My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 4

Raphael

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I leaned against the cold brick wall of the mansion, my arms crossed, watching the show. Our soldiers were busy dragging in the trash, fifty men, all bound at the wrists, their faces covered in bruises and tears. They were lined up like cattle ready for the slaughter.

This was the Hunt for the night, and the air already smelled like sweat and fear.

Adriano walked in behind them, looking entirely too casual. He had his hands shoved deep in his pockets, his expensive coat fluttering as he moved.

"The cells downstairs were getting a bit crowded," he said, his voice light, almost bored. "So I brought you fifty of the worst. Traitors, rats, and the kind of scum that touches people who can’t fight back. They’re all yours. Do whatever you want with them."

I didn't say a word. I just watched, my mind already calculating the thrill of the hunt.

Luca walked over and crouched down in front of one man who was shaking so hard his teeth were chattering. The second the man’s eyes met Luca’s, a dark, wet stain spread across his trousers. He literally pissed himself just from a look.

That made Luca smile. It wasn’t a normal smile, it was the kind of jagged, hateful expression that made your skin crawl. He looked more alive in this basement than he ever did at a family dinner.

"Is that the one?" I asked, my voice flat.

Luca didn't look back at me. He just kept staring at the man, his eyes dark and empty. "Yeah," he whispered, "This is the piece of trash who... did those things to his own son."

Just then, the heavy metal door groaned open. Dante walked in, looking annoyed as he tried to peel some girl off his arm. She was clinging to his sleeve like her life depended on it, but he just shoved her back toward the hall telling her something sweet to hold her off. He straightened his collar and strolled over to us, looking at the row of trembling men.

"What did I miss?" Dante asked, checking his watch. "The party started without me?"

I looked at the fifty men, then at my brothers. The night was young, and I had fifty different ways to make sure these men regretted ever being born.

"Just getting ready to play," I said.

I reached for the weapon resting on the table. It wasn't something you could just buy, I had spent months in my lab building it, piece by piece. It was an electronic bow, sleek and matte black, looking more like a piece of high-tech surgical equipment than a weapon. It was light as a feather but strong enough to put a hole through a brick wall.

I picked up one of the arrows. I had designed these myself, too. They weren't just sharp sticks, they were smart.

The tips were made of a special metal that didn't just pierce skin, the moment they hit a target, they sent a massive electrical surge straight to the heart.

I’d programmed them to track heat, so once I locked on, there was no running away. If I fired, the arrow did the thinking for me. It didn't matter how fast these men ran or where they tried to hide in the dark. My arrows would find them, and the last thing they’d feel was a thousand volts of my own personal brand of justice.

"Take them to the back," I ordered.

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