Page 5 of Maddening Fixation

I was no longer the reckless nineteen-year-old my own family had thrown behind bars a decade ago, too blinded by lies to hear my side of the story—or even care to.

That boy was dead.

The man standing here was something far more dangerous.

I flexed my hands slowly, feeling the familiar pull of old scars and poorly healed fractures.

My knuckles cracked one by one, the sound sharp in the heavy silence.

The ache was as familiar as my own heartbeat. It had lived with me for ten years.

A slow, deliberate smile tugged at the ruined corner of my mouth.

When they dragged me away in handcuffs at nineteen, it had felt like the end of the world.

Standing here now, with more than a hundred loyal soldiers awaiting my command and an empire poised for my return, I finally understood the truth.

They hadn’t witnessed my end.

They had witnessed my making.

And God help anyone standing in my way.

Because Romeo Flynn had finally come home.

My underboss broke ranks and strode to the front of the formation. Stopping a few paces before me, he slammed a fist against his chest, his voice exploding across the prison yard.

“Soldiers! Eyes front! Honor the Capo!”

More than a hundred men moved as one.

Boots struck the gravel in perfect unison.

Fists crashed against chests.

Then their voices erupted, loud enough to shake the walls of Ravencliff itself.

“Capo Flynn!”

“We live to serve!”

“We stand ready!”

“Your command is our law!”

The words rolled over me like thunder, every voice blending into a single oath of absolute loyalty.

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation. No uncertainty. No divided allegiance. Every man standing before me had already decided how far he was willing to go.

To the death.

I said nothing.

I simply stood there, letting the weight of their devotion settle over me.

Ten years ago, these same hands had been shackled behind my back while strangers shoved me into the back of a prison transport.

Now, more than a hundred armed men awaited nothing more than the sound of my voice.