I couldn’t keep my eyes off Emerson, her radiance shining in the darkness, the sparkle of danger in her eyes drew me to her.

I fucking wanted her, to take her for my own.

It was like she was on fire, the blaze that had been simmering away beneath the surface was now in full force and consuming her. But it was so fucking beautiful. The angelic glow that she once had, one of innocence and obedience, was now gone and she was lit up with vengeance and confidence.

The problem was that I wasn’t sure if she could control it.

The darkness wasn’t scary when you learned how to blend in and embrace it when you needed to, but force it back out when it became too much. I’d found that balance a long time ago. The ability to move between the shadows and the sun, I just preferred the dark. It hid my demons better, it allowed me to do what I needed to do—complete my work without letting it consume me and drag me down.

I think Emerson was beginning to see just that.

“Tell me where Tobia is,” I tried again, crouching down to where Benny was still moaning and groaning. “Just tell me. Seriously, I could do this all night.”

“I don’t know,” he moaned, squeezing his eyes together tightly as he cradled his mutilated leg.

Emerson had a good swing on her. I smirked.

Shaking my head in disappointment, I held out my hand and pushed to my feet, feeling the weight of the crowbar as it was pressed into my hand. “You sure about that?”

“I don’t… know,” he cried out, his voice echoing within the vast rail yard. It bounced off the trains that sat around us and shot back. “Please, I didn’t know what I was… doing. I was just… I was following orders.”

Gritting my teeth, I glowered at the piece of shit cowered at my feet. “So brave, so strong, when it comes to raping a young woman who can’t defend herself, weren’t you, Benny boy?” I drawled, taunting him as I swung the crowbar by my side. Its weight was so perfect, heavy, and destructive.

I lifted it up, resting it on my shoulder and tightening my grip around it with both hands.

Looking over to Emerson, I saw her watching me, her eyes bright and focused. She was holding her breath, her face taut with anticipation.

I smirked, the rush of adrenaline coursing through me. “Strike two.”

“No, please!”

Clenching my muscles I brought the crowbar down, angling it so the end of the hook would connect first. The feeling of the point sinking into the flesh of his thigh was like stabbing a thick juicy piece of steak with your fork. It made your mouth water because you knew how fucking good it was going to taste.

The screams of pain lit up around us. I released the crowbar, chuckling to myself as I stepped back, leaving it protruding from his thigh. It was comical.

“You drove it through his jeans and everything,” Samuele said in shock and amusement. “Holy crap that was amazing.”

“Okayyy!” Benny finally cried. “I... I don’t know wh-where Tobia is, but I can t-tell you where Dom is.”

I scratched at my chin. “Hmmm…. that could be helpful. Go ahead, I’m listening.”

“The Bronx, Austin P-Place.” Benny was shaking, his face going white. Blood was seeping through his jeans where the hook of the crowbar was driven in. He held his hands around it, not touching it like he wasn’t sure if he should pull it out or not. “It’s a big orange colored apartment. R-Run down.”

I clapped my hands together. “Excellent work, Benny,” I praised him. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it.”

He glared up at me, his breathing harsh. I wondered if he was going to pass out, but I wasn’t allowing that. Nope. I wanted him awake for what I had planned for him.

“Pick him up,” I ordered. Samuele and Daniel moved forward swiftly. “Andre, get the suitcases.”

Benny scowled at me, huffing, as the boys helped him to his feet. Sweat was pouring down his face, and he was dry retching, no doubt the pain causing him to feel like he was going to vomit. The crowbar hung awkwardly from his leg, twisting the wound as he was forced to his feet. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he cursed and sobbed under his breath at the pain. When he looked up, his eyes flicked past me, to where Andre was dragging over two large suitcases.

He tossed them on the ground by my feet.

“What… what are those?”

“You’re going on a trip,” I told him, my voice a little more excited than it should be at the thought of packing his body into the suitcases, piece by piece. I felt Emerson move up beside me, her hand slipping into mine. “We had to get two, though. You’re quite tall, and I’m pretty sure you won’t fit into just one.”

His eyes shot wide, and suddenly he spilled the contents of his stomach. It splashed onto the ground in front of him, and we jumped back. “You… you said,” he mumbled, spittle flying and drool seeping from his mouth.

My boys groaned, looking away from the vomit and holding their breath.

“I said nothing.” I laughed. “How people interpret my words is up to them. But you, Benny boy, you aren’t going to escape this that easily.”

I pulled Emerson forward, moving her in front of me. “You raped Emerson’s sister, Anthony DePalma’s niece. You didn’t just stand aside and watch on. No. You joined in. Well, now, do you think it was fucking worth it to get your cock wet?”

Emerson’s body shuddered in anger. “She was so beautiful,” she mumbled, barely audible. “Even if she hadn’t have died, what you did to her would have made her a completely different person. Your actions would have changed the rest of her life. You helped him murder her, knowing that while I watched, it was breaking my heart and soul.”

I could hear the emotion returning to her voice, this was starting to affect her again. But like the magnificent woman she was, she steeled her spine. “I hope it fucking hurts,” she spat before turning and pushing past me, jogging back to the car.

I looked to Andre who nodded his head and followed after her.

“Seems Sophie knew her death was coming. The way you slit her wrists left for no chance of survival. She knew she was going to die…” I fought to keep my temper under wraps. I may not have known Sophie, but Emerson loved her, adored her older sister. And even though she was a DePalma by blood, the fact that it hurt Emerson was enough to make me want to kill Benny a thousand times over if it would take away her pain.

“I saw this in an old western once,” I said finally, finding my calm. The boys were already dragging him toward the tracks, and I held my arm up, waving it in the light. The sound of the engine changing into gear and creeping forward was like music to my ears.

“I want my crowbar back, Sam.”

Samuele grinned. “Sure thing, boss.”

“No, stop! I told you everything,” Benny pleaded as Samuele reached for the crowbar.

“Take a deep breath, Benny.” He chuckled as he took hold of the end, and with one swift pull, he yanked it from the muscles. It made a squelching sound, and a rush of blood squirted from the wound hitting Daniel in the chest.

The train crept closer, the sound of the engine revving up, drowned out by Benny’s pathetic screams and pleas for mercy.

“Damn it, Benny. This is my favorite suit,” Daniel cursed, staring down at the blood splotch that now stained his light gray jacket. Begrudgingly he pulled Benny’s arms above his head and pulled him across the tracks. “Sam, hurry up and grab his legs, man.”

Samuele tossed the crowbar to the side and grabbed hold of Benny’s flailing legs, the boys holding his body, so he was stretched across the track where the train was coming forward. He struggled, but with the blood pumping fluidly from his leg, there was no doubt he was feeling weak and a little lightheaded.

I moved in closer so he could hear me. “Now you get to watch your life end, just like Sophie did. Slowly feeling death creep up on you, knowing that the last thing you’ll feel would be pain.”

The train was only ten feet away, moving slowly but the power and weight it held was enough to cut easily through a human body. My heart began to race, I could feel it buzz. The high of a kill was like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. It burns, like heat rising through your body. Some might say it’s the devil taking over, stealing your soul. But he already owned mine.

Samuele and Daniel let go of Benny’s limbs, jumping away just as the single car train caught his body and pulled him under. His screams turned to gurgles and then suddenly just cut off. A chill went up my spine as I listened to his bones crunch and his body become dismembered before my eyes.

It was not for someone with a weak stomach.

But I’d seen worse.

The train car continued forward, blood and pieces of flesh and insides staining the wheels.

When it was completely out of the way, the aftermath was messy and disturbing as fuck, but so goddamn satisfying.

You don’t fuck with the DePalma family and walk away.