Philippe and Carla Sala are next, making quick work of getting to their seats. Philippe oversees operations in Germany. His wife is Carla Moretti-Sala. Her father owns the Arcane, which is an assassin business. Though, Carla has made quite the name for herself as a successful restaurateur.
Lastly, Stefan comes through the doors, right as my mother is fumbling with the laptop in front of her. She seems annoyed at Stefan’s arrival, surely because he was almost late, again. “We don’t have time for your tardiness, Stefan.” She hisses, looking at the clock on the wall.
A dial tone rings out through the surround sound speakers in the study and multiple faces appear from the rest of the Clan members. Everything seems normal. Furrowed brows with curiosity as to why this meeting was called so urgently. And then I see her.
Natasha Balan.
Blood coating her cheek.
Tears streaming in an effortless flow.
“Anton Balan was murdered this morning in their home, execution style, in front of Natasha and their children,” My father clears his throat while he speaks, looking straight into the camera. “Natasha, I cannot express how much my heart aches for you in this trying time. We will get to the bottom of this, and I promise you vengeance will be served.”
My throat tightens as I realize the magnitude of what’s happened.
After a few years of peace, another war has just started.
But who?
Who would start this, and more importantly— why?
Chapter One
Stefan
No. This can’t be.
“What kind of joke is this?!” I snarl, standing up from my seat with my hands white knuckling the table. Anton Balan is one of my best friends. This can’t be. This can’t fucking be real!
“Stefan, sit down.” Mariana’s tone is laced with callousness, showing me right now how this isn’t a joke.
I shake my head while shock takes over my body. I take a few steps back, rendered speechless. We’ve been fine for years now. No issues. No enemies. Fuck. I knew it was too good to be true! Heaviness expands through my core and floaters swarm through my vision.
I need to sit down.
I know I need to and yet I can’t bear the thought of staying still. “Sit down, my friend. I know he was very close with you. Especially after Presley’s passing,” Mikel speaks up, offering me a comfort only he would know how.
“It must’ve been the Italians, right?” Rhys, the Clan head in the Ukraine speaks up.
Ion shrugs his shoulders, “I wish it were that easy to point fingers, but it isn’t. We’ve had no problems since Gabriele and Giovanni were killed.”
A few years ago we had a huge issue with the Italian mafia. The only way it was resolved was by bloodshed. When everything went down we assumed we’d have an all out war with the Italians, but that wasn’t the case. Lorenzo DiGiovanni was next in line for the throne after his older brother’s death and instead of more bloodshed, he only wanted a truce. One which Mariana and Ion happily obliged.
I glance to Bianca for a split second, careful to not my eyes linger for too long. We’ve become professionals at hiding our relationship, or arrangement, whatever you want to call it. There isn’t any label on what we are, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have feelings for her. We’ve been doing this for so long, and there comes a point where you can’t help but care for the person you’re sleeping with. If anyone tells you differently, they’re flat out liars.
Looking at Natasha on the screen, she’s broken. A shell. A null void. But how can I blame her? She watched her husband be killed in her home, which is a sick, twisted form of karma considering what he did to her uncle many, many years ago.
“I want you to find the man who killed my husband, and I want you to make him suffer tremendously.” Natasha states with a stutter.
“We will. I promise you, we will.” Mariana declares.
“My children have lost their father in the most unimaginable way possible. This was cruel, Mariana. I need you to do this soon, because I won’t wait. I will use every resource I have to find this monster and end his life. Nina, Simion, Liana, and Cristofor deserve better. I didn’t want them to see the cruelty of the world, and then this happened, in our own home.” Natasha cries.
Fuck. I wish she were here. I wish she was here so I could be her shoulder to cry on and offer some sort of comfort.
“I will find who did this,” I declare, meaning every word of it.
“Stefan,” Natasha cries out my name, before clearing her throat and speaking again. “I need you to imagine if this was Presley’s killer. This is how much we need you to find the man responsible.”
I nod, understanding what she’s asking. I’m going to put every resource into finding this person. Whatever it fucking takes.
My eyes linger back over to Bianca who stares into the screen of the computer. I don’t know why, but the thought of her being hurt shoots through my mind. A thought I can’t bear. Something I never want to happen.
I’ve already lost one love, and fuck, I’ll never lose another.
Chapter Two
Bianca
I’ve been part of many Clan meetings, but I don’t remember one being as difficult as this. I sat at the head of the table beside my father, across from my mother, and watched as a woman lost the one person she held dear today. She explained the way a group of men came into their home with ski masks over their faces, leather gloves on their hands, carrying baseball bats and guns.
She doesn’t know how they got past their guards, but it doesn’t matter much now. The only thing that
