Page 10 of Fragile Twisted Vows
I do it to establish a hierarchy, to maintain law and order within the world I have found.
I do it because a leader like myself has no choice but to be powerful and cutthroat in this game. It’s either kill or be killed in my line of work. And from being Chief of Special Operations in the Marine Corps and being the leader I am now, I’ve killed many people in my thirty-eight years of life. I’ve seen so much blood, so much loss, so much grief. I’ve lived through my own grief. And that’s exactly why I’m in the position I am in today. Because of men like Michael Fairchild and my father. Because not only did my father have an affair and keep the child, but he also sent my mother away to a place filled with nothing but war and famine.
And that’s why I joined the military. That’s why I asked to be deployed to Mexico. Because I found a file much like Lucille’s in my father’s drawer. Except this file belonged to my banished mother. Who not only lives in Mexico, but in the most dangerous part.
I climbed the ranks quickly as a Marine and I had but one mission, to be head of special operations that oversaw illegal criminal activity, drug trafficking and border patrol. You see, my birth mother not only lived in a dangerous place, but she worked for dangerous people.
People like Eduardo Aguilar. The most powerful, dangerous, head leader of the most notorious group in the world, The AG Cartel.
I didn’t expect to meet this man. Hell, my only goal was to infiltrate his group and shut down all operations in hopes of rescuing my mother, but when I met her while on a brief leave, she was happy where she was. She was fed, clothed, with a roof over her head and enough protection to keep her out of harm’s way as long as she did her job and pledged her loyalty, something my father not only failed to do, but refused to do.
So, I not only met Eduardo, I befriended him. I was ashamed of my government and did not agree with the heinous things that were done or handled at the border. And with The AG, I at least understood why they did what they did. They were businessmen, plain and simple. And if anyone got in the way of their business, if anyone threatened their business or the safety of their family, they would take care of it. It was justified. And that’s exactly why I went undercover and started working with them whilst staying in the Marines.
I gave them every bit of warning, every bit of information that I could give in order to let their people cross safely and also get their product by. Did the drugs bother me? No, not really. Did the guns? No, not really. Because as justified as some of their actions were, I’m still a piece of shit. I still thrive on chaos and brutality. It’s exactly why I joined the military in the first place. My rage that I’ve had since childhood needed some place to go.
And now, my rage is amplified. Because just this year, my dear friend Eduardo was brutally murdered in front of his family by the CIA. Something I had absolutely no idea about, because I had left the military nearly three years ago to work for him.
And because we were good friends, because I proved and pledged my loyalty to him, he left his throne to me. He left his business for me to run and with that, he left me all of his mess and all of his bullshit.
Because the CIA doesn’t quit. People like Michael Fairchild do not quit. People like my own father do not quit. They sniff around and stick their noses in places they don’t belong. And right now, I’ve got many noses sniffing in places they don’t need to fucking be.
Which is exactly why I need to be in good graces not only with a trusted, all-American family, but a particularly strong one at that.
I couldn’t stay married to Megan, it was too dangerous because she became a narc herself. And though her father owes me an obscene amount of money and I know all of his secrets, he’s also a danger, because he’s a nosy bastard.
So, now, I have the next best thing, slowly waking from my dark green chaise in my office. I have the outcast of the family, the girl no one wanted that still bears the blood of a trusted, all-American family. One with many secrets that would tarnish their reputation.
One that I can marry and maintain a very clean, rich image with to keep the feds out of my ass and her father humbled.
I have found the greatest merger of all.
“Good evening, Lucille,” I say as she rises from the chaise and looks around in confusion, her eyes widening in horror when she finally spots me.
five
Lucy
When I awake in a large, dark penthouse, I must admit that I’m not only confused.
I’m mortally petrified.
“Hello, Lucille,” his voice says from the far side of the room.
His eyes are pinned on me in the dark, only the lights of the city beneath us illuminating his face.
But I don’t need to see his face to know who he is.
I’ve memorized his voice for years on end. I’ve heard it in both my dreams and nightmares.
And now, I hear it, taunting me as I blink away the haze and migraine that overwhelm my mind.
The last thing I remember is leaving my work and being abducted by some strange man in sunglasses. I don’t remember where we went, how we got here, hell, I don’t even remember what he used to knock me out.
I lift my hand and feel around my temple where the soreness pulses. A tender, swollen lump rests on the side of my head and I do my best not to panic.
I’ve survived Damien Reed once, I can do it again.
“Why am I here, Damien?” I whisper, trying my best to sound bored or at the very least annoyed.
