The Butcher (Ruthless Sinners MC 10)

“Someone’s here. We’re under attack.”

Matteo was one of DeLuca’s guards. He was young, eighteen or nineteen, with dark hair and eyes and the most adorable smile. While Matteo’s loyalty lay with his boss, he was always kind to me. It started with a warm smile, but quickly progressed to brief little chats when he walked me back and forth between my room and DeLuca’s office. He even brought me small gifts on special occasions like my birthday or Christmas. His thoughtfulness meant a great deal to me, and at times, it was the only thing that got me through the day.

“Under attack? What are you talking about?”

“I don’t have time to explain.” Matteo reached over and placed his hand on my shoulder, then urged, “You need to get under your bed, Everleigh. Hide there until I come back. You got me?”

“Yeah, I got you.”

“Good.”

He motioned his hand toward the bed, then slowly closed the door.

There are three types of fear.

A rational fear occurs when there’s a real, impending threat—like someone is about to stab you or throw you off a ledge. A primal fear is one that is ingrained deep within us, like a fear of heights or spiders. Lastly, there’s an irrational fear. It's often the most intense but doesn’t always make sense, like an extreme fear of clowns or glass dolls.

The second I heard a round of gunfire downstairs, it felt like I’d been struck by all three.

Maybe I’d seen too many horror movies, but all the unfamiliar rustles and knocks made my hair prickle against the back of my neck. One might think I was experiencing a rational fear. It made sense. Matteo had warned me that someone was coming—someone who could hurt me, but what I was feeling wasn’t due to an impending threat.

It was something more—much, much more.

This fear had become so ingrained in me that it no longer made sense. I’d built up Antonio DeLuca in my head to the point that he was larger than life—the monster of all monsters, and deep down, I knew he’d be the end of me.

I considered doing as Matteo said and hiding under my bed, but I couldn’t.

I’d been waiting for an opportunity like this for almost a year, and even though I was terrified, I couldn’t let it pass me by.

I heard men’s voices outside as they approached the house, but they were quickly drowned out by more gunfire. It wasn’t exactly a fair fight. DeLuca’s men were cold and callous like him, and they’d never let anyone win in an attack.

I took several deep breaths, then eased my door open and slipped out into the hall. Even though I’d been there for years, I didn’t know the exact layout of the house. However, I wasn’t going to let that deter me.

I just needed to find an outside door, and then I could make my grand escape—or so I thought.

I’d just started down the stairs when I heard a loud commotion below me. I eased over to the railing and saw that two men had managed to make it through the front door. They started to make their way into the foyer, but a round of gunfire stopped them dead in their tracks.

I didn’t move.

DeLuca’s guards were right below me, combing downstairs for any other intruders. It felt like I waited there for a lifetime before they finally made their way outside. I was finally alone, so I took the opportunity to rush down the stairs. I stepped over one of the bodies, then bolted for the back door.

For a brief moment, I actually thought I might get away, but then I heard DeLuca hiss, “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“Nowhere,” I lied. “I just came down to find out what was going on.”

“Hmmm.” DeLuca’s eyes were trained on me as he took a step closer. “So, you weren’t trying to make a run for it?”

“No, of course not.” My heart was pounding in my chest as I told him, “I wouldn’t do that.”

“You’re lying.” He crossed his arms and looked down at me with a smug look on his face. “After all I’ve done for you, and this is the thanks I get.”

“Done for me?” I snapped. “You stole my life from me!”

“I’ve given you everything you could possibly want!” he roared. “But it’s never been enough for you. You’ve always wanted more.”

“I’ve only wanted what I was promised.”

“I can’t believe you would do this.” He pointed toward the door as he shouted, “If you want to go so fucking bad, then just go!”