Page 33 of Dangerous Command
Derek was stuck in his beliefs. There would be no lying, no forgiveness when it came to the Adler family. And that terrified me. People had reasons, but Derek didn’t care about how a person came to their decision. He only cared about loyalty.
He let go of my neck.
“Ray has to die,” Derek said. “Do you want to do it, or should I?”
I stammered over those words.Ray.He refused to call him ‘Uncle’ now.
“You would kill your own uncle?” I asked.
Derek clenched his fists. “Is he my blood if he gets my father,his brother, killed?”
Axe and Demi appeared from the trees and the four of us headed back to the room. I lowered my head. Guilt settled in my stomach like food poisoning, twisting in knots. Uncle Ray was going to die. To get through all of this, I couldn’t let myself make mistakes like he had. I had to do exactly what was expected of someone loyal to the Adlers. It didn’t matter what a person’s reasons were; Derek didn’t have any sympathy.
And he never would.
CHAPTER 9
Derek
Before we reached the door, Maddie grabbed my shoulder, following behind me.
“So you’re going to kill him,” she said. “You’re going to kill your own family, just like that?”
Axe opened the door, letting Demi inside, but before Maddie and I went in too, I snapped around. The workroom door closed, leaving us alone outside.
“Why are you so interested in Ray?” I asked, tilting my chin. “Do you owe him something?”
She furrowed her brow. “Of course not.”
“Because you seem a little too fucking eager to help someone who betrayed our family.”
Most people would have sunk away after an accusation like that, but Maddie didn’t back down.
“He had reasons,” she said.
Her deep green eyes were full of light and hope, but there was darkness in there too, hidden in the depths. Perhaps she hated what was happening because she had seen it happen before, and had been the one pulling the trigger herself. Or maybe, in another lifetime, she had been in Ray’s shoes, forced to betray her own family.
In my mind, no one had been coerced into doing anything. Ray should have been prepared to die for the family. Or he should have come to me; I would have figured it out.
Instead, he hadn’t even tried. And there was no forgiveness for a betrayal that deep.
Maddie’s soft lips opened and my dick pulsed, forgetting my focus.Damn it.This was why I should have fired her months ago—you don’t keep a woman you want to fuck nearby for eye candy without actually fucking her. It was best to get it out of your system. Let it run its course before she has complete control over you.
Maddie didn’t control me, but a strong urge ran within me. The need to protect her. To keep her close. She had been good to my family. I wanted to be good to her.
“I listened,” I said, trying to level with her. “We heard his side of the story. But it doesn’t change what he did. His wife gets to live; he has to die.”
She blinked, sucking in a breath. It was clear that this was why she didn’t like being around the mafia. We didn’t have room for emotional logic. My brothers may have made spaces for their women, adopting them into the family, but me? I was the leader. I couldn’t give that room to anyone, especially not someone who wasn’t willing to put the family first. All I had was our family’s legacy.
Finally, we entered the room. Axe stood behind Ray, Demi behind them, her arms crossed. Ray kneeled before us, his eyes cast up at the ceiling, his hands cuffed behind his back. His eyelids quivering.
Maddie looked to the side, and Axe backed away, giving room for the execution. I pulled out my gun, pointing it at Ray’s forehead.
“Wait!” he shouted, spit flying from his mouth. “Wait! I can help! I can help!” I kept the barrel steady on his forehead as the tears fell down the sides of his face, piss wetting his jeans. “Tina.” His eyes widened. “Look for Tina.”
Maddie shifted her weight from one leg to the other, then bit her nails. Did the name ‘Tina’ unnerve her?
I turned back to Ray. “Tina?”
