Prologue
“—iro. Hiro!”
I snapped out of my thoughts when someone yelled my name. I stared at Ren who stood in front of me, his hands on each side of his waist. “What is it? What happened? Is Paige—?”
“He’s okay. Calm down.” Ren leaned closer to my face, inspecting it with narrow eyes. “What I’m more worried about is you. When did you last sleep?” he asked.
I gulped, my mind in disarray the second he asked about myself. I don’t really remember. The only thing I could think of was Paige. “I—”
“You can’t remember? Typical,” he spat, glaring at me. “Don’t forget, Hiro. You’re the new capo of the Blaise family. You can’t continue acting like you don’t have your shit together.”
I ran my hand through my hair. Come to think of it, I also don’t remember the last time I took a bath. How many days have passed since I rescued Paige from Ichiro Yamazaki? Clark and the others had to pry him away from me since I wouldn’t let go the second I had him in his arms.
He’s finally back.
He’s here with me again.
He’s alive.
Paige is alive.
“I know you’re still worried about Paige but we’re doing our best to make sure he’s okay.” Ren took a deep breath, huffing it out loudly. “And he’s also not going anywhere. You’re in the safest place on the planet, Hiro. No one can take him from you again.”
I wanted to believe Ren’s words, I really do. But the Blaises were not as invincible as I thought we would be. The fact that Paige was kidnapped right in my territory, bypassing the group’s security proved that there’s truly no safe place for Paige, not unless I get rid of everyone who tries to harm him.
I successfully hunted down those who were involved in his torture.
But it’s not enough.
I needed Ichiro Yamazaki dead. And everyone who aided him would suffer the same consequences as Cara, Rocco and Finley. I would purge all the families who betrayed the Blaises by siding with Yamazaki, believing that they could overthrow my family and reclaim my position as capo.
“Hiro. Are you even listening to me?” Ren asked, annoyed that I kept getting lost in my thoughts.
I groaned. “You’re sounding more like dad,” I teased, smirking at him.
“Oh, please. Comparing me to the consigliere feels like an insult to Earl,” he grumbled. “Speaking of consigliere, that Soo-ji kid has a big shoe to fill. Are you sure he’s up for the challenge?” he asked.
“Yeah. Besides, Soo-ji and I share the same goal,” I said.
The door to the room where Paige was currently being treated by the Bennoits’ best doctors opened and the old man stepped out. His eldest son, Romolo, followed his father and they both looked at me, confused.
“You’re still here?” Octavio asked. The weariness in his eyes says a lot about Paige’s condition. When we brought him here, he was on the verge of collapsing. The stress, fatigue and effect of drugs that they pumped in him to keep him docile not only destroyed his body but his mind as well.
“You should really get some sleep, Hiro,” Romolo said, his eyebrows furrowed deeply. He and his brother, Dario, worked as doctors and in the Bennoit underground hospital, helping their father run this place.
“Not until I see Paige.”
“We’re currently flushing out all the drugs that they used on him,” Romolo explained to me, his lips forming a tight line as he began to talk about his condition. “I’m not going to lie, Hiro. He’s in bad shape. Multiple lacerations in his anus, burns, cuts and—”
“We’re doing our best to make sure Paige is going to be okay. But I can’t treat two patients at once, kid. I’ll lend you a room so get some sleep before you collapse,” Octavio said, playfully glaring at me.
Everyone stared at me. Knowing that I’m at odds here, I got up from the seat I’d been sitting on for hours.
“Just…call me if anything happens.” I paused for a second, averting my eyes off them. “Please.”
I’m aware that a capo should always stand strong. I was trained never to show people my emotions or else it’d be used against me. But right now, right at this moment, I couldn’t help but feel vulnerable.
“Come,” Ren said, pulling my arm. I let him. I didn’t realize how exhausted I truly was until I stood up and walked.
But I couldn’t sleep yet.
I still have to kill them all.
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