Chapter 2

Present day

ALESSIO

T he text came in at midnight.

My eyes flew open, and I knifed up in bed, reaching for my phone on the bedside table in my glass-walled, double-level penthouse.

Outside, New York was a living, breathing entity, pulsing with life even in the late hours, its neon glow and flashing strobes painting the sky in the distance.

I squinted at the words that radiated at me.

A development on CM I ignored her.

Stalking away, I savored the rush of being alive and in command.

Because control was fleeting in the real world, my condition saw to that: the shakes, the heated fevers, the perpetual battle to keep myself in check.

In the ring, though? I was the master of my fate—the king of my little kingdom.

Again and again, for as long as it took until my nightmares rested.

This was more than just a hobby; it was more than a way to blow off steam.

It was my lifeline. My anchor in a reality caught in constant flux.

A week later, I was on a plane headed to Sydney.

When I landed in the Harbor City, the bullish, tall, and scary mofo of our famiglia’s guardsman was waiting in the airport arrivals lounge.

He whisked me to his SUV, and I settled in with a chin jerk.

‘Good to see you, Mauri, but fuck, your ride reeks like a freakin’ onion stand because of all your damn fried rings you never stop devouring.’

‘It’s the cat food, you fucker,’ he growled. ‘And show your consigliere some fucking respect if you’re going to cruise with me.’

He gave me a fake glare, and we exchanged smirks, falling right back into our shit-eating grins and sketchy, crude banter on the drive to Sydney’s North Shore.

We pulled into Lorenzo’s home, and I fell into the arms of my brother and his woman, Mia.

Dinner that evening was a much-needed catch-up, filled with laughter and reminiscing about the old days.

Our youngest sibling, Vitto, showed up, and in no time, the warmth of family enveloped me.

Lorenzo’s residence was a sanctuary where I could be myself and let down my guard.

We sat around the table, savoring Mia’s delicious meal, sharing stories and jokes, and basking in each other’s company.

But amid the merriment, the weight of my mission lingered in the back of my mind.

It was entwined with the memory of our parents’ loss, which had hit me hard. I still did every fuckin’ day.

Sensing my unshakable need for retaliation, Lorenzo attempted to talk me down from the precipice I was headed toward.

To jolt me out of my sheer rage of retribution.

But he was well aware, as were Valerio, Vitto, Mauri, and even Mia —that I was our only shot at exacting revenge. I was the only one with the balls to pull off what they would not.

The ‘make it happen’ man with a killer instinct, primed to yank out all the stops to get shit done. I had this sixth sense for sniffing out the enemy and gunning them down before they could react.

So, without saying it, my thirst for vengeance had my family’s silent sanction.

After dinner, Lorenzo tapped out one of his herbal cigars.

I sat deep in a chaise lounge, one hand nursing a whiskey. The other rolled my jade beads in my hand, a habit I’d developed over a few years.

His eyes bore into mine, brimming with concern.

‘Why don’t you let Mauri and a few of our capos go check this out? I can spare them for a handful of days.’

On the flight to Sydney, I’d decided to go after Franco myself and keep a close eye on her , so I shook my head.

‘This is my shit,’ I growled. ‘It will likely be a recon job, and I’ll spend most of my days behind a pair of binoculars. Besides, it’ll be a week tops.’

‘You sure you’re up for driving into the wild where you’ve never gone?’ Lorenzo murmured.

‘I’ve traversed the Alps, trekked on three-week survival camps in the Andes and Morocco, and trained with the best of the SAS; I’ll be fine.’

In truth, I missed my days in the Italian Army’s 3rd Alpini Regiment, whose soldiers were renowned for their expertise in alpine warfare .

Before active retirement and pivoting to the family business, I’d risen as high as a Maggiore, a major in the decorated, elite mountain corps comprising infantry and artillery.

I was well versed in traversing sierras, combat engagement in precipitous environments, and leading incursions.

‘Are you sure, fratello? It’s wild in the outback. Kangaroos, crocs, dingoes, peacock spiders, and drop bears who’ll skin you alive in your sleep, the lot,’ Lorenzo demurred.

When my brow furrowed, Mia, his partner, burst into laughter.

‘Don’t look so terrified, Alessio. Drop bears are a myth,’ she teased.

‘Or are they?’ my elder brother hedged.

‘Cazzo,’ I shot back, my voice loaded with sarcasm. ‘I’ll go alone because it’s a promise I made to myself, to all of us.’

I tipped back the whiskey, not even thinking twice.

Going into the wilds for her was my chronicle, my cursed purpose.

My moment to be a freakin’ hero and villain all at the same time.

This shit would change my life.

I felt it in my core.

But fuck it.

There was no other way.