Consumed By temptation Of Chaos

Chapter; ten

— Alessio Falcone

I watched the massive stained glass figures lose their glow as daylight gave way to night. Not even the wisest of deities could have predicted that one day a Falcone man would step into a church without bursting into flames or having the ceiling split open and collapse over his head.

I sat in the middle row in front of the choir. Massimo was positioned at the far end of the pew on the opposite side. He had already finished his work in the inner wing of the church thin streaks of blood painting his shirt confirmed that. Both of us were here for the same reason: to observe the movements of our next victim. Nevio had stayed in the truck with Aurora. His presence would've been a louder warning to the so-called saints inside.

Massimo exhaled through his nose, bored.

Finally, Carlotta's harp softened, the last chords drifting into something delicate before the choir fell silent. The small crowd rose and greeted one another. The Lord's Prayer began.

The only other time I'd ever been inside a church was when I was a child. My mother had dragged Massimo and me to watch Carlotta sing in the choir for the first time. We'd been furious and refused to speak to Carlotta or Aurora for weeks. Well — at least I had — I'm almost certain my brother had been far more fascinated by little Lotta than upset. He'd never admit that.

Massimo gave a subtle nod when the man in the gray suit hurried his wife and daughter out of the church. I nodded back. We stepped outside, Carlotta following us. Nevio's truck was parked behind a small tower beside the building.

I leaned against the window and knocked twice.

Nevio jumped out. A few minutes later, Aurora stepped out too. She glanced between Massimo and me and offered a shy smile before walking toward her friend.

"He knows. He's heading home," I told Nevio.

A dark glint lit his smile, that unsettling spark that made the shared madness in his bloodline impossible to miss.

"What are you going to do?" Carlotta asked, her curious eyes narrowing.

"Nighttime games," my brother answered, spinning his knife in his hand.

The girl wrinkled her nose, recognizing what that meant. Her shoulders tensed, and she took a step back. Aurora and Carlotta knew how things worked. They just didn't know the scale of it.

Aurora huffed and crossed her arms. My cousin walked toward her and leaned down to whisper something.

Massimo shot me an amused look while Carlotta searched for anything to focus on that wasn't Nevio and Aurora. The little Bazzoli didn't even try to hide her dislike for my cousin. Carlotta was fiercely protective when it came to Aurora, especially when my unhinged cousin tried to toy with her feelings.

The girls lived in their own bubble. We rarely crossed paths or exchanged more than a few words, even though we were family. That had been Fabiano's and our parents' rule. But rules like that never lasted. Not when my brother had a borderline obsession with the Bazzoli girl. And Nevio, well, he was Nevio. Who knew what he felt for the Scuderi girl.

As for me, I had no issue with Carlotta. And I valued Aurora's friendship.

"Alessio, give me your car keys," Nevio said, holding out his hand. I pulled them from my pocket and tossed them to him. He caught them midair.

"Go home with Carlotta," he told Aurora, handing her the keys. She grabbed them with a scowl. Before she could turn away, Nevio gripped her arm and growled low enough for all of us to hear.