All Chapters of A Reckoning in Blood: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

1

My phone rang, breaking the silence.Jenny answered, her voice softening a little."Vivian? I'm on my way. You know I wouldn't miss your birthday party."I found that bitterly ironic.Jenny caught my expression and gave me a resigned look."Come on, stop putting on an act with those papers. If you actually wanted a divorce, you wouldn't have let me talk you out of it every other time."Know your place, Sherry. You're still the Donna of the Romano Family."I said nothing, my mind drifting back to a high-risk arms shipment years ago.I'd been ambushed en route. Bullets grazed my skin, and gunmen closed in from every direction.I was pinned behind a crumbling wall, certain I was going to die.Louis had broken through the crossfire with a rifle in hand, and Jenny followed him into the gunfire. Both were drenched in blood when they dragged me, badly wounded, out from among the dead.Clutching my bleeding wounds, I swore to them both that I would spend the rest of my life protecting them.Bu

2

My heart sank like a stone.This casino was something Louis and I had built together, and he'd just handed it over to Vivian like it was nothing.I headed for the VIP room, but the guards at the door blocked my way and shoved me back."Unauthorized personnel. No entry.""Are you blind? Do you have any idea who I am?"I clenched my fists, squared my shoulders, and forced my way through.The guards couldn't stop me. I shouldered past them and carved a path forward.I stormed down the corridor and burst into the brightly lit banquet hall.The room was packed with guests, buzzing with celebration.The people who had once fought alongside us, the bosses from allied gangs, were all smiling and raising their glasses to the two of them.Out of the corner of his eye, Louis spotted me barging in.He went rigid, then pushed through the crowd toward me."What are you doing here?"I heard the irritation in his voice, my chest heaving with each breath as I stared at him in disappointment."Funny, I

3

Back at the underground training compound when we were young, everyone called me a traitor's daughter. They tripped me up at every turn on the training grounds.Louis would shove his gun into the face of anyone who talked about me that way and stand up for me.Jenny was the one who pulled me out of the windowless punishment cell and treated my wounds.When Louis married me, he held his gun aloft and swore he would protect me for the rest of his life, that he'd never let anyone hurt me.Jenny was my maid of honor. She cried through the entire ceremony."The three of us have to trust one another. Nothing can ever come between us."Louis and I had hidden beneath corpses to survive a hit, then built the underground casino together, piece by piece.But everything changed the day Jenny brought Vivian into Louis's life.The truth had dawned on me too late. I looked at Vivian, clinging to Louis with a practiced air of helplessness.My expression turned solemn, and I spoke again with full gravi

4

Louis was quiet for a moment, then murmured to Vivian."Easy, sweetheart. I'll stay by your side and give you all the love you want, but Sherry keeps the title."He seemed to be talking to himself, his voice barely above a whisper."Don't start throwing little tantrums like Sherry. You're not her."Vivian's cheeks flushed red, and she turned away without another word.Louis's expression was pure disdain. He still thought my divorce was nothing but a childish tantrum.I had anticipated this.I pulled out the Romano Family's transfer documents."You've always wanted my shares in the Family, haven't you? Sign the divorce papers, and they're all yours."Since you all say I'm a traitor's daughter, this should be penance enough to satisfy every last one of you."Jenny rushed over and grabbed my arm, her face panicked."Have you lost your mind? You and Louis risked your lives to build the Romano Family."Walk away from the Romano Family and you'll have nothing."I avoided her gaze and looked

5

After landing, I turned on my phone, and messages flooded in.Jenny's texts came first."Everything's fallen apart since you left, Sherry. You helped build this Family too.""I shouldn't have brought Vivian to Louis. Can you please come back to us?""Sherry, I'm sorry. We all miss you."I didn't reply.Louis was still sending messages, one after another."You're actually serious?""My men saw you get into George's car. His people are our sworn enemies.""Come back and I'll let everything slide."Then just the same message, over and over."Where are you? I'll come get you."I pulled the SIM card out of my phone.Walking out of the terminal, I expected one of George's men to meet me.Instead, George was standing by the car himself.He handed me a brand-new handgun."Keep this for protection."Things are dangerous around here. I can't always be with you, and I worry about you getting hurt."I smiled and gave a soft laugh."You've got the entire operation to run, and somehow you still find

6

I finished unpacking and collapsed into a deep sleep.It was the most peaceful day I'd had since leaving Louis and Jenny.The next morning, I came downstairs to find the guard on duty waiting for me, respectful and attentive."Ms. Bennett, there's a private shooting range in the backyard."Mr. Moretti arranged for it to be open to you around the clock. You're welcome to practice anytime."A bittersweet ache rose in my chest.I'd only met George a handful of times, and yet he could sense the fear I carried inside and thought of everything I might need.Yet Louis had been by my side since childhood, and after we married, I had shown him my fear countless times. He had never once considered how I might protect myself.The guard waited a moment before speaking."Whenever you're ready, I can show you the way. The gear's already set up."I pushed down the sadness and nodded.After the range, I turned on the TV in the living room. Every channel was covering the territory war between George's

7

I went back to Louis's territory.Louis sat perfectly still on the couch, spinning a handgun between his fingers.He'd been waiting for me.I took an involuntary step back."I'm here. Where's George?"He smirked and fired a shot out the window.The blast was deafening."Disappointed that it's not George?"It's been so long since we've seen each other, and you don't have a single thing to say to me?"He rose and advanced on me, step by step, towering over me."Come back to me."I lifted my chin and looked him straight in the eye."We're divorced."He grabbed my wrist so hard I thought the bones would snap."I never agreed to it. I only signed because I was angry."My face went cold, and I wrenched against his grip."Let go of me!"He let out a low laugh and pulled me into his arms."I've already sent Vivian away. She won't be part of our lives anymore."After you left that day, I didn't give her the casino. You were right. We built it together."Louis lowered his head, his eyes tender,

8

Louis stared at me. "I don't believe you'd actually kill me.""Don't tell me you still think I have feelings for you."I crouched down slowly in front of him and drew my gun.Under his disbelieving gaze, I struck him hard with the butt of the gun, knocking him unconscious.I turned around, and there was Jenny, standing in the hallway. I had no idea how long she'd been there.She stared at me in horror, then raised her gun at me.I stood right in the line of fire and walked toward her, step by step.A tall figure stepped in front of me.George stood there in prison clothes, his face pale but his presence as commanding as ever.Jenny gaped at him in shock."Weren't you badly wounded and locked in the basement cell?"While she was frozen in shock, George snatched the gun from her hands and gave her a cold smile."Your Family hasn't been what it used to be for a long time. Buying off your people was easy."Besides, getting locked in your basement cell was part of the plan Sherry and I made

9

Bone-deep regret churned in Jenny's eyes.George let out a quiet scoff."You threw away that friendship a long time ago. I didn't need to do a thing."I stepped forward until I was right in front of Jenny.I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face."That's for everything we once were."You saved my life once, so I'm letting you walk away this time. Never show your face to me again."Jenny's eyes went red, tears pooling but not falling."Sherry, let me explain...""I don't want to hear it."I turned my back on her, cutting her off."Jenny, back at the compound, when the leader's adopted son tried to rape you, I stepped in and killed him myself."I brought you home. My father treated you like his own daughter. And you drove him to his death."I never wanted to throw this in your face, but don't talk to me about friendship. It makes me sick."Jenny's shoulders slumped, trembling. Her voice was thick with tears."I remember."I stood tall and didn't look at her again."Then the

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP