Kendra
My father used to say that family is everything. It's supposed to mean safety, loyalty, blood thicker than water. But when the people who were supposed to stand by us turned their backs, I left.
That was a costly mistake because the brother I left behind had to take up the responsibility of running the Marino Mafia Family.
We had pulled over by a narrow river that cut through the mountains and Killian was watching the flowing waters. I stared at him, taking note of how much he was starting to look like our late father.
Judging by his muscles, I figured he must have been frequenting the gym lately. He had even gotten more tattoos, perhaps to look tougher and fit into the "Don" position.
But beneath that tough exterior, I could see through him. Killian never had it in him to be ruthless. Father used to say there was fear in his heart and he had compassionate eyes.
That was the very reason our father chose me to be his successor. But after going to college in America, I experienced a different lifestyle and I realized that the crime world was not for me. And father's death was my escape, but it seems Killian was paying for that.
"You must think I'm a failure," he broke the silence and then looked at me.
"What?"
"You have the same look Pa used to have whenever he looked at me," he said and I shook my head.
"I'm actually worried about you, Killian," I told him. "Don't you realize the gravity of your situation? The man who wants you dead is Il Diavolo. He will come for you!"
"And that's why I came to you," he said.
"How did you even get yourself into this mess?"
Killian sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "The family business began to collapse after you left. Our allies were nowhere to be found, and every bastard who used to call Pa "Don" wanted a piece of what was left. I had to do something, Kendra."
"And what did you do?"
He sighed deeply before answering. "To prove that the Marinos weren't finished, I began running weapons and setting up shell companies across Europe. I needed to restore our family's lost glory."
I felt my chest tighten from just listening.
"I was careful," he went on. "But one of the accounts I used wasn't mine. It belonged to Alessandro De Santis."
My heart skipped when I heard that name. There were rumors surrounding the man. People called him "The devil of Sicily" and he embodied the name. He was ruthless, he was powerful and he was feared.
"How could you be so reckless, Killian?" I asked in a broken voice.
"I didn't think he would notice," he replied and I saw terror in his eyes. "It was a joint laundering network between his men and ours. I thought I could reroute some of the money… just a few millions… and put it back later. But the pipeline was his and now..." he trailed off.
I inhaled and pinched my forehead. Alessandro doesn't tolerate thieves. I finally understood why the man wanted my brother dead.
My stomach turned at the thought of losing the only family I had left. "How much of his money did you move?" I asked, looking into his hazel eyes.
Lowering his head, he answered quietly, "Ten million."
My mouth fell open. "Ten? Killian, what the hell were you thinking?"
"I managed to pay back two and half," he said desperately. "But it wasn't enough. There's a bounty on my head, Kendra. Alessandro is offering a lot of money to anybody who brings him my head."
I swallowed thickly, my heartbeat thumping loud in my ears. This was really messy… "But how are you still alive?" I asked. "You didn't flee the country. You're not even hiding. If there's a real bounty on your head, you would have been dead by now."
My brother lowered his eyes but I didn't miss the guilt that suddenly appeared in them.
"Killian?" I called seriously, now facing him. "What did you do?"
He was quiet for a while, as if he was gathering the courage to tell me something.
"I had to save myself!" He finally spoke up, his voice loud with feigned confidence. "I managed to strike a bargain with Alessandro. Since I didn't have the rest of his money, I decided to give him something of more value."
I frowned at that. What could Killian possibly have that would interest a man like Alessandro?
"And what is this thing of value?" I pressed and that guilty face returned.
Keeping his head down, he confessed, "I gave him you."
For a long while, neither of us said a word. I wasn't sure what was going through Killian's mind because I was trying to comprehend what he had just said.
"You did what? What do you mean you gave him me?" I blurted when he wouldn't say anything.
"It was just for collateral, sis," his guilty look was replaced by an apologetic one. "Just to buy time while I try to raise the rest of the money."
"Hold on," I raised a finger, trying to collect my thoughts. "You sold me off to Alessandro De Santis to save your neck?"
"I had to," he said. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of anything else. I didn't even think he would agree. I was just desperate."
"Are you listening to yourself?" I shouted at him. "Why would you do something like that?! So what? You took me away from the Convent because you wanted to hand me over to the devil?"
"I'm sorry," was all he kept saying but that wasn't good enough. How could my own brother be so selfish?
I kept quiet, watching him, hating him and feeling sorry for him at the same time.
"Is this your way of getting back at me for leaving?" My voice came out in a whisper but Killian just shook his head. "Then tell me why the fuck you did that! What does Alessandro even want with me? Why agree to your stupid bargain?"
"I don't know," Killian shook his head. "But I met him face to face and he was ready to kill me on the spot. However, when I told him I was ready to give him my sister, I cannot forget that mirk that appeared on his lips. He seemed to like the idea."
"My God!" I held my head in disbelief.
"I don't know his reasons, Kendra, but I was given two weeks to bring you to him."
"You're out of your mind," I spat as dread crawled through my skin. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I'm going to die if you don't," he said.
"So I'm supposed to give my life for you?" I snapped in a loud voice. "I may be looking like a nun right now, but I am not a savior. You brought this on yourself. Handle it yourself without dragging me into it!"
I looked away from him, trying to steady my breathing as my mind raced. Now that I've been dragged into this, I could already see I and Killian's dead bodies with Alessandro standing over us.
"Yup, we're both going to die," I thought aloud, closing my eyes. "And I'm not ready to die."
"Will you go to him then?" Killian's voice reached my ears and I turned to glare at him.
"I can't believe you sold your own sister to that man," I said under my breath. I did a few breathing reps to calm down and then I asked, "How long do you have?"
"From the two weeks I was given, I only have three days left."
"Just three days?!"
"You went off radar so I had to look for you," he said. "I never thought you would be playing nun at a convent."
I glared at him again and he shut up.
"We need to come up with a plan," I told him. "I'm not about to lose my freedom and go be with Alessandro for God-knows-what. And you are not dying."
Killian's eyes lit up but I could see the skepticism behind it.
"What do you have in mind?" He asked me and I smiled because I already had an idea.
"We're going to make Alessandro himself pay off your debt," I informed my brother and he frowned. "He's going to pay for what he thinks he owns."
"I don't understand and I don't like this plan," he said.
"You don't have a choice," I retorted. "You and I are going to outsmart Il Diavolo."
"How?"
"Do you know where he is?" I demanded and Killian nodded.
"I've been tracking his movements so I don't find myself in the same space as that devil," he answered. "But he's in Monaco for business."
"Excellent," I smiled as my plan began to take shape. "Alessandro probably thinks I belong to him now. Well, I'll go to him but on my terms."
"I still don't understand this plan," Killian confessed.
"It's simple," I crossed my arms. "He's definitely going to visit the Pulse. It's a high end club in Monaco for men like him and there, I'm going to literally sell myself."
"You mean at one of those weird auctions?"
I smiled at my brother. "You're finally getting it."
"That's risky, Kendra. And what if he's not interested?" Killian reasoned. "What if he doesn't win? You realize you have to go home with whoever wins, right? I thought we were trying to avoid that."
"And that brings me to the interesting part of my plan," I told him. "We're going to kill two birds with one stone. But first, we need to leave for Monaco."