Page 1 of Hostile Rival
1
MATHEUS
The Covenant Oath:
Secrecy, commitment & loyalty to the Souza cartel.
We serve or we die. We are the executioners.
“Watch your back, Mat.” My big brother, Giovanni, pins me with an intense glare. “Trust no one, except for our family.”
Out of all of us, he’s the guy our enemies never see until it's too late—a professional sicario. Now, he’s the creator and commander of The Covenant.
He’d built a specialized team of soldiers, training them with his own unparalleled standards. And I’m jumping headfirst into the snake pit as one of his agents. I want to learneverything.
“That’s why I took the oath, Gio.” I stroll beside him, carrying a heavy rucksack over my shoulder, the hot Sicilian sun making us sweat.
“This won’t be anything like the party lifestyle you had in the States. You’ll be pushed to your limits.” He assures me. “I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a Souza. And the fact you’re my brother doesn’t mean shit. Everything else takes a back seat.Comprendes?”
“All work and no play kill a man’s soul, Gio.” I laugh under my breath, knowing mine is already dead and buried. I’m a good-looking guy on the outside and empty as fuck on the inside. “I’m ready for this.”
My family chooses bullets over laws. It’s ironic, given our father had packed me off to university rather than prepare me for war like he did my brothers.
Back then, it was no big deal. From the age of sixteen, I more or less had it all, anyway. And when I wasn’t cramming for exams—that’s when all the fun stuff happened.
Having ridiculous wealth and notoriety meant I got away with every reckless decision I’d ever made. Girls came and went between my bedsheets, and selling my family's pure Colombian cocaine to students earned me all the respect I needed to rule my own piece of the world.
I might have mafia blood in my veins and be rooted in the Colombian cartel, but I’m well known in my own right. Regardless of that fact, none of it matters. It’s all bullshit.
Papá had murdered his way through the streets for this lifestyle, but lately, all the bodyguards, fast cars, narcotics, and even the women—it leaves me numb.
“I haven’t told Mama you’ve dropped the idea of setting up Souza Law LLP now you’ve graduated. If she finds out your education was a waste of time and you’re purposely putting yourself in danger, we’ll all be in trouble. Even Tommy.” He chuckles.
Our mother doesn’t take shit from any of us, not even her eldest son, who’s the head of our family’s organization. I’m her favorite, though. The youngest of four and the one she’d spent the most time with.
“You’re staying in one of the villas with a couple of agents.” Giovanni points to the modern house in the distance, nestled inthe estate that was once the Sapori mafia headquarters. Now the Souzas are in residence.
“They’ll challenge your every move and try to figure out why you’ve joined the team. They also know you studied law, not the art of death.”
I shrug. “It’s none of their business. And I don’t need more friends.”
Anytime I upload a social media post, thelikesandheartsusually hit big numbers. There isn’t a lack of people to befriend online or fake conversations to be had in my direct messages. Not that I’d take the time to entertain them. It’s just part of playing the game.
Giovanni checks his wristwatch. “They obeyme. Technically, that means you rank higher than the soldiers you’re training beside. And that will piss them off.”
“I know what I signed up for. Stop worrying, Gio. I’m changing my career path, that’s all there is to it. I want this…and not just to be your eyes and ears on the ground. This…is forme.”
“You’re still my kid brother and they’re killing machines.”
I sigh heavily. “I can handle myself,cabron.”
He narrows his eyes at me. The sibling lines are blurred between us now, since he’s the one I should obey without question.
“I know you can. And since you’re sworn in, that's it. No turning back from here. If they fuck with me, they die. But if you step out of line––”
“For fuck’s sake, Gio.” I cut him off. “I understood the mission. I’ll play it cool. Stay under the radar. Learn what makes each of your guys tick and figure out if the soldier you call Buffalo is working against us. Have I missed anything?”
A few weeks ago, that very same soldier had saved my life when Giovanni’s home was under attack. I’d be flattered if thefucker wasn’t associated with Carlos Blanco—a north Colombian cartel boss suspected of murdering our father.
