Page 52 of King of Obsession (Kings of the Underworld #1)

By the time the drug wears off, I will be crossing the Atlantic. My first stop is Enzo’s penthouse. I stole the keycard from his wallet before I left and I remember the code, but my heart clenches, yearning for him.

He set me free because he thought that’s what I craved most. The man acted selfless for once in his life, not realizing the only thing I desire most is him.

I knew from the moment I said I love you that something in him had shifted.

I broke down his every defense, but I didn’t think he’d go to this extreme.

Two guards pace around the garage, engaged in a chat, as I stealthily walk inside the elevator. Swiping the card, I enter the code. With every story, all I can think of is killing Augustus—the man who changed my fate as if he’s some kind of god. Except he’s human and he will bleed like one.

I wonder what would have happened if I had grown up surrounded by my family. Would Enzo and I be together? Most surely as it’s impossible for us to fight this connection transcending reason.

Would we have been long married and perhaps parents? Most definitely. I’ve never thought about those things before I met him, but now it’s all I can think about.

Too late though. Once I kill the first guard, an entire army will come for me, but I won’t die until I’ll take that piece of shit to hell with me.

Inside the silent penthouse, my steps echo, memories of us assaulting me full force. I’ve cried more in these last hours than I have in my entire life, but my soul longs for him, demanding my return home.

In the bedroom, I stare at the bed longingly. I should be in his bed—another unfulfilled wish. After all that filthy and hard fucking, I loved him making love to me. If my heart wasn’t breaking this badly, I would smile at how sweet he has been yet also himself—commanding, possessive, wild.

I thought I was happy in this penthouse, but it was a lie. My true home is at the compound. At least I got to enjoy that homey feeling for a while.

Slipping inside the walk-in closet, I switch on the light, and it bathes me in a dim glow.

Looking around, I see all my belongings just as I left them. From my shoes to my clothes hanging there just like the purses displayed neatly in a row, and my jewelry next to his watches, making me an even more emotional mess.

He didn’t set them on fire. He left his penthouse as a shrine to safeguard our memories.

I look past it all to find what I came for. Rummaging through my bag, I pluck out a fake passport and some cash, then I am out and hail a cab to take me to the airport.

Considering what I will do once I land, I am calm and at peace with my decision.

I hate the Syndicate’s control. Those assholes won’t have the Council under their influence for much longer. Once Augustus dies, their hold on it will disappear. Either Enzo will lead it, or I will make sure no one ever does.

On the USB stick there is blackmail material on each of the members along with all their business dealings, bank accounts, hidden affairs, and worldwide contacts. My plan was to take them down with me after Augustus excommunicated me, but Enzo snatched me before I could enact my vengeance.

Augustus thought he was untouchable and like the subservient girl I was, I made sure no one could take the power from him. But now I’ve gifted it to the man I love. Love is selfless like that. At least I experienced it. For a short while, I had a home, a family.

It’s a blur how quickly I pass through airport security and sit my ass in first class.

When the flight attendant offers me a glass of champagne, I take it, needing to be as composed as possible. I also need to sleep because once I show my face in Italy, my arrival will cause upheaval, and I can’t afford to slack on my mission.

I want the Council to fear my presence, thinking about who I am there for. Augustus’s last hours will feel like he’s a trapped mouse—I’ll make sure he knows what it’s like having no way out until I decide he can be free for good.

I must have drifted off to sleep because a slight shake startles me, waking me up. The flight attendant says in a pleasant voice, “We’re about to land, miss.”

Good. Nodding, I am ready to get off this plane and count down till doomsday.

I take a cab to my former house. The mansion lies abandoned and left to the whims of nature—Augustus’s gift to me for my services feels now more like the biggest insult of my life, making the injury pulse and fester.

I remember how proud I was that day. How monumentally stupid I had been, but caged birds are grateful to their masters, not questioning their captivity. It took Enzo to blow the doors open so I could spread my wings for the first time and fly away.

What I once believed to be my home was nothing more than my cage.

I inhale deeply, each breath choked with desire for revenge.

Cracking the door open, my attention is sharp as ever as I move through the space to the pantry and find it untouched. Relief flows through me when I realize no one discovered my secret room. I push at the false panel, and it opens.

Stepping inside, I see all my weapons still displayed on the wall, just like another black bike and a leather suit sit untouched in a corner.

I riffle through what I need, and an explosive device catches my eye. The former caged bird will go out with a blast, leaving nothing but destruction behind.

Vindication surges through me, pumping me up. I quickly activate it, setting the timer to five minutes.

Changing quickly, I fill my bag with a silencer, ammunition, and some hand grenades. I put a gun at the back of my pants and add a rifle to my bag.

After pulling my hair into a low ponytail and putting on my helmet, I check the bike to ensure it’s ready to ride. Then I speed away, flying down the flight of stairs.

I want Augustus dead more than anything else. And if I am still alive, the others will come next. Even if I survive, I will have issues with the Syndicate for encroaching on their newly established territory. If one member of the Council survives, that person will make sure I am dealt with.

The street vibrates under me as the explosion ensues. A bang blares in my ears, deafening me with the sweet sound of anarchy. In the mirror, I watch the estate blow up. The flames and debris create a violent spiral of wreckage––wiping out my past.

The thick blanket of gray smoke settles, painting an image of demolition. I expel a sigh coated in relief. Free. I am finally free.

As I drive across the city, darkness engulfs it. The night is starless, as if mourning in advance. The only source of light is artificial, casting Venice in a glow.

I leave my bike in a dark alley next to my safe house, located by the water, and hop onto my boat.

The water lashes at the sides as if trying to pull it under as I speed toward Augustus’s place.

With the slight waves rocking the boat, it will make the hit a bit more difficult, but it’s more of an adjustment to the scope.

I stop the engine and set up the tripod that will hold my rifle. From a safe distance, I see his men patrolling from the rooftop of the old, decadent residence fit for the king he always wanted to be.

All I care about is seeing the life fading from his eyes. The man turned me into a tool—his tool. Every fiber in my being recoils, revolting at that thought and demanding vengeance. Tonight, I will end his influence over me.

I aim and the first guard drops dead. His body splashes into the canal, and the water takes him as an offering. The next two follow, and I have to hurry before the others notice what’s happening.

Bringing the boat along the small dock, I take advantage of the guard’s lack of attention—he’s on his phone. I move behind him and lift the gun with the silencer to his head and shoot. I don’t care about the blood splatters on my suit as his body falls over the deck.

Slipping inside the building, I have my gun drawn, pointing from right to left. More guards will await me. Twenty men constantly roam the perimeter but not even a hundred could save him now. Augustus won’t escape my wrath.

In the round alcove on the first floor, two guards are chatting, and I shoot them in precise movements.

But one takes a vase with him and it shatters on the marble, causing an earsplitting noise that blows my cover.

My adrenaline doesn’t spike—the fight-or-flight instinct is under control as I duck behind a thick column—calm and collected, just like my steady breathing.

Shooting at the next three in a rapid fire, their bodies pile up, creating a river of blood on the floor. More guards pour in from the four stories and bullets whiz past my arms and legs, but I take them all down.

I don’t look for injuries. I don’t fucking care. Not even a hole the size of my heart can stop me now that I am so close to him.

Confidence surges through me as I take the path to his office.

Most certainly, he was escorted by the remaining men to the safe room in his office, which locks from the inside the moment he presses the panic button.

I tsk, sure Augustus didn’t change the code—he’s too confident and now that will result in his downfall.

Another guard tries to sneak up on me, leaving me no time to turn and shoot. I kneel, pull out the knife from my boot, and slam it in his thigh before slicing through an artery. He’ll bleed to death in mere moments.

Brushing the knife against my black attire, I slip it back into my boot, and I enter the code. The metallic door parts and I slip through the wooden one. Inside, Augustus stands in wait. He purses his thin lips hard enough they form a white line.

“Luciana,” he shouts my name as he jerks his chin toward the two men who point their guns at me.

This is a tricky situation. I can kill one but not both at the same time and I haven’t come this far to fail now.