Page 9 of Burn the World Down

Revenge, justice, retribution. I didn’t care what it was called.

I wanted him to pay for Viv, and I wouldn’t let him hurt another young woman with stars in her eyes.

He’d crushed what was left of my soul.

Now, he’d feel my rage.

Methodically, I grabbed the chips and made myself eat them, crunching on autopilot.

The memory of Nash, his low laugh that I’d loved, popped into my head, but I pushed it away. I’d thought about finding him. I’d actually contacted a hacker who’d said he could find anyone. He hadn’t been able to find him. I took it as a sign that Nash was the past.

I was alone. There was nothing and no one to help me, but also no one to hold me back.

I would get revenge for my sister.

Whatever it took.

CHAPTER 3

NASH

Iclipped some dead leaves off the plant. It was a gorgeous purple orchid. I leaned over it, checking the glossy, green leaves and air roots. In a few minutes I needed to head over to the Avernus security office to teach a training course.

The small greenhouse was filled with greenery and pops of vibrant color—red, pink, purple, yellow, white. It was just behind my villa.

When I’d first retired, Bastian had pestered me to find a hobby. He’d told me sleeping all day and drinking too much bourbon wasn’t a good option. I’d been in the military for years. I’d been an assassin.

I had no idea what to do.

Bastian had been busy building the casino, and I’d pitched in with security, but I’d still been edgy, tense. I’d nearly gotten into several fights, and I’d known how easily I could kill some drunken jackass just for annoying me.

When I’d moved into the villa, Bastian had given me a housewarming gift of a potted orchid as a joke. The asshole expected me to kill it in under a week.

But I’d…enjoyed taking care of it. I’d ended up buying a bunch of different colors and types.

And much to my surprise, I was good at growing them.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, since my father had been a farmer and my mom had loved flowers. It had just been hard to believe that I could go from killing to actually growing living things.

Eventually, I’d built the greenhouse and the rest was history. I grabbed my watering can and carefully watered several plants. The air was humid and heavy. The Las Vegas climate was too dry for most of these plants, so that’s why I’d needed the greenhouse. I’d learned about selective breeding and came up with my own hybrids. I had people who paid me a fortune for some of them.

It was worth it, even if the guys liked to give me shit about it, occasionally.

Sometimes, I came in here and just sat in the greenhouse in the quiet.

I turned and jolted.

A man was standing silently against the backdrop of my ferns.

“Fuck.” I shook my head. “Make some damn noise and say hello like a normal person.”

“Hello.” His voice was deep, with a raspy edge.

“Asshole.” I grabbed a cloth off the bench and wiped my hands. “I thought you were away.”

“I’m back.”

Alessio Rossi was officially retired. He’d once been the bogeyman of the Italian Mafia in New York. The former mafia enforcer and assassin had killed his way out of the life. That said, he still liked doing some unsanctioned side jobs.