with him.”
Zion held out his hand, and I placed the tablet in it. “Vincenzo, if he orders me to never return, it will sever the ties we have with Manos, Blackrose, and all of Haven Hart, as well as Fred Brennan.”
“It would be a cut he’d be making on his own. We could argue our side with the others involved.”
Zion tilted his head. “I understand the secrecy, but perhaps arrangements could be made in which Fred would come to you in private to meet.”
The idea of Fred coming to my home excited me more than I’d let Zion witness. “See how this meeting goes. If he’s pulling out of our alliance, call me and I will have an answer for you then. Right now I need to think.”
“Very well, sir. My plane leaves in the morning.”
“Safe travels.”
The morning draped a warm glow through the corridor leading to the basement. Every morning, I dressed, went over my daily schedule with my generalis, Aurora, and ate breakfast with my sister, Mary.
The stone steps spiraled, so narrow anyone unfamiliar would likely stumble upon descent. I’d lived in this estate for most of my life and could run up and down them with my eyes closed.
The basement was finished, beautifully decorated, warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and far more luxurious than my sister deserved. She should have been killed for her betrayal, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so; therefore she was a prisoner of Lex Talionis.
Two years ago, she’d stolen a chest full of Lex Talionis coins that were used as calling cards; we rested them upon our victims so everyone knew we’d been the executioners to whomever’s fate. She’d then hired mercenaries with no ties to Lex Talionis and posed as the elite assassin group.
She’d traveled to Haven Hart and ordered the deaths of deserving people but afterward, she’d targeted Christopher Manos, Terrence Blackrose (better known as Black), and Poe (the Hart heir)—pretty much the powerhouses of the entire area. And she’d done it in the name of Lex Talionis.
Mary Belini wanted to be part of my organization. As my sister, many thought I’d give her a pass to join, but she’d had to go through the same trials everyone else did. And she’d failed epically. She could fight but psychologically, she was unhinged. She had a problem with authority, and in the end, she’d been rejected. Her tyranny on Haven Hart was her way of trying to prove to me she could be part of the organization, but all it had done was convince me that my choice to refuse her entry was warranted.
“Good morning, Sister.” I walked over and sat at a table beside a large window.
“Right,” she grunted as she plopped into her chair across from me.
She was able to go outside under heavy guard, and only since a few months ago had she been allowed to eat with me minus bars between us. That said, we sat at a distance, and there were guards around the area.
“Sleep well?” I grabbed a piece of toast and began buttering it.
“We don’t need to do these pleasantries every morning, Vince.” She stabbed at her scrambled eggs, glaring at me.
“You know, Mary, any other praeses, and you’d be dead by now…even Father.”
She snorted, but there was a flash of fear there. “Why haven’t you killed me?” Her accent was thick, unlike mine. I was older and had come over to North America from Italy at the age of ten. I’d had the best tutors and schooling my parents could buy. Mary had stayed behind with our mother. When our mother died, Mary was twenty and Father had called her here.
“Do you want to die?” I sipped my coffee and regarded every flicker of emotion that crossed her face.
“I want to live, Vince. But you keep me prisoner here like a monster.”
Softly, I placed my cup down and leaned closer, though not too close. “You are a monster, Mary. You’ve disgraced Lex Talionis, and you are a problem. The fact that you are my sister and I love you is the only reason you breathe.” I sighed and pushed back. “It would break my heart, but if you want death, I will grant it.”
She didn’t say anything after that, and breakfast was silent. I would execute her should she ask, and I’d mourn her loss. But I’d get over the loss in time.
I was the praeses of Lex Talionis. Death was my business. The fact that my sister was still alive proved that love got in the way.
CHAPTER THREE
Fred
When I was a little boy and my mother was far too drunk to keep an eye on me, my father would bring me to his meetings. My earliest memory was at the age of five, and all I could recall was a ton of yelling, finger-pointing, and on occasion somebody throwing something against the wall.
