The box

REX

“He still has the temper of his hotheaded mother,” Don said as soon as Soren stormed off.

My head was slightly bowed as I fought every instinct in me to rush after him and punch that spoiled brat's face to a bloody pulp. I'm only tolerating his smart mouth because of my loyalty to Don and this empire. If he were someone else, I'd have put a bullet through his throat for all the bullshit he keeps spilling.

“You seem angry.” Don's voice dragged me out of my thoughts. He placed his elbows on the table, resting his chin on them. “Are you angry about what he said?” he asked in a tone I recognized so well. A challenge.

My fingers curled so tightly behind my back that my nails dug into my palms, and I kept my eyes on the wooden table so he wouldn't see how badly I wanted to go after Soren. “Truths are the easiest things I can swallow.”

He smiled. “That's a smart answer.” He stood up, coming in front of me. “My word is final. You're going to be his right-hand man.” He sat halfway on the table, directly in front of me. “Next week, you both are going to take over the empire.”

Next week? I snapped my eyes up at him, my brows creasing as his words sank in. In a week, Don would be stepping down as the head of the empire, and I would be standing next to Soren with the whole empire on our shoulders. The question of why was at the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it and kept my face still.

“Surprising, I know, but that's what's going to happen. I'll step down after the financial issues are cleared.” It was quiet for some minutes before he asked, “You know why I kept you all these years, right?”

I immediately nodded.

“I know your loyalty is fully to me, but the moment I decided to take you in at seven, your existence began revolving around keeping Soren safe. You're to serve him once he takes over.” Those were the words that had been drilled into my head the moment I stepped into the mafia world.

“You've done a good job all these years. And I know you won't let me down,” he said, and when I caught the pride in his voice, it made the idea of tolerating Soren less bizarre.

“I won't,” I said, my own voice coming out determined. “I'll always serve him just like you taught me to.”

He smiled and stood up, patting me three times on my back before walking to the safe. Three pats meant he was pleased. The tension left my shoulders as I watched him go to one of the safes where important documents were kept.

“That fool Don Pedro claims he paid with real money. You already know everything about his territories and estates.” He handed me documents. “These are financial statements. I want his bloody fingerprints on this before his head is cut off.”

I collected the documents. “Should I question him before he gets killed? As far as I know, he's been paying in real money for the past five years.”

“That's the thing about people, Rex,” he said, throwing a quick glance at Nicholas, who watched us both with an unreadable expression. “Trust is a weapon built patiently before striking with it. Nicholas here was once betrayed, so he'd know exactly what I'm talking about.”

I looked over at Nicholas. The blank expression was still on his face, but his eyes said so much that I didn't have time to figure it out.

“His bloody fingerprint and head are all I ask for,” Don said, and I nodded.

“We'll get it done.”

“Keep an eye on Soren. He's going to go there earlier than he said. I know my son like that.”

I nodded again.

“That's all. You may leave.” I bowed before leaving, only catching the words of him asking Nicholas something about an assignment.

I folded the documents like a scroll as I made my way to my room. Though I was just a bodyguard like the others, a few guards and captains gave me a small, respectful bow as I walked by. I nodded at them in response.

It still felt strange to be shown that kind of respect in this house because the one person who never gave it to me was Soren. Don made us stay in different wings for that reason, and it was the only thing that kept us from killing each other. We had always been at each other's throats. When he was fifteen and I was seventeen, we fought so brutally that the water in the pool behind the mansion turned red with our blood as he tried to drown me.

I shut the door behind me as I entered my room, making sure to lock it before I walked further inside. My room was simple, with dark walls, a king-sized bed, and a large window overlooking the mansion grounds. A black cabinet stood against one wall, filled with bullets of different sizes. Beside my bed was a small table where I kept my watch and lighter.

I breathed out, willing the day's tension to pass away before I took out my gun from my back pocket and stared at it like it was the first time I was looking at it. I still remembered the first time I held this gun.

The initials N.B., my nickname, were engraved on it. Don himself had gifted me the gun after I killed a notorious Don who had terrorized our territory for years. I had felt so proud of myself when Don praised me in front of everyone. That was the moment everyone began respecting me, and the nickname stuck.

I placed the gun and the documents on the table before flopping down on the bed, facing the ceiling. I'd lived under this roof since I was only seven. I could barely remember anything before then. All I remembered was Don giving me a towel in his car and telling me to wipe the blood off my face before we arrived at the mansion.

The frown appeared instantly on my face as I remembered the glare five-year-old Soren gave me when Don introduced me to him and his mother. She, too, didn't like me, even until she took her last breath. I just went with the guess that she thought I was Don's mistress's child.

Soren, on the other hand, hated me because of the attention Don gave me when he trained me. And I equally hated him because of all the tricks and insults he threw at me.

I sat up and began unbuttoning my shirt.

And now that Don wanted me to be his right-hand man, I knew it wouldn't be easy. The few times Soren and I went on missions together, we ended up fighting, almost shooting each other before we even killed our enemies.

I took off my shirt and trousers, leaving my boxers as I headed to the bathroom. I turned on the shower and closed my eyes, standing still and letting the water wash away my thoughts and stress.

I was going to keep my word to Don and serve Soren, no matter how much I wanted to create a hole in his face with my gun. I owed Don that much for taking me in and saving an orphan boy like me.

After I was done washing up, I wrapped a towel around my waist and came out of the bathroom but paused when I saw a box at the farthest corner of my room, just beneath the open windows.

My heart slammed against my ribs because someone had gotten into my room while I was in the shower. I grabbed my gun from the table and checked every corner, the closet, and under the bed before I let myself get near the box.

I walked to the windows and looked outside. The area was quiet and clear, save for a few bodyguards guarding the gates. I picked up the box, looked around its black frame, and noticed a silver eagle crest at the bottom of it. I didn't recognize that symbol. I opened the box to find a dagger and a note. I read it.

"Your father was once a mafia Don's right-hand man. Bring the Don's head as payment for the truth about your family."