Children of Ambition (Children of Vice 2)

Gazing through the door, I flinched at the sight of him. His light grey shirt was covered in blood and some even sprayed across his white face. In his right hand was a pair of dismembered hands, hog-tied together with shoelaces and dripping blood. Gabriel breathed in deeply as he walked around the table towards me. Wyatt got up but Ethan held out a hand for him to stop, his green eyes glancing at me. His eyes asked a clear question: what did I do?

Ignoring them all, I took a bite of my food. The only bite I’d get seeing as how Gabriel decided to drop a pair of hands on top of my plate as if they were toppings. He pushed his face directly next to mine.

“I got your gifts,” he said, brushing the side of my face, but I pulled my head away.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Did something happen?” I asked, turning to look him in the eye.

His gray eyes shifted back and forth, making it seem like he was reading my eyes; “If it wasn’t you, I can’t forgive this. I’ll think it only could have been your elder brother. How else could six men jump me on his property? I don’t want to think it’s your elder brother because that means he just declared war against me at the same time he’s trying to prevent a war in the south, keep you from killing his wife, as well keeping the Irish and Italians from feuding once again.”

He stood up straighter. “You must really enjoy juggling, Ethan.”

Ethan’s eyebrow twitched slightly and he glared at me before looking back up at Gabriel. “I’m not sure what happened to you Gabriel, however once I find out, they will suffer the consequences. You are a guest here, under our family’s word of protection. Anyone who respects me would never do such a stupid thing.”

The second part of his words were obviously directed at me. Reaching for my water, I drank, looking at none of them.

“No need, they aren’t capable of suffering now anyway,” Gabriel replied, picking the hands off my plate and tossing them to one of the guards standing off to the side. “My apologies, Donatella. It seems I falsely accused you.”

“Apology accepted.” I smiled, rising to my feet. “I’ve lost my appetite though; please excuse me.”

Stepping around him, I walked out the door quickly. My jaw set angrily, I marched up the stairs and into the elevator. But instead of going up to my room I went down, needing to scan my palm and my eye before the doors opened. When they did, I saw the dozen men who were meant to be watching the damned security cameras.

“WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?” I hollered at them.

“Ma’am—”

“Don’t talk! Show me the motherfucking feed,” I said to them, marching up to the screen. I could hear fingers typing away on the keyboards before finally seeing Gabriel on the screen in a stainless V-neck shirt and jeans.

I watched as he walked down the path before suddenly stopping to close his book and look up. The men were then around him. However, he said something and instead of shooting, one of them dropped his gun to charge him… The idiot only ended up being tossed and flipped over on his back; Gabriel twisted both of his assailant’s arms behind his back until they broke and fell lifelessly on the dirt.

After the second assailant squared off with him they all charged, and I watched as Gabriel used one man as a shield to take bullets before using another man as a weapon to kill both. He broke the necks of the rest. When he was done and his attackers lay broken like discarded toys, Gabriel looked directly at the camera, reached into his boot, and retrieved a knife. He then bent down on one knee like hunter with his prize, and began to cut.

“Is this how you were all trained?” I asked softly, standing up straighter. “You were given an order and instead of doing what was asked, you allowed yourselves to be provoked into a fight and lost?”

“Ma’am—”

“DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING MY GODDAMN SELF!” I screamed, turning around on them. Inhaling slowly, I nodded. “Forgive me. I was mistaken to think I could count on you all.”

I laughed bitterly and they had the nerve to hang their heads. The elevator doors opened for Ethan, in all his mighty glory, to come forth. But I didn’t stop speaking. “I forgot you aren’t my men but my brother’s. So, my orders can be handled carelessly like this. My future can be dropped and kicked to the side so you can all compare dick sizes and protect your useless pride. A man can walk in here and demand I marry him and you…” I laughed. Shook my head. “And you all can just look away. Fine. Keep looking down…” I said looking directly at my brother as he stared back. “When you look up at me again I might be burning this place to the ground and dragging you sorry bastards straight to hell with me.”

Ethan didn’t stop me as I walked towards the door, proving he was just as smart as everyone thought. In this state, I would’ve tried to kill him this time for sure.

ETHAN

I watched the feed, asking, “What were her orders?”

“To kill him and make it look like suicide,” one of them answered.

“Who picked these men?” I asked, still watching.

“I did, Sir.” Boyle, who had been working as a house guard for almost six years, stepped forward. Short hair cut in a standard ex-military buzz cut.

“Follow my sister’s orders.”

“Kill him tonight, Sir?”

I looked away from the screen and looked to him. “Not him. You.”

“Sir—”