278

278
Alaric’s POV
The night was still, the kind of stillness that came before a storm. The kind that made your gut twist in anticipation, like the world itself was holding its breath. I barely noticed.
All I could feel was the fire burning inside me.
I gripped the gun in my hand, my fingers tightening around the cold metal as I stepped out of the car. I stood in the front of Alonso’s mansion, watching as his guards moved around relaxed without suspecting anything at all.
Good.
He wouldn’t see me coming.
My footsteps were steady as I moved up the driveway, my mind sharp, focused. Every part of me was locked in, my rage simmering just beneath the surface. The guards at the front barely had time to react before I took them down quick, clean, quiet.
I didn’t come here for them.
I came for him.
The door to his house wasn’t locked. Arrogant bastard.
I pushed it open without hesitation, stepping inside. The place was dark, but I knew he was here.
I could feel him.
A few more steps, and then-
“Alaric.”
His voice was calm. Too calm.
I turned my head and found him standing near the bar, a glass in hand, like he’d been expecting me. He looked relaxed, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew better.
“Alonso.” My voice was cold. “Drinking alone?”
He took a slow sip, eyes never leaving mine. “I could say the same for you, but I doubt you’re here for a drink.”
I stepped forward, my gun raised, steady. “I’m here for payback.”
His lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “For Dominic?”
A muscle in my jaw twitched. “You don’t get to say his name.”
Alonso exhaled, setting his glass down. “I figured you’d come for me eventually.”
I didn’t lower my gun. “Then why do you look so damn surprised?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “I thought you were smarter than this, Alaric. Coming into my house alone? That’s not the move of a man who wants to walk out of here.”
“I don’t need to walk out,” I said, my voice like steel. “As long as you don’t.”
For a moment, he just looked at me. Then, slowly, he reached for his own gun, placing it on the table between us. A challenge.
I didn’t move.
He tilted his head. “You sure you want to do this?”
“Are you?” I shot back.
He sighed, running a hand over his face. “Do you even know what really happened that night?”
My grip on the gun tightened. “I know enough.”
“Do you?” His voice was sharp now. “Or did you just take what you were given and decide it was enough to justify killing me?”
I took a step closer, the barrel of my gun aimed straight at his heart. “Dominic was my brother.”
Alonso’s expression hardened. “And Jonas was my wife’s murderer.”
I froze.
“What?”
He took a slow step forward, his eyes locked onto mine. “You think you’re the only one who lost someone? You think you’re the only one with blood in your past?”
I clenched my jaw. “Don’t try to twist this.”
“Why not?” he snapped. “It’s the truth. Your brother-your family-protected Jonas after he raped and murdered my wife. And you expect me to just… forget?”
My stomach twisted, but I didn’t let it show. “You killed Dominic.”
His expression darkened. “And that was not the plan.”
I barked out a bitter laugh. “Right. Just a happy little accident?”
He exhaled sharply, looking away for a split second before his gaze returned to mine. “Dominic’s death wasn’t intentional.”
“Bullshit.”
Alonso’s voice was steady. “I was after someone else. I didn’t even know Dominic was there.”
My fingers twitched on the trigger. “You expect me to believe that?”
“I don’t care what you believe,” he said flatly. “It’s the truth.”
I was breathing hard now, my pulse a war drum in my ears. I wanted to shoot him. Needed to. But something about the way he said it…
The certainty in his voice.
The way he looked at me.
It made me hesitate.
And I never hesitated.
His voice dropped lower. “If you’re going to do it, do it. But don’t stand here pretending you’re the only one who lost something.”
My jaw clenched. “You don’t get to make yourself the victim.”
“And you don’t get to act like Dominic was innocent in all of this.”
A sharp pain stabbed through my chest. I didn’t want to hear this. I didn’t want to believe it.
But I had spent my whole life wading through lies.
And I knew the truth when I heard it.
I hated that I knew it.
Alonso’s voice was quieter now. “You kill me tonight, and this doesn’t end. My family will come for you. For Francesca. For Emilia.” His eyes darkened. “Are you ready for that?”
I exhaled slowly, my grip tightening.
This was supposed to be simple.
I came here to put a bullet in his skull, I wasn’t supposed to be questioning things. I wasn’t supposed to be thinking.
Alonso stepped closer. “Go ahead. Kill me. But don’t pretend it’ll be the end of anything.”
I stayed silent, my chest rising and falling hard. The rage was still there.
Alonso smirked, his fingers resting lightly on the table beside his gun. He wasn’t reaching for it, not yet, but the way his hand lingered was a challenge.
“What’s the matter, Alaric?” he drawled, tilting his head. “Second thoughts?”
I scoffed. “Not even a little.”
“Then why are we still talking?” He gestured lazily between us. “You came here to kill me, didn’t you? So do it. Put a bullet in my head, end it. Show me what kind of man you really are.”
I didn’t move.
He chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s what I thought.”
“You talk too much,” I muttered.
“And you hesitate too much.” He leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming. “Dominic would’ve pulled the trigger already.”
My jaw clenched so hard it hurt.
He saw it. And he laughed.
“See? You don’t like that, do you?” His voice was smooth, taunting. “But it’s true. Dominic was a man of action. He wouldn’t have wasted time with all this talking. He would’ve done what needed to be done.”
“Shut up,” I growled.
“But you?” He ignored me, his smirk widening. “You’re still standing there, trying to decide if you really want to do this. Wondering if I’m telling the truth. Wondering if Dominic was really as innocent as you’ve convinced yourself he was.”
“I said SHUT UP.”
He leaned back, folding his arms. “Make me.”
My finger twitched on the trigger.
He saw that too. And the bastard had the audacity to look pleased.
“You know what I think?” he continued, voice casual. “I think you came here looking for an excuse not to pull the trigger. Some tiny little reason to tell yourself that walking away doesn’t make you weak.”
I inhaled sharply through my nose, trying to force my breathing to stay steady.
He smiled, slow and deliberate. “Because deep down, you know this won’t fix anything. You know that killing me won’t bring Dominic back. And it sure as hell won’t make you feel better.”
I lifted the gun an inch higher. “You sure about that?”
Alonso shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”
For a long moment, we just stared at each other.
The room was silent, the kind of silence that stretched, that taunted.
Then he spoke again, voice softer this time. “Or maybe… maybe you’re finally realizing that this isn’t just about Dominic.”
I didn’t answer.
His gaze sharpened. “It’s about her, isn’t it?”
My entire body tensed.
His smirk returned. “Emilia.”
My grip on the gun tightened, but I said nothing.
Alonso chuckled, shaking his head. “Oh, this is interesting. You think she’s gonna forgive you for this?”
I forced a laugh. “You think I give a damn?”
“You do,” he said smoothly. “That’s why you haven’t pulled the trigger yet.”
I exhaled sharply, hating how much he was getting under my skin.
He knew it too.
“You might want to believe that this is all about revenge,” he mused. “But you know damn well that Emilia changes everything.” His eyes gleamed. “Tell me, Alaric… what do you think she’s gonna do when she finds out?”
I said nothing.
His smirk widened. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”