Ruthless King

Alejandro.

Sao Paulo, Brazil. One year and three months ago.

“No. Please, God… no.”

The devastation of my brother’s home rises into view as I tear down the driveway on my motorcycle.

Fire still burns the right side of the house, while the majority of the rest is charred.

Thick black smoke surrounds the area in a blanket of doom and billows into the sky, almost blocking out the morning sun.

Scattered across the lawn are the bullet-riddled bodies of the guards.

There are bodies leading right up to the entrance of Eduardo’s house.

This is a massacre.

Did Eduardo, Priscilla, and the baby get out?

Panic assails me when I think of Mia. She was the first person I thought of when I got this hellish news. She’s only two weeks old.

Sirens wail in the distance as I jump off my motorcycle and race across the driveway, smoke enveloping me as I bound toward the side entrance. The only section of the house that looks like I might be able to get through.

Heaviness settles in the pit of my stomach when I’m greeted by more dead bodies at the doorstep.

Eduardo’s house is supposed to be as impossible to get into as mine, but the fucking gates were wide open.

Our guards are highly trained to fight, kill, and protect, but these men look like they never even got the chance to defend themselves.

How the fuck could this have happened?

As soon as the question processes in my mind, I recall the ill-fated phone call from Cristiano that sent me here, and the answer comes to me.

Inside job.

It has to be.

Cristiano is my second-in-command, but because of his job in our family business, he was working here with Eduardo last night. That was why he stayed over.

Only somebody close to us would have known that.

Cristiano is here somewhere. Injured. Maybe dead. He could barely talk to tell me the house had been attacked.

I move down the hallway and head to the library. To where the safe room is. Eduardo would have taken his family there at the first sign of trouble.

I pray they made it.

When I reach the library entrance, everything dies inside me when I see Eduardo lying on the floor ahead of me.

Jesus, no. This can’t be happening. It can’t be.

Fuck! No!

I rush up to him and drop to his side, getting ready to home in on my medical training, but before I even touch him, I know there’s nothing left to save.

His body is covered in blood and bullet holes from head to toe. I can barely distinguish his face from the gory mess.

Pain twists my insides and fractures my brain as the truth sinks in.

He’s dead.

My brother is dead.

Death has taken him from me, and for all the power I have in this world, there’s not a fucking thing I can do to bring him back.

Once again, my years of medical training count for shit.

When I lift my head, my gaze settles on Priscilla lying by the safe room door, and more grief fills my soul.

I move over to her and stop in my tracks the moment I take in her burned face and body. There is nothing left to save of her either, nothing recognizable of her beauty.

She’s dead.

A massive burn patch mars the wall behind her, as if someone blasted her and the wall with a dose of fire.

Is that what happened?

Fuck…

She was my brother’s wife but my…

Whatever she was to me died long ago, but I never wanted this for her.

Never. Allowing her to be with Eduardo was supposed to be the right thing.

A faint cry catches my attention, causing me to look away from her. The sound comes again seconds later. It’s… the soft whimper of a baby.

Mia!

Adrenaline moves me the moment I realize the sound is coming from inside the safe room. Frantically, I type in the passcode on the panel and yank the door open, nearly pulling it off its hinges.

Relief washes over me when I see Mia on the floor wrapped in the light pink blanket I gave her.

I pick her up and hold her to my heart. The contact awakens the part of me that was once human, and for a few brief moments, I’m not the monster many fears.

In those moments, I’m not the ruthless Cartel King I had to become to rule the Ramírez Empire. Instead, I’m the Alejandro Ramírez I once was.

I allow my soul to savor the joy of knowing this pure being of light survived this vicious attack meant to harm her as much as it did her parents.

The feeling, however, dissipates the moment I step out of the room and look at her mother.

That’s when the monster returns.

I imagine Priscilla must have put Mia in the safe room and attempted to help Eduardo. My gut is also telling me all of this could only have happened because of what Eduardo and I did.

I can feel it in my bones. This happened because of the contract we signed for the fucking oil company. That is one contract no one is supposed to know about.

Clearly, they do.

I knew we were playing with fire and dancing with devils when we signed. I just never imagined something like this could happen.

If I’m right—and I suspect I am—the enemy will come for me next.

As Mia starts crying, I hold her closer.

She is mine now.

I will take care of her from now onwards, and this massacre will not go unpunished. Nor will I wait for my enemy to come and kill me.

Or her.

Blood will rain from the sky in all corners of the earth as I exact my revenge on whoever did this.

I vow it on my soul.

Alejandro.

Present day.

The radiant sun sparkles against the surface of the turquoise sea like a million diamonds have been splashed over it.

The view against the rock formations is one of the beautiful sights of Camburi Beach I’ll admit I miss.

I can’t remember the last time I came here, or any beach for that matter.

My presence today is business related. Nothing remotely close to the past times I spent here with friends and family.

Friends and family who are no more.

My pace quickens when I spot Eric Markov standing on the veranda of the beach house he’s rented for the duration of his stay.

He got married to his girl two days ago. They eloped.

He was scheduled to do some work for me in a few days, but I had a feeling he was going to use the excuse to take his girl for a getaway and marry her in the exotic paradise Brazil could offer.

Eric is several years younger than me, but we’re a lot alike.

I knew what he was going to do long before he even had the idea. Eloping is the kind of thing I would have done in another life.

Eric’s wife, Summer, is out on the beach by the rock pools collecting seashells. He’s watching her with that devoted look of love you know will last a lifetime.

I’d be envious of him if love hadn’t been so cruel to me.

I am extremely happy for him, though. He’s one of the guys love was kinder to. Or maybe that was fate. If so, it would explain what happened to me.

Eric has been helping me track down the people responsible for Eduardo’s death.

He called me here because he had found something.

Although we’ve seemed to come to a dead end over the last few months, it’s only through his help and my newly acquired membership with the Syndicate in L.A. that I managed to get anywhere in my pursuit for vengeance.

Cristiano survived the massacre and was able to tell me Micah Santa Maria from the Camorra was the man who killed Eduardo and instigated the attack on his home.

With Eric’s assistance, I was able to bring Micah down, but we discovered the source of my problem stemmed from a bigger threat. A man people are calling El Diablo, whose goal is to take everything from me.

Everything, including my life, those I love, and the Ramírez Empire.

The fucked-up thing about it is, I don’t have a damn clue who El Diablo is. And nobody we’ve spoken to has conveniently seen his fucking face.

Nobody.

His name was dropped several months ago. In that time, this bastard has known how to hide and play me, using my own people against me.

I already knew the massacre at Eduardo’s home was an inside job, but since learning about this El Diablo, the problem has worsened, and I’m a fucking mess.

This has been the only time in my life when I’ve had to keep those I trust close, and my eyes glued to potential enemies. From the dirty politicians Eduardo and I bargained with to get the biggest business venture of our lives, to the men I work with in my cartel who should be as close to me as brothers.

When I reach the veranda steps, Eric looks at me and smiles.

Like most days, I smile back with the same mask of cool and composed, so I look like the last year and three months haven’t taken its toll on me.

“Don Alejandro,” he says warmly, sitting in one of the chairs behind the wicker table. Once he motions for me to sit, I do so opposite him as he steals another glance at his wife.

“Hey, how’s married life?” I glance at Summer on the beach, too.

“Perfect. I can’t believe that woman out there is my wife.” His smile widens.

When he returns his focus to me, he places an envelope on the table, instantly piquing my interest. I rivet my gaze to it wanting to rip it open, but I control myself.

“Love is a blessing few have. Savor it,” I tell him.

He gives me a thoughtful stare then nods with appreciation.

I look back at the envelope. He does, too, the mood suddenly shifting. “I don’t think you’re going to like what I got for you.”

My heart dips at the declaration, but I watch eagerly as he opens the

envelope and pulls out a little plastic bag containing a ring.

Everything inside me freezes when I get a good look at the ring and take in the platinum band with the insignia engraved in the center. It’s my family’s insignia of a griffin in front of the fleur de lis.

The ring is the same as the one I’m wearing. It was given to me by my grandfather on the day he handed me the cartel.

“Where did you find that?”

“I thought you would recognize it.” Eric glances at my ring.

“That’s a ring worn by the men in my family. It bears our insignia. Apart from me, all the men in my family are dead. I’m supposed to be the only one left with a ring like that.”

“I found it among Robert’s things that were sent over from Monaco. I remembered seeing yours. People I’ve spoken to said our El Diablo was wearing a ring like this. They never see his face, but they’ve seen his hand with this ring on it. I don’t know why Robert had it.”

Fucking hell. What does this mean?

Robert was Eric’s ex-best friend, and another asshole who was working for Micah. He was the tech prick who hacked the security system at Eduardo’s house. The motherfucker met his end the same night Micah did but was also one of El Diablo’s middlemen.

As I try to process the bomb Eric just dropped on me, I remember the warning I was given that El Diablo knew things and still knows things.

That warning stayed with me because it felt personal. Like it was someone I fucking knew. I would know someone who was wearing a family ring because that would make them family.

“This just gets stranger by the minute. You’re telling me we’re dealing with a ghost?” I raise my brows.

“Yes, or someone who wants you to believe that.”

I clench my hand into a tight fist. This situation is the first thing I’ve ever come across that I haven’t managed to deal with or resolve. My fucking head is a minefield of exploding thoughts and fears colliding in a cacophony of turmoil. I’m not sure which is worse: thinking of El Diablo as an outside enemy or as a relative who has come back from the dead.

And what about this new ring? Who the fuck was that for?

“I don’t know where to begin tracking a ghost.” I sigh with frustration.

“That’s why I’m going to keep looking,” Eric promises. Gratitude along with relief fills me.

“Gracias, amigo.” I tend to speak Spanish with him in moments of gratefulness.

“De nada.” He clasps his hands together and regards me with keen eyes. “I’m going to start by investigating your family. Can you think of anyone it could be?”

I shake my head. “No.”

Even if I could think of anyone, the way my family members died left little room for survival. With the exception of my grandfather, who died of natural causes, everyone else died a gruesome death. My father and eldest uncle died with my mother in a gas explosion at one of the company plants, then my four remaining uncles were killed in a car crash. On top of that, their bodies were all cremated. I was at their funerals.

“If you can think of anything, let me know. Anything at all will be helpful. Here, you should keep this.” He hands me the bag with the ring. “What’s your take on it?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense. But it’s going to mean something to someone.” It will, or it wouldn’t exist.

“Maybe it’s for your traitor,” Eric suggests.

“Maybe.” No matter what this ring means, it’s a lead, and something I shouldn’t know about. The strongest thing it does is give me something to connect El Diablo. “I really appreciate your help with this, Eric. I don’t know anybody else with your expertise.”

These people have been fighting with technology. That’s where Eric comes in because he’s an above-board genius.

“Well, I’ll do everything I can. Massimo has assigned me here to help for as long as I need to. He’s also made arrangements for his brothers to join me, if and when you need them.”

“I’ll call Massimo later to thank him.”

I’ve known Massimo D’Agostino and his brothers for a lifetime. When he became the leader of the Syndicate, I was one of the first people he asked to join him, but I declined.

I joined after Eduardo’s death because I knew being part of the Syndicate was my only chance in hell of resolving this problem. It was clear I needed outside help if my own had turned on me. It was also a wise move. Right now, it’s men from the Syndicate who guard me and my home and work with Cristiano.

“Who were these people you spoke to about El Diablo?” I ask.

“The same cartel guys from Santana who worked with Micah. I went to see them yesterday. I remembered one of them mentioning a ring a few months back. The last of Robert’s things arrived last week. When I saw the ring, I had a hunch. Turns out I was right.”

“You fucking were. We should keep an eye on Santana.” The name keeps popping up. “I’m going to place a man there to make sure we don’t miss anything.”

“Yes, and we’ll continue to keep our investigation under wraps.”

“Definitely.” I look back out to the beach at Summer when he does. “Don’t let me disturb your plans, amigo.”

“You won’t. She understands, and she likes being here. It gives her a break when she’s not working or studying.” He chuckles. “How is Mia?”

My pulse picks up at the mention of Mia. “She’s okay. Getting big. I’m currently looking for a new nanny for her.” That’s the other problem I need to address.

Eric bites the inside of his lip because he knows the setup I have at my home. Everyone there are people I’ve known for years. It’s going to be difficult to have someone new there. A new woman I’ll have to trust with Mia.

“It’ll work out.”

“I hope so. Hope this works out, too.” I glance at the ring.

“We’ll just have to put our heads together and take it one step at a time. Things have gone quiet, and nothing has happened since Micah’s death, but until it’s resolved, you still have to watch your back. I’m sure with the assets you have, he’ll undoubtedly find someone else willing to help him.”

Oh, I know that. That worry is what has been on my mind.

“He still wants what you have,” Eric adds, and I nod.

Nodding is all I can do for the moment because I’m still in the dark.

I don’t fucking know what El Diablo will be planning for me next, but I know he’s planning because while I live and breathe, I still stand in the way of what he wants.

I’m not scared of death. When I die, I’ll greet death like an old friend. I just can’t die yet because I have a child who needs me alive.

If I die, she’s dead, too.

I can’t let that happen.