Page 59 of Bittersweet Endings
A sick hunger settled in the room, the kind that only blood could satisfy. The men here weren’t just looking for vengeance; they were starving for it. The violence had become its own beast. It had taken on its own life, and we were all feeding off it.
I let out a slow breath, forcing the fury to settle into something sharper. Deadlier. My fingers tapped against the table, steady and deliberate. When I spoke, my voice was calm, but it carried the promise of something so much fuckin’ worse.
“No more chasing. No more waiting for him to slip.” I leaned forward, letting the words slither between my teeth. “Lock down the city. No air, no exits. We take out every last asshole loyal to him. We tear their throats open and leave them where he’ll see them. Fuck the news. Fuck the cameras. Let’s end this.”
A low murmur of approval rippled around the table. Feral. Ready. And yet, underneath the hunger, underneath the bloodlust, my thoughts drifted again.
Octavia.
Even if we put JP in the ground, she wouldn’t be safe. Notfrom me. Not from what I had to become to end this. And that? That was the nextrealfucking problem.
The doors burst open, one of my men stumbling inside like a dying animal, his shirt soaked with blood. His hand was clamped around his arm, his fingers slick where they pressed against the gaping wound. He barely made it past the threshold before his knees buckled. Lorenzo caught him.
“It’s him,” he choked out. “JP. He’s outside.”
The words were gasoline on an open flame. Every head snapped towards the door. The air lethal.
Matteo shot to his feet so fast his chair crashed to the floor. “Tell me you’re fucking joking.”
My guy shook his head, sucking in a breath through clenched teeth. “He’s got the whole goddamn street locked down. He’s calling you out, Carmine. Says it’s time to end this.”
A slow, burning heat spread through my chest. I pushed back from the table, rising to my feet with a calm I didn’t feel. He wanted to callmeout. Then I’d answer. “Well, let’s see if the old bastard is man enough to finish what he started.”
The table squeaked as it was shoved aside, and my entire crew approached the door.
Outside, the city stood still. The street was crawling with JP’s men, bodies lined up like tombstones, guns in hand, ready for war. But at the center of it all, standing behind their protective shield, was the man who had ruined my life. The man who’d plagued my childhood like a sickness. The man whose shadow I had spent my whole life trying to burn away.
I stepped out, Matteo and Lorenzo at my sides, my own men moving in behind us. A breath of silence passed between us. The night heavy and thick with death.
JP smiled like he had been expecting me all along. “There he is,” he said. “My boy.”
The words hit like rusted nails hammered into bone. “You don’t get to call me that.”
JP sighed. “Still so angry.”
“You want this to end?” I snapped. “Then step out. Face me like a man.”
“And deprive my men of a show?” He gestured to the armed figures at his back. “I’ve got an audience now, Carmine. Wouldn’t be right to disappoint.”
Matteo’s fingers twitched towards his gun. Lorenzo was as still as death. Every single one of my men was waiting for my order. Waiting to rip through these bastards like wolves tearing through flesh and chomping on bone.
“You let Ma get wrapped up in your shit,” I said. “You used her, and then you let her die.”
JP’s smile faltered. Just for a second. “She was never supposed to get caught in the crossfire,” he said, quieter now. “But sometimes…” His fingers curled into a fist. “…innocents get hurt.”
A slow, sharp rage curled through me like barbed wire. “Bullshit,” I snarled.
JP’s expression darkened. “You think I didn’t love her?”
“I think she’s the only person you’ve ever loved besides yourself,” I replied.
A flicker of something passed over his face, some shadow of regret, but it was gone just as fast as he covered it with something crueler. “You don’t know shit, Carmine,” he said. “You think this is all black and white? You think I’m some villain in your little fucking story?” He stepped forward. “I built this empire. I made this city bleed for me. And what have you done? Nothing but throw a tantrum because Mommy didn’t make it out alive.”
That one cut deep. Deeper than I wanted it to. But I didn’tflinch. Didn’t blink. “This only ends one way.” I braced myself. “With you dead.”
JP exhaled like I’d disappointed him. Then his lips curled. “That’s a mistake, son.” He smirked at the look on my face. “You think you can threaten me? You think you hold all the cards?” He chuckled. “I’ll kill you here, and then hop the next flight to New York. Give your brothers a new mommy. Only I’ll make sure she suffers foryoursins.”
A slow, burning silence fell over the street. My hands clenched at my sides. My heart pounded against my ribs, but my voice was deadly calm. “You signed your fucking death warrant.”
