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“Whoever killed them needs to be killed. What’s it called? Retribution?”

“Areyougoing to kill them?”

She looks away from me.

“You might’ve thought you were tough, hanging out with my sister, but you know nothing of our world. If anything, her death should be a warning for you to stay away. This life wasn’t made for you.”

It wasn’t made for any of us.

We were all just shaped into it.

“Julian,” she says, staring up at me, her eyes suddenly looking innocent, “will you kill them?”

“You already know the answer.” I immediately regret saying that. I don’t trust her, so why am I even entertaining this conversation?

“Good.” She blows out what sounds like a breath of relief. “I want every person involved to suffer.”

Genesis might be different than I thought.

A darkness crawls inside her innocence.

An understanding that I don’t get much from the outside world.

But I’ll save her from the trauma and stop her before she gets too deep.

I take a step back, scrubbing a hand over my jaw. “And I want you to get back into your car.”

She stares at me, wide-eyed, but doesn’t move.

“Do you want me to drag you in there again?” I can’t believe I’m standing in the rain, having this conversation with her.

“I’d prefer you didn’t.”

“Have fun sitting out here, alone, in the rain.”

“I’ll get out of the rain then.” She stands, walks up the cathedral steps, and disappears inside.

Taking a second, I debate whether to follow her.

I read people well enough to know that’s what she wants.

For some reason, she thinks I’ll be the good guy here.

I’m the opposite of the good guy.

Which is why I know I’ve lost my wits, that my family’s deaths have really fucked with my head, when I climb the steps.

I grip the door handle, knowing I’ll tell her nothing.

She’ll never know she’s right.

The Popovs murdered my family over a territory war. They own a casino chain along the Jersey state line and East Coast and decided to expand into New York City. Apart from the holes-in-the-wall, Lucky Kings is the exclusive casino in the city.

When we first found out about their interest, we approached them civilly to offer them a payout to get the fuck out of our city. They declined and purchased land to start the project. In retaliation, we burned down the framework when construction started.

We continued to do that each time they found another location and attempted to rebuild. They needed to know we always eliminated competition, whether it be by money or murder.

The night of my family’s murders, we’d burned down their location and killed the two men watching guard. Blowing up my family’s home was their revenge.