(Slight torture scene of a target,lower down the chapter)

The heavy thud of the car door closing echoed in the tense silence. I balled my hands into fists, my breathing shallow and furious.

From the driver seat, Landon didn't push. He just watched me through the shadows, his expression usually guarded now molded into one of deep, empathetic concern. That just made it worse.

"He didn't deny it, did he?" Landon asked softly, his voice a mix of sorrow and quiet anger.

"No," I spat, jaw clenched tight enough to crack. "He practically took credit for it. He even told me he doesn't owe me an explanation for how he raised me."

Landon let out a slow, controlled breath, looking out the window as if trying to process the cruelty of it. "I'm sorry, Eli. I really hoped I was wrong this time. I wanted it to be anyone else but him."

He turned back before I could say anything, placing a grounding, brotherly hand on my shoulder. "But your father... he's always viewed Celine as a distraction. A weakness he could exploit to pull you back into the Guild. He doesn't see her as a person. He just sees her as leverage."

My fists only tightened further until my knuckles turned white. "He thinks he can touch her and get away with it. Well he's going to have a very cruel awakening."

"He thinks he's untouchable," Landon corrected gently, his thumb shifting slightly on my shoulder - a subtle gesture of support. "He's counting on your loyalty to the family name, to your mom to keep you from going against him. But he won't win. We have the killer's face now. We have the network. We don't need his permission to protect her and Elysium."

I nodded, my fury solidifying into something lethal. "Let him think he's won this round. Let the Killer hide thinking father's got his back. We're going to burn his hideout to the ground, and he won't see it coming until it's too late."

"That's my brother. Let's get your head cleared up, mhm? We have a target to handle." Landon replied, starting the car.

"Who?" I asked, for once more than ready to eliminate a piece of shit.

"Viktor Vance, a high-ranking broker who tried to skim funds from the offshore accounts of a mafia heiress. Agnus has him tied up in the soundproofed basement of the abandoned glass-blowing foundry." Landon explained driving at full speed.

I nodded, leaning back against the seat, drumming my fingers quietly as I thought of the best way to eliminate Viktor.

The moment we reached the location, I left the car heading in, calm and composed. Landon followed close behind, his presence an anchor in this god forsaken world.

The heavy steel door groaned open the moment I walked in, letting in the cool night air. Agnus was sitting on an upturned wooden crate, casually tossing an unlit cigarette in the air. In the center of the concrete floor, tied securely to a rusted iron chair, Viktor Vance was gagged, bloody, and shivering.

Perfect. Just what I needed. As much as I hated being the heir to a bloody legacy. I hated scums, thieves, rapists, men who dared to think they were above others because of their status and ranks, men who degraded women, who stole from others. Who stared at others like they were dirt on their polished shoes. I hated them all. And Viktor Vance right here was the perfect opportunity to expel some pent up frustration.

"Oh, look who finally decided to grace me with their presence,"Agnus called out, checking his glowing watch face with a loud sigh. "I've been waiting forever. Seriously, Boss, I finished mapping the guy's encrypted accounts, bypassed his firewall, and secured the perimeter thirty minutes ago. I even transferred all the stolen money back to our heiress. If I stay in this damp basement any longer, my skin is going to break out, and we all know I'm the pretty one of this operation."

I stepped into the harsh glare of the single overhead bulb. The warmth I usually held for Celine was entirely gone. My eyes were dead, cold obsidian in that instant. I didn't even look at Agnus as I pulled a specialized, bone-handled carving knife from my leather sheath.

"You talk too much, Agnus,"I muttered, my voice a low, lethal echo in the basement.

"I talk a lot to fill the void of your brooding, Boss."Agnus shot back, leaning back against the brick wall with a cocky grin."Go ahead. Do your thing. I'll just sit here and be the tech support and emotional anchor."

I didn't waste time. I moved toward Viktor like a shadow. With terrifying precision, I used the tip of the blade to slice thin, uniform ribbons into the broker's forearms. Viktor thrashed against the ropes, screaming muffled agonies into the gag.

I didn't even blink at his reaction. I stared at Landon instead, motioning for him to bring the salt.

He calmly reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a small cloth pouch of coarse rock salt and gave it to me. Viktor's whimper of pain echoing around us.

I took it and poured the salt directly into the open, bleeding wounds.

My own personal touch of torture.

His screams turned high pitched immediately through the gag.

"You thought you could steal from a mafia heiress and get away with it, just like that?" I whispered, my face inches from Viktor's sweating forehead.

Viktor shook his head frantically, tears streaming down his face as the salt burned through his nerves. "I'm s-sorry.. P-Please spare me.."

I stepped back, physical dominance unquestioned, having broken the man completely in under two minutes. Pathetic.

"Spare you? Why would I spare a thief? You stole from God knows how many people, that money wasn't yours. Some of these people worked their ass off for it. So tell me, why should I spare you?"I asked as I slashed his left arm methodically, pressing the salt into the wounds harder until Viktor screamed and pissed himself.

I continued methodically cutting his skin, pressing the blade just enough to cause slow agonising pain before rubbing salt directly on the open bleeding wounds.

By the time I was done with him, Viktor had lost all hope of making it out of here alive. I patted his cheek "It's time for you to give your last breath, Vance. It was nothing personal, just business"

Landon stepped forward from the dark corner of the room in response, his expression a mask of perfect, professional compliance. He looked like my loyal shadow, everyone said he was. My brother. My Second in Command.

"I'll clean up the mess, Eli," Landon said softly.

Before Viktor could even catch his breath, Landon moved with terrifying, fluid speed. His blade flashed in the dim light. A single, perfectly clean slit across Viktor's throat ended the broker's life instantly. No hesitation. No emotion.

Agnus hopped off his crate, dusting off his jeans. "Beautiful. Clean, quick, and I don't have to listen to him whine anymore. Can we go get food now? Torture always makes me starve."

Both me and Landon gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Shocking, I know. Who knew causing a little misery was such a cardiovascular workout? It burns a lot of calories. Let's go before I wither away"Agnus rolled his eyes at us before walking ahead.

"Well, if complaining burned calories, you'd be a size zero by now."Landon snorted.

"Fuck you, I have an amazing body"Agnus scoffed making my lips twitch.

Agnus would never change. And genuinely I didn't want him to. He was a cocky bastard but loyal just like Landon. And I need loyalty now more than ever.