I urged Eliza to find a safe place and hide, but she seemed to have a mind of her own, disobeying my orders. I made a mental note to talk to her later about the importance of self-preservation. Nonetheless, I was grateful for her presence and expertise in helping Archer.
As I looked outside the cabin, chaos reigned supreme. The grounds were a literal war zone, with Mamante’s men locked in a fierce battle with the Donovans' team. My eyes quickly found the bastard, ruthlessly taking down one of Archer's men as he pushed forward with unwavering determination, intent on reaching the cabin.
The audacity of that man! Did he really think Archer would simply let him get away? Even with a bullet hole in his chest, I knew Archer well enough to be certain that he would rise and fight back. Victor, too, would defend his son with everything he had, and Chad was equally prepared to give his life protecting Archer, knowing that failure to do so would mean his own demise and that of his family. I hoped Sam was safe and sound; I had grown fond of him and wished for his well-being.
Rolling my shoulders to ease the tension, I tightened my grip on my knife and brought out my gun. One in each hand, I charged forward, shooting, stabbing, and slashing my way through Mamante 'The Shark' Mattiace’s men, determined to reach him. When he finally saw me, there was a moment of shock in his eyes before he froze, and I grinned. This was going to be a battle worth fighting.
'Now a worthy opponent,' I thought, relishing the chance to take him down. This bastard was using my supposed death as an opportunity to come after my sister, and I couldn't let that stand. He hadn't learned his lesson when I returned his fucking brother to him in pieces. 'Nobody, fucking mess with my sister!'
Mamante reached for his gun, but I threw my knife with precision, hitting his hand and causing him to drop the weapon. I wanted to savor this victory, not end him too quickly. He cried out in pain and as one of his men tried to take me down, he met his death from a deadly shot from my gun.
With a war cry, I lunged at Mamante, landing a powerful blow to his face. He staggered back but came charging at me. Swiftly drawing another knife from my thigh strap, I thrust it into his side, evading his attack and then sinking the blade into the back of his neck. He turned to face me, blood oozing from his mouth, his breathing labored.
"You bastard!" he rasped, his voice barely audible. "You were supposed to be dead!"
"Yeah, I was," I replied, fueled by rage, and rushed at him again. A gunshot sounded from behind me, and I instinctively turned, only to see Eliza a few meters away with a smoking gun. She had saved me from a potential bullet to the back, but I had little time to dwell on it.
Returning my focus to Mamante, who was now on his knees, I grabbed a fistful of his hair, tilting his face up to expose his neck. With a swift motion, I slit his throat, watching him fall lifeless to the floor. Eliza stood there, her fear evident, and for the first time, I allowed her to see the true extent of my savagery.
Unfazed, she held her ground, her determination impressing me. Bloodied and shirtless, I could only imagine how intimidating I must appear.
"This is the point when you run, Dr.," I taunted, expecting her to flee.
"This is why you didn't want to commit to me?" she questioned, her jaw set with determination.
"Astute. I'm Archer's enforcer," I responded truthfully.
"So when you said you could be a gangbanger, you were warning me," she said with a sigh. "Do you kill innocent people?"
"Define innocent," I taunted, enjoying her inquisitiveness.
"Okay," she said, her eyes glistening with intensity. "If you happen upon a scene where Archer is taking advantage of a girl, would you walk away… look the other way?"
"First, Archer would not do that, women tend to like him - a lot," I asserted firmly, "and second, if for some insane reason, he decided to, he would make sure I wasn't anywhere near…"
"Why?" she pressed, her gaze unwavering.
"Because he knows that I will kill him," I said, my voice cold and determined. Eliza's eyes widened, and she let out a shaky sigh, trying to comprehend the weight of my words.
"I did watch my mother die, though," I continued, my gaze never leaving hers. "She was a terrible mother, the worst kind. After my father, a marine took his own life, she lost her mind. He had taught me most of my survival skills before he passed. I was older than Adele, so I saw far more than she did. After my father was buried, she spiraled into a cycle of drinking and drugs, attracting the worst kind of men in her desperate search for an easy fix. There was nothing she wouldn't do for that next high." I noticed tears welling up in Eliza's eyes as she listened to my painful recollections.
"She once took money from a man so he could have his way with me, but I was my father's son and a survivor. I got away, but Adele was an easy target; she was just a baby," I said, my voice tinged with bitterness and sorrow.
"Oh, God," Eliza cried, her hand covering her mouth as she wept for the pain I had endured and the trauma Adele had suffered in her early years.
"I couldn't let her ruin her. She's my baby sister, and my father would have wanted me to take care of her, so I did. I saved my sister," I said, my voice carrying a mix of determination and love. "But I refused to go down the rabbit hole with our mother. Sometime in December, about ten years ago, I wandered up to our childhood home. My sister and I had been living on the streets for about two years then. Sometimes I just go through the woods and visit my father's grave, letting the cowardly fucker know that we were doing great! That day, I was reporting back to him; Adele had a fever the previous night, and that night, I was scared shitless that I was going to lose her. So that day, I was particularly… how should I put it? Merciless."
"I heard the raucous coming from the house, the familiar noise of a woman getting beaten, you know, the usual. So I stayed in the woods right by the grave and watched as the cries continued and a fire started. I watched it unfold, watched the house burn, the noise stopped, and then I left. After that, I met Archer. He offered me a job, and I accepted. Then I went to claim her body - what was left of it, buried her, and claimed back my father's house. I will rain hell on anyone who dares to try to hurt my sister. This," I said, gesturing to Mamante's lifeless body, "was part of the reason I tried to stay dead. People like him, wanting to hurt my sister because of me. But life is funny, isn't it? She fell in love with Archer. It's the craziest thing."
"You don't want a life with me, Eliza. It would be quite volatile. This is the part where you walk away…" I trailed off, my emotions mixed as I tried to push her away, to protect her from the chaos that surrounded me and the trauma I refused to let heal.