Page 1 of Broken

Prologue

History says that the son shall not pay for the sins of the father, and yet, that is exactly what has happened my entire life. I have been moulded in his image, paying for his crimes since I was born. Now, it’s my turn to get revenge. It’s time for the father to pay for the sins of the son. Once upon a time, in London, there was a man. A violent, sick man. This is his son’s story of revenge.

Chapter One

Grant

"Morning, family, so lovely to see you all. Looks like it is going to be nice weather today," my father sings as he practically skipped into the breakfast room. Myself and my step-witch are already seated at the table, just like we are every morning waiting on Father.

This jolly, middle-aged man with short, salt and pepper hair looks and sounds so friendly, but you could not be more wrong. The tight smile on my stepmother's lips as she quickly looks around to make sure everything is just as he likes it, shows another side to him. The house staff who rush around quickly but efficiently, never making eye contact or speaking, tells you everything you need to know. To the outside world, Alan Blakeman is a billionaire businessman, loving family man, and humanitarian. But behind closed doors, he runs an illegal enterprise of money laundering, drug smuggling, human trafficking, and racketeering. He is also a stone cold son of a bitch who likes to rule his family with an iron fist and is happy to kill anyone who crosses him. The people who matter know he is the biggest crime lord in all of London and that he rules the streets, but still, he wants to come across as the family man. All part of his sick image. If any gangs are operating in London, they are doing it with his permission. He owns this city and everyone in it, including most of the law and politicians. The Blakeman Family is a name that strikes fear into the hearts of anyone who hears it and has done so for generations. As long as a Blakeman rules, nobody will challenge the organisation and my father will continue to rule with no remorse.

I am heir to his empire, it’s something he has been training me for my entire life. I have never known anything else, have never even been allowed to think for myself. He has predetermined every step in my future journey, and he fully intends to control me until the day he dies.

"Good morning, darling. We are all fine today, as always, aren't we, son?" screeches the woman to my side who now calls me her son. What’s really ironic is that the dumb, blonde bimbo, with giant fake tits, courtesy of her very own Daddy Moneybags is actually four years younger than me, at twenty-three. My mother died when I was just four years old and I’ve had more ‘mothers’ than I can count since then. This is just the latest one. She, just like all the rest, is terrified of my father and does everything just to make him happy.

Having spent years learning exactly how to interact with my father, I know that it is in everybody’s best interest not to piss him off at any time, but it is almost a cardinal sin to do it before he’s had his morning coffee. I even have a very small scar on my forehead from where a teacup hit me when I was twelve. So while Barbie chooses to be far too bright and energetic even for me, I just mumble in agreement to her question. Barbie’s real name is Mindy, but they never stick around long enough for me to bother learning their real names, plus she looks far too much like a Barbie doll for me to call her anything else. She can fuck right off if she thinks I will ever call her Mum.

"That's fantastic. I actually have a job for you today, Grant. I want you to take Ryder and Victor with you." I roll my eyes at that, he adds it on everytime, but like I would go anywhere without them. Vic is my muscle and driver; he’s the guy you want next to you in a fight because he isn’t afraid to dive right in. I know he would take a bullet for me because he has. Vic is the type of bodyguard that is always around but you never see or hear him, he never really talks and he never questions an order, he just does as he’s told. Ryder, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He is my head of security. He’s the one who thinks of all the possible scenarios beforehand to make sure a fight never even occurs. He is chatty, opinionated, and never does as he is fucking told without a good reason. But, he’s also the closest thing I have to a friend. They both are fantastic at their jobs and that is the only reason I didn’t get rid of them like I did all of my other employees who were hired by my father. I prefer to choose my own employees, to know that who I work with won't be reporting back to him. I trust Vic and Ryder with my life.

"You will take them both and find Manuel Delgado. The football game he placed a bet on last night sadly did not go his way and his debt is just racking up. He has missed the last three payments, he now owes forty thousand pounds. I want you to go there and stress to him no more bets. We are going to need some form of agreement to pay, even if it is just a little. I don’t think he has anything but take anything you see of value, just nothing sentimental. Remind him you don't renege on a deal with Alan Blakeman. This is my honour and our family name you are defending, but remember, Grant, dead men cannot pay," says Father with his usual cocky, superior tone that insinuates I will mess this job up in some way. What he doesn’t realise is that this is the job I have been waiting for. This isn’t the first time Manny’s name has flagged up, but it is the first time we have acted on it. I know there have been grumblings within the employees, questioning how this person keeps getting let off so easy and until I looked into it, I had no idea the extent of it. Father has obviously heard the grumblings now and decided he has to appear to be acting, but the consequences he is asking me to dole out do not fit the situation. Father is hiding something, but now he has passed the job over to me and I intend to make sure that my family name is given the recognition it deserves.

After leaving the breakfast table, I head towards my room in the big family house that we all live in. This is where I am expected to stay the majority of my time, but it is not where I live. I have my own home and I plan on spending a lot more time there. Reaching my room, I take out my mobile and call Vic. I skip any pleasantries and get right to business.

"Prepare my countryside residence, I am coming home. I want a full perimeter with armed security and someone manning the CCTV at all times. I want it minimally staffed and fully stocked by this afternoon. I will send you a list of specifics. Have Ryder prepare the car and both of you meet me out front in one hour. We have a job from Alan." I reel the information off down the phone at quick speed, but I know Victor has everything and I know he will delegate appropriately to ensure it is completed on time. I then text him with a list of female home comforts and clothes I want stocked in the house. He doesn't ask any questions, which is what I like about him. A small smile crosses my lips as I prepare to head out and all I can think is that I cannot wait for this job.

Sitting outside Manny Delgado's shitty excuse for a house and scoping it out before we make our move to go inside, I feel a sense of anticipation as I work the plan over in my head as I have multiple times before. We are in one of the poorer neighbourhoods in the city and just being here makes my skin crawl. My expensive Mercedes Benz S Class sticks out like a sore thumb. My nerves prickle as I cast my eyes around to make sure there is nothing that is a danger to me here. There are what looks to be a couple of gangbangers on the far side of the street, but I know Ryder will have already seen and taken care of them. His eyes dart around at a speed that would make me dizzy and his fingers type on his phone with a rapid yet confident dexterity. Most likely, he has just informed their boss who we are and now we have an extra set of eyes making sure no damage comes to my car. Still, when we get out I listen for the tell tale beep that lets me know Vic has activated the alarm on my baby. I don’t want any of these opportunistic poor fucks thinking they can make some quick cash by stealing from me.

As we reach the white plastic-looking door, I nod for Victor to knock and let Manny know we are here. His knock reverberates loudly around the small, shitty looking house and the door shakes like it might fall off its hinges. The sound of footsteps walking towards the door has my heart racing, but I try to squash it down and look disinterested, I cannot seem anxious. This is just any other job.

Manuel ‘Manny’ Delgado opens the door and his face shifts from one of curiosity, to one of fear and he looks as though he has just aged ten years. Manny took the death of his wife Marianna hard. She died from ovarian cancer fifteen years ago and ever since her diagnosis, Manny had struggled, only for it to worsen when she passed. He has trouble holding down a job, he drinks far too much, and has a penchant for gambling, something he is not at all good at. If what Eli, my hacker, tells me is correct, he has gambled away more money than is even possible. Well, he did until I put a stop to it and now he has slowly gambled away all of his wife’s life insurance, even the part left to his daughter. The bet he placed last night used the last of it and his lack of money to make repayments is what flagged up to the family accountants. Father always had it sorted so money made it into Manny’s account before it got this bad, until I interfered. Once he flags to the accountants, the muscle gets called in, no matter what. But still Father meddled and I need to know why.

Manny is not a large man and as he invites us into the house, he seems a lot smaller next to my six foot frame. I am not a big muscular guy like Vic is. Vic looks like he used to be a bodybuilder, and I wouldn't be surprised if he dabbled with anabolic steroids to help get ripped. My body is more like Ryder's. We are lean but all muscle that we earned through hard work in the gym. Ryder does it so he can be strong and he runs daily to improve his cardio, whereas I go to the gym simply for vanity reasons. I know I’m hot, people say with my sandy blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, I look like the typical high school jock in movies who everybody loves, which is exactly what I was. I look like a perfect boy next door because that is how I am expected to look, but looks can be deceiving. Manny, on the other hand, looks like your typical middle aged Mexican man with greying black hair and a wrinkled face, which now seems to have acquired more stress lines as he stares at the three of us making ourselves comfortable.

I sit in what is clearly Manny's chair and the boys take the sofa, leaving Manny with the other smaller chair. While we are sitting comfortably, lounging back as much as we can on this shit excuse for furniture, Manny is perched on the edge of his chair with his back straight. His eyes are darting across each of us but also towards the hallway, which tells me everything I need to know. Someone else is in the house. But I already knew that.

"Hello, Manny. Thank you for allowing us into your home. I trust you know why we are here?" I ask in my sickly sweet voice, the one I use when I want to lure people into a false sense of security. I know it’s important for me to look like a nice guy, so I play on that regularly. I even manage to force out a smile that I hope looks genuine.

"Yes sir, I do. I'm really sorry the game didn't go my way. I don't… erm have… erm the money today. I had to pay the rent. But-but… I can get it," Manny says, fumbling the words as he spits them out as quickly as he can.

"I hear you, Manny, and I believe you, but my father says you have missed several payments and you are continuing to bet. This means, not only are you losing more money which is increasing your debt, you have interest which is banging it up too, and to top it all off, you aren’t paying anything. Do you see where that figure is going? Not the direction we usually like. My father is concerned you cannot pay, which is why he sent me here to discuss it with you personally." I know mentioning Father will set him even further on edge and I can see him visibly gulping when I speak.

" I.. I.. I promise you, I can pay," stutters Manny, clearly looking for leniency from me, and by the way he is eyeballing Ryder and Vic, he is hoping to remain alive.

"I'm sure that is true, Manny, but I need to go back to Father with more than just your word. I need some assurance you can pay off the debt, otherwise I fear he may want to visit himself," I say, continuing to sound sweet right up until the end. Everybody knows that if my father visits, it is to watch you die. He's a sick bastard who loves that type of thing and so when I add that in, I know Manny can hear the threat in my voice. There is no way he wants Father anywhere near his house.

"No!" he shouts before remembering who he is talking to and looks at me apologetically, before checking that Ryder and Vic are not about to attack. I can see Vic has placed his hand on his weapon, just in case. He knows I don't like to be spoken back to.

"I'm sorry for my outburst, but there is no need to trouble your father. He's a busy man. I am sure you and I can come to an arrangement that will satisfy everyone," mumbles Manny with fear, causing his voice to shake.

Soft footsteps alert us to a person walking down the stairs and entering the small living room, and now my heart really starts to beat faster. As she walks through the door, I feel my palms start to sweat and all my nerve endings feel like I am on fire. Standing before us now, looking at her father with concern is Ava Delgado, and not only is she more beautiful than I had imagined, just the very sight of her causes my temper to flare and I know that no matter what, I need her. She is going to be mine.

Ava is petite at around five foot four and has the most gorgeous curves. Her complexion makes her look like she has a natural light tan and her skin almost glistens as it is so smooth. Her long, black, wavy hair flows down her back and shapes her perfect face. But it is her chocolate brown eyes that are her biggest selling point. Sadly, she has ruined her perfectly good image with the way she dresses. She is wearing ripped jeans, an old rock band t-shirt, and scuffed trainers that have seen better days. She has what people would call an edgy style, but I will be changing that. She will need to be demure if she is going to cut it in my world.

Ava looks around, taking in the scene before her and once her eyes land on Ryder and Vic, I can see the look of terror spread across her face. She looks at me and I give her one of my heartbreaking smiles and I see it soften her face slightly. Then she turns to her father with concern.

"Papa, who are these people? I heard shouting and got worried." When Ava talks, it’s so smooth and sexy, I'm sure it would make most guys’ dicks twitch in appreciation, but I am not most guys. My desire to own her has nothing at all to do with her sex appeal.

"No, Ava, everything is fine. Please go back to your room," Manny replies, almost pleading with Ava to leave, but now that she is right where I need her to be, that will not be happening. I can see she wants to disagree with him and so I speak up on her behalf, oh, and mine, of course.

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