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CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
ETHAN
The evening I shot Benjamin Mullen had been relatively uneventful. The sun had vanished from the sky, which was usually a bad omen for those who wandered the city's streets without any form of protection.
Benjamin had chosen to fight, and I had chosen to defend myself. Of all the people I'd murdered, being punished for this one seemed like a cruel twist of fate.
Counting the silhouettes, we were up against about twenty men for sure. Despite the pistol, I felt my palm sweat. It wasn't for my own safety. Vanessa was terrified because I knew she'd hate me after this moment.
There were more reasons for her to hate me now than there were the day before. She had resisted leaving the mansion. Nonetheless, I had forced her to accompany me, only to be shot at or worse. Even though I had about twenty guns pointed at me, all I could think about was what Vanessa and my men would think of me.
I knew my uncle would be saddened by the news of my death, but a part of him would have been relieved. It was easy to imagine him sitting with other family members after the funeral, a sad smile on his face, telling them his favorite words: he never listened to me.
I shook my head, shaking away thoughts of death.
No one dies tonight. Vanessa will not die tonight, and neither will I nor any of my men.
"You, like me, are a made man. So, I'm assuming you've discovered the truth about your brother's death," I started. "He fired a shot at me and missed. I shot and did not. There was no malice involved," I dared to tell the man standingwith an army in front of me.
"You understand the anguish of losing family, don't you?" Sean Mullen spoke up. He turned to face his men and motioned for them to lay down their weapons, all of them seamlessly obeying as if performing a perfectly rehearsed choreography.
I knew I couldn't shoot even though I still had my gun in my hand. I'd take out two men before we were all rained down on with bullets.
"Put down the gun, Levine," he said as he took off his jacket, waiting for my response.
"You're a reasonable man, so I'll put my pistol away now that you've lowered yours," I said firmly. The men behind me also laid down their weapons.
I considered offering some sort of compensation, but I didn't want to be perceived as the weak one who offered peace. When a peace offer was rejected, only bloodshed remained because it was no longer just a matter of family feuds but also of respect.
"I don't want to kill you with a bullet, Levine. Given how you handled your brother's death, I'm sure you'd appreciate it. But I want to torture you before you die," he continued, rolling up his sleeves and smiling sadistically.
He was completely wrong if he thought I'd be scared to fight him even in my current state. A few bruises and injuries would not deter me from protecting those in my care.
"What do you have in mind?" I asked obstinately.
"I like you. You have spunk and balls, which is why Iwill enjoy this even more," he said with a smirk just before rearing awayfrom me. "I'll give you the opportunity to go down like a true man. We fight fairly, using our strengths rather than weapons."
"Sounds good to me," I said emphatically.
"Ethan," Vanessa mutteredbehind me, but I couldn't turn around. I'd been challenged to a fight, possibly to the death, and I couldn't afford to be skeptical. I couldn't be scared.
Sean Mullen wasn't old enough. Nobody knew his age, but I guessed he was in his forties, probably late forties, because he was thick with muscle. I wasn't as muscular as he was, but I had an advantage in arm length and was possibly faster.
I removed my jacket and felt a strain in my left arm. It was a sharp pain that I tried to keep hidden because I didn't want to appear vulnerable in any way.
Sean Mullen stepped to the side, allowing us to both stand in the headlights of the cars.
I'd been in a lot of brawls over the years and had learned how to win. So, I was reasonably optimistic about my chances in the fight. The issue was getting away after the fight. Without a leader, his men would rebel and shoot us.
"Can my men leave? You only need me for the fight, don't you,old man?" I asked, taunting him to divert his attention.
Sean smiled slightly. My antics had no effect on him. His attention was solely on me as he moved in a circle around me like a predator stalking his prey.
"Someone has to stay behind to tell the rest of your family the truth about what happened here tonight—or I could be reasonable and let your men go.I'll keep the woman just to see you squeal like a baby before you die," Sean saidjust before leaping at me.
I was unable to react quickly enough.
I'd been duped by Sean Mullen, who circled me and moved me around until I was directly in front of the headlights. Because of the sudden exposure to the blinding lights, my response was delayed. I knew I was going to get hit.
