Children of Vice (Children of Vice 1)

“See?” I sat, putting my glass down and pulling out my revolver, holding it out to Frank.

He stared at it for the longest time then back at me.

“He degraded my shit to make a quick buck. In doing so nearly thirty people have died in the last month, and now I’ve got people asking questions no one has asked since my mother passed. It’s either you or him,” I replied, and he took the gun, rising to his feet, walking around Savino to stand in front of his nephew, who of course began to cry.

“I told you, you had to be careful.” Frank shook his head, holding it to the boy’s skull.

“Any day now.” I drank, a piece of ice slipping into my mouth.

“Tell mama I’m sorry.” Sammy closed his eyes tightly and…Frank pulled the trigger. Sammy flinched. However, upon realizing he wasn’t dead his head snapped back up to look at his uncle, who was staring at the gun.

“Well, aren’t you lucky,” I said, holding my hand out for the gun. Frank quickly put it back in my hand and when he did I spun it in my palm then fired. “Your uncle not so much.”

“UNCLE!” he hollered, trying to get up from his knees, but Toby held him down. Frank’s body was already on the ground, the bullet going right between his eyes. Placing the gun back at my chest, I leaned back.

“You killed him,” Sammy finally spoke.

“I know. That was the point of the gun. Would you like us to ship his body or his ashes?” I asked Sammy, who was unable to look away from Frank’s body. “He wasn’t such a bad man after all.”

“His body,” he whispered.

“You’re free to go.” Which meant Toby was free to have him dropped off at whatever street corner they got him off. I waited till he was gone before turning toward Mahoney and Savino. “I don’t seem biased, do I?”

“Not at all,” they both said.

Grinning at the enthusiasm, I moved on to more important matters. “Did you know my grandmother wants almost four hundred people at my wedding?”

Savino snickered. “That’s nothing. You should have seen your parents’. People were tripping over themselves trying to get in.”

Irish and Italians. We knew how to drink and fuck a little too well…if our relations got any bigger we’d need to rent a small city.

IVY

My feet were killing me when it was finally over. Entering the guest room, the first thing I did was take them off, tossing them to the side. Hearing the door open and close, I didn’t turn around, and he didn’t come any closer.

I turned back to find Ethan, still perfectly dressed, leaning against the door, his green eyes traveling up my body until they stopped on my breasts and then finally my face. I couldn’t lie. He was…fucking hot. The type of guy you’d see in magazines and secretly wish for a night with. His shoulders were broad, his jawline so sharp I was sure he’d cut someone with it, but weirdly enough, it was his lips that I couldn’t stop staring at. They had felt amazing on mine…gentle and passionate…promising—

Focus, Ivy!

“You’re staring,” I said.

“So are you.”

I was, but I didn’t mean to.

“You disappeared and left me to fend for myself.”

“I wasn’t aware you’d need protection…I highly doubt anyone tonight was any worse than who you met in prison.”

Ugh, he’s annoying! He had a comeback for everything!

“Your kiss was unexpected,” I whispered, reaching for my back zipper when his hands brushed mine away, unzipping the dress for me.

“I have a thing for singers…who knew,” he said softly as I held up the front of my dress.

“And now what is your excuse?”

“My excuse?”