Page 4 of Protected By the Sinner

Minutes later, when she finishes, a thirst for blood rises inside me.

“I’ve always loved you, Beau. In my heart, you are my son. But I can’t take this secret to the grave. Landon betrayed your biological father. He had your family killed and then stole you for me.”

Chapter 1

New Orleans – Louisiana

Three Years Later

The car skids over a puddle, the last trace of the downpour that hit just a while ago.

I take in the colorful buildings, their worn-out charm. The balconies with their plants, and the trash scattered on the street by passersby.

It’s strange how we’re always drawn to our origins.

I grew up thinking I didn’t belong anywhere. We moved around so much, there was never time to put down roots.

Now I know why: Landon had to perform services for the Sicilians in different states, and whenever he drew too much attention in one place, he’d be sent to another.

My revenge is partially complete. He’s dead.

I killed him exactly one week after Aurellie, my adoptive mother, told me the truth. Until that conversation, I couldn’t understand why that bastard hadn’t left me and his wife sooner.

The puzzle pieces finally clicked into place when I learned he had waited to get the inheritance from an uncle, a case that had dragged on for years in court, before walking away.

He fled the country with the money, counting on the love my mother had for me to be enough to keep her silent.

He believed his secret was safe.

Landon was both right and wrong.

Her love for me protected him. Aurellie feared for years that I’d hate her once I knew everything.

Her love for me killed him. She wanted me to know how dangerous he could be.

What she didn’t realize was that I’m far more dangerous than her ex-husband ever was.

I swerve to avoid a drunk man who nearly throws himself in front of the car.

On sleepless nights, I have a habit of driving around New Orleans after midnight—especially down Bourbon Street.

I own a chain of exclusive nightclubs, along with other businesses around the world, but deep down, this city is my home. Since I found out I was born here—and not in Kansas, as stated on my birth certificate—I’ve traveled the globe, only to always end up back in Louisiana.

A natural cynic, I’ve never thought of these late-night drives as sentimental. More like a habit. An escape from a mind that never rests.

But tonight, there’s a reason I came.

Aurellie told me that today marks the anniversary of my biological parents’ deaths, and every year on this date, I can’t sleep.

I need to close this chapter of my life.

It’s time to complete my revenge.

I’ve spent the past two years searching for the person who gave the order to have them killed, and once I found out who it was, only one man’s request[1] kept me from striking.

He’s the only one who knows everything about me. My mentor.

But now, he has to give me the green light. I can’t wait any longer.