Dark grin

#BLOODSHOT EMPIRE#

“I... I’m sorry, Boss! I swear I don’t know what came over me! I was going to pay you back... just give me a month more, I promise I’ll make it right. Please, have mercy on me!”

The desperate man’s voice cracked violently as he collapsed onto his knees in the center of the underground hall, blood dripping steadily from his split lip onto the polished black marble floor beneath him.

“Mercy?”Romeo Romano rose slowly from his chair.The movement alone was enough to make the entire room tense.

“Mercy?” he repeated darkly as he stalked toward the trembling man.

“You think you deserve mercy after what you’ve done?”The man shook uncontrollably.

“Boss please.......”

“You asked for money,” Romeo continued coldly, circling him like a predator.

“And we gave it to you. We gave you time. We gave you trust.” His expression darkened dangerously.

“Then you ran.”The man began sobbing.

“I panicked.... ..”

“Where exactly did you think you were going to hide?” Romeo asked softly.That softness was worse than shouting. ...Far worse.

“You know my motto, Bob.” Romeo crouched slightly before him, a cruel smile slowly stretching across his face.

“Mercy for none.”The dagger flashed before anyone could react.A sickening sound echoed through the underground hall as the blade buried itself directly into the man’s skull.

The body collapsed lifelessly onto the marble floor and silence followed instantly.

Romeo inhaled deeply like the violence relaxed him before casually wiping the blood from the blade onto the dead man’s shirt.Then he smiled.

“Much better.”Several men immediately rushed forward to drag the corpse away while others quickly cleaned the blood staining the floor.Nobody looked disturbed,Nobody spoke.Inside the Bloodshot Empire, death was ordinary.Fear was currency and the Romano quadruplets ruled everything.

The underground hall itself looked less like the headquarters of a criminal empire and more like the throne room of kings.Black marble reflected the dim overhead lighting while expensive cigar smoke drifted lazily through the massive chamber. Armed men dressed entirely in black stood around the room with rigid posture and emotionless expressions.

Nobody moved unnecessarily and nobody dared speak without permission.At the very front of the hall, seated on an elevated platform, were the four men responsible for that silence.....The Romano brothers.

They looked almost identical at first glance.

Dark hair,Sharp jawlines,Tattooed skin,Dangerous beauty But the longer one stared, the easier it became to tell them apart.Rafael Romano sat at the center the eldest and the leader.

One tattooed hand rested lazily against the armrest of his dark leather chair while the other swirled whiskey slowly inside a crystal glass. His black shirt sat partially unbuttoned at the collar, revealing dark ink disappearing beneath the fabric.

Unlike Romeo’s obvious violence, Rafael’s danger lived in his calmness.The room feared him most.To Rafael’s right sat Romeo Romano, still grinning faintly from the kill he had just committed.Violence practically radiated from him naturally.

Beside Rafael sat Raiden Romano,silent and unreadable.His cold eyes moved slowly through the room, observing everything without missing a single detail.Then there was Roman Romano,The charming one or at least that was what outsiders usually believed.

A lazy smirk rested against his lips while he leaned comfortably against his chair like he was attending a private party instead of overseeing executions but the amusement in his expression never quite reached his eyes.Not truly,None of them looked fully human together.

Eventually, one of the men standing below stepped forward nervously.

“The shipment arrived safely, boss.”Rafael swirled the whiskey once before lifting his eyes toward him.

“Any issues?”

“No, boss."

“Good.”The man visibly relaxed.Another quickly stepped forward afterward.

“The warehouse situation has been handled.”Rafael barely nodded.

“And?”

“The traitor confessed before he.......”

“Enough.”The interruption came calmly but instantly silenced the man.Inside the Bloodshot Empire, everyone learned quickly when to stop talking.Rafael took another slow sip of whiskey.

“Next.”One after another, reports filled the room.Money transfers,Territory disputes,Collections,Deliveries.Every word spoken was chosen carefully because one wrong sentence around the Romano brothers could easily become the last thing a person ever said.

Moments later, two men dragged another bloodied figure into the center of the hall before forcing him onto his knees.Rafael barely looked at him.

“What did he do?”One of the guards stepped forward immediately.

“He’s been stealing from the East District profits for months.”The kneeling man panicked instantly.

“Boss, please! I can explain!”

“There was ample opportunity for explanations before now,” Raiden said quietly.The entire room somehow became colder after he spoke.....The man’s face lost all color.

“I... I made a mistake...”Romeo chuckled darkly from his chair.

“A mistake?”The terrified man nodded frantically.

“Yes, boss... yes—”This time Rafael stood.

Every movement he made felt deliberate.....Dangerous.He walked toward the kneeling man slowly before crouching slightly in front of him.

“How much did you steal?”The man swallowed hard.

“Not much.”Rafael smiled.It was somehow worse than anger.

“Wrong answer.”The man started shaking violently.

“Thirty thousand.”Romeo let out a low whistle.

“See? Was honesty really that difficult?”

Rafael finally looked directly into the man’s terrified eyes.

“You stole from us.”

“I’m sorry, boss,” the man whispered brokenly.Rafael’s expression never changed.

“Sorry doesn’t restore loyalty.”Silence swallowed the hall.Then Rafael looked toward one of the guards.

“Take him away.”Relief flashed briefly across the man’s face Until Rafael finished speaking.

“Feed him to the dogs.”The man broke instantly.

“NO! Boss please! PLEASE!”The guards dragged him away while his desperate screams echoed throughout the underground hall.Roman sighed dramatically once the doors slammed shut behind him.

“Well.” He leaned back comfortably.

“That certainly ruined the atmosphere.”

“You barely had one to begin with,” Raiden replied dryly while Romeo smirked.

“He’s sensitive tonight.”Roman placed a hand against his chest in mock offense.

“I’ll remember this betrayal.”A few nervous chuckles escaped from some men standing nearby before immediately dying again the second Rafael looked up.

“Continue.”The reports resumed quickly after that but nearly an hour later, the atmosphere inside the hall finally shifted once the last man finished speaking and hurried out of the room.

The large metal doors shut heavily behind him and Silence followed.Only the four brothers remained now.Roman stretched lazily against his chair.

“I’m bored.”

“That’s because you enjoy chaos too much,” Raiden said without looking at him.

“I enjoy entertainment,” Roman corrected calmly.Romeo snorted softly while pouring himself another drink.

“There’s barely a difference.”Roman ignored him before glancing toward Rafael.

“You’ve been unusually quiet this morning”Rafael remained silent, eyes fixed on the whiskey inside his glass.That alone told the others he was thinking dangerously.

Raiden noticed it too.

“What’s on your mind brother?”Rafael finally leaned back slightly.

“The Moretti debt.”Romeo’s smirk darkened immediately.

“Ah.” He rested his elbows against his knees.

“Now that sounds interesting.”Roman tilted his head slightly.

“You really think the idiot stole from us?”

“No,” Raiden answered before Rafael could speak.The other brothers looked toward him.Raiden’s expression remained unreadable.

“He’s scared.”Romeo chuckled softly.

“Good.”

“He disappeared after losing the money,” Raiden continued calmly.

“That wasn’t strategy. That was panic.”

Roman sighed dramatically.

“Which means he probably owes someone else too.”

“Or crossed the wrong people,” Romeo added.Rafael finally spoke again.

“Either way, he’s ours now.”The room fell quiet again then Roman smirked slightly.

“His daughter.”Romeo looked amused instantly.

“Beautiful too apparently.”Rafael said nothing.Which somehow felt worse...Roman leaned forward slightly.

“So what exactly are you planning to do with her?”For the first time that night, something dangerous flickered across Rafael’s face.

Then slowly......A dark grin appeared on his lips.