We were close to the house, and something in my gut told me we were nearing nothing good. I glanced over at Reyna who was looking out of the window, her brow dipped and her gaze unaltered.

"When we get in the house, don't leave my side until I say that it's okay, do you understand?" I questioned. She nodded her head without ever turning to me. I wasn't sure why it irked me as much as it did. I found myself narrowing my eyes at the girl.

I reached over and touched her arm with with the back of my two fingers. It wasn't until I deliberately trailed down her arm, softly caressing her delicate skin that she finally looked at me.

"Say it," I insisted.

My eyes fell to her lips as they parted. Before I could even fantasize about fucking those lips, she turned back to the window, pulling her arm with her. "I won't leave your side."

Her words warmed me. I knew what she meant, but I liked to think they were deeper than that. Like she was signing a deal with the devil, I could hear him laughing sinisterly. He achieved his ultimate goal of sucking the soul from an Angel and making her his.

If we hadn't arrived at my house, I was afraid I would have spread her out on the backseat and fucked like a madman, not giving a fuck if the driver heard and watched. Instead, I swiftly got out of the car and waited as the driver helped Reyna out of the vehicle.

The moment I passed her, she followed me. I looked around for my guards, noticing one that stood by the door. He gave me a curt nod as I opened the door to my house. The door squeaked as it opened.

I was welcomed to a field of darkness.

"Leo, where are Giovanni and Adriano?" I asked the guard.

"They should both be in the house. I let Giovanni in about two hours ago and Adriano in about an hour and a half ago," he explained.

I hummed. Taking a step into my house, I waited for Reyna to walk in before I shut the door behind her.

"Do you not trust them?" her quiet voice questioned. I reached over and flipped on a light. Her big brown eyes quickly came into view as she stared up at me in wonder. I gripped her chin, pulling her closer to me.

"Trust no one," I said, releasing her.

We walked through the house and into my office where they should've been, but they weren't. Pulling the gun from my pants, I held it at my side as I guided Reyna further into the house. I could practically hear the extra thump of her heart as we moved.

It wasn't until I got to my bar that I saw blood on the door handle. Precipitously, I pulled it open to find Adriano was passed out on the chair, but Giovanni was nowhere to be found.

I drew out my phone, texted Leo, and informed him that I needed some men to check the house and to prepare for a meeting. He responded immediately, informing me that he was on it.

"Go fix me a drink," I ordered Reyna. She was looking around the area with her eyes wide, but instead of protesting, she did just as I said.

"Adriano! Wake the fuck up!" I yelled. When he didn't move, I walked over to him and tapped his head with the barrel of my gun. Slowly, he stirred awake, and the moment he opened his eyes to meet mine, he shot up out of his seat.

"Where the hell is Giovanni?" I questioned. "What the fuck happened?"

"I-I don't know. Giovanni was working on the messages like we planned, and he found something, but that's the last thing I remember. Man, I don't know!" Adriano stated, looking around the room to inspect the trashed furniture. I glared down at him, noticing how red stained his palm.

"You must think I'm stupid. Adriano, I have no problem forcing answers out of you until you're dead. Where. The. Fuck. Is. Giovanni?" To prove my point, I took my gun off safety and aimed it at his skull. "Did you kill him? Did you hide him? Did he get too close to discovering where Viktor is, huh?"

"No! No! I don't know! I don't even remember falling asleep! Maybe some men came in and took him!" Adriano let out.

I shook my head, angry at myself for letting a traitor in. I knew he was no good from the moment I found out the truth about his wife, but like an idiot, I let him convince me otherwise.

My phone began to ring in my pocket. With my eyes never leaving Adriano, I grabbed my phone and lifted it up to my ear.

"The house is clear, sir. We checked everywhere, including the tunnels. We found no evidence of a break-in either, but we did find three deceased guards. I've been guarding the house all night and I never heard a thing," Leo said on the other line. I was ready to fire all of the guards who were stationed at my house, but I knew I would need them after facing so many losses tonight.

Instead, I sighed. "You and Matteo need to get into my bar right now. I need you to take this snitch and get answers on where Giovanni is. I don't give a fuck how you do it," I said, and without another word, I hung up the phone.

It didn't take long for Leo and Matteo, two of my strongest soldiers to walk into the room.

Adriano was shaking his head back and forth as they grabbed him. "Saint, think about it, okay? This is what Viktor wants! Me and Giovanni are both your underbosses! Without us, you're weaker and he knows that! I'm being set up! You have to see that!" Adriano yelled as both Leo and Matteo dragged him out of the room. I kept staring at the empty spot he left, not daring to feel a thing. Even when the door slammed shut and Adriano's protests echoed through the house, I couldn't break my stare.

Adriano was my brother. He was there from the very beginning. Before I could even talk, I knew Adriano. We climbed to the top together, but the entire time, he was playing me.

As much as I tried to rack my brain for a motive, I couldn't find one. It couldn't have been money, but it could have been power. He probably resented me for being the boss and not him. He aimed to bring me down to lift himself up. Adriano was a snake in the grass, and I foolishly let him in.

I could feel Reyna gawking at me. Her eyes, laced with fear and confusion, were burning me.

"What?" I snapped, turning to her.

"Are they... going to kill him?" she asked.

I walked over to her and snatched my drink from her hands. I placed the glass up to my lips and dumped the contents into my mouth.

Adriano was right about one thing; I didn't have Giovanni and Adriano anymore. Adriano was always there to make sure I was rational and precise with my decisions because sometimes my anger would get the best of me. Giovanni was the brain who could figure out anything if I told him. Without the two, I was without what I truly needed to defeat Viktor.

"Make me another," I ordered, placing the glass down. She reached over and grabbed the bottle of tequila and began to pour it.

The urge to drink until I blacked out was too much to handle. I just needed to get out of my head.

I sent my only family to get tortured, and even though he was aware of the consequences when breaking the omertà law, I couldn't hate him. It was almost laughable.

Once she finished, she pushed the glass toward me and sat down on the barstool. Her long leg through the slit of her dress grabbed my attention. I let the glass rest as I grabbed Reyna by her waist and pulled her back up so she was standing.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I brought her into my chest, smelling her innocence as I held her to me. She didn't say anything. She only wrapped her arms around me in return and rested her head against my chest.

—

Question: what do you think happened to Giovanni?