HOUSE OF BROKEN VOWS

BLOOD AND BONE

The gun in Lucia's hand did not shake.

Dimitri had always admired that about his sister. She had steady hands. Even as a child, when she'd broken her arm falling from a tree, she hadn't cried. She'd just looked at the bone jutting through her skin and said, "Fix it."

Now she was pointing a gun at his chest, and her hands were just as steady.

"You're not going to shoot me," Dimitri said.

"No?"

"No. Because if you were going to kill me, you would have done it already. You wouldn't be standing here, talking. You'd have pulled the trigger the moment I walked through the door."

Lucia tilted her head. "Maybe I wanted to see your face when you realized the truth."

"What truth?"

"That you were never meant to be the heir. That you were never meant to lead. That everything you've been given was a mistake."

Dimitri took a step forward. Lucia's finger tightened on the trigger.

"Stop," she said.

"Or what? You'll shoot me? You just said you wanted to see my face. So see it. Look at me, Lucia. Look at your brother."

She looked. Her eyes were cold, but beneath the cold, there was something else. Pain. Grief. A wound that had never healed.

"You were always the favorite," Lucia said. "Father loved you. Mother loved you. Everyone loved you. And I was just... there. The forgotten one. The one nobody wanted."

"That's not true."

"It is true. You know it is. You got everything. The training. The respect. The name. And what did I get? A dead mother and a father who couldn't look at me without seeing her face."

Dimitri felt the words hit him like blows. He had never known. He had never seen. He had been so wrapped up in his own pain, his own struggle, that he had never noticed his sister's.

"Lucia," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't change anything." Her voice cracked. "Sorry doesn't bring back the years I lost. Sorry doesn't make me the heir."

"You don't want to be the heir. You want to be seen. You want to be loved."

"I want what's mine!"

The gun went off.

The bullet tore through the wall beside Dimitri's head. He felt the heat of it, the wind of it. He didn't move.

Lucia was crying. Tears streamed down her face, but her hand was still steady.

"I missed," she whispered.

"No," Dimitri said. "You didn't. You hit exactly where you aimed."

He took another step forward.

"Lucia, put the gun down."

"Stay back!"

"Put it down. We can talk. We can fix this."

"It's too late to fix this! I've done things. Terrible things. I've betrayed you. I've betrayed the family. I've made deals with people who want to destroy us."

"I know."

"You know?"

"I know everything. The Coalition. The deal. The plan to kill me. I know."

Lucia's face crumpled. "Then why are you still standing there? Why aren't you killing me?"

Dimitri stepped closer. He reached out and gently pushed the gun aside. Lucia didn't resist.

"Because you're my sister," he said. "And I made a vow to protect you. A long time ago. When we were children. Do you remember?"

Lucia's eyes widened. "You... you remember that?"

"I remember everything. The day you fell from the tree. The day Mother died. The day you told me you wanted to run away and never come back. I remember all of it."

He took the gun from her hand. She didn't fight him.

"I failed you," Dimitri said. "I was so busy trying to be the perfect son that I forgot to be a brother. I didn't see you. I didn't protect you. And I'm sorry."

Lucia stared at him. The tears were still falling, but something in her face had changed. The hardness was cracking.

"He's dead," she whispered. "Father. He's dead."

"I know."

"They killed him. They made me watch."

Dimitri felt his heart stop. "What?"

"They made me watch. Camilla and Stefano. They took him to the old cannery. They tortured him. They wanted information about the Vickerys. About the deal he made. And when he wouldn't talk..." She choked on the words. "They cut his throat."

Dimitri closed his eyes. He saw his father. The man who had lied to him. The man who had made mistakes. The man who had died alone, in pain, at the hands of his enemies.

"I'm going to kill them," Dimitri said. "All of them."

"You can't. They're too powerful."

"I don't care."

"You'll die."

"Then I'll die. But I'll take them with me."

Lucia looked at him. For the first time, there was something like respect in her eyes.

"You really mean that," she said.

"I've never meant anything more."

Lucia was silent for a long moment. Then she nodded.

"Okay," she said. "I'll help you."

---

They sat in the ruined living room, surrounded by broken furniture and bloodstained walls.

Lucia told him everything. About the Coalition. About Camilla. About the deal she had made five years ago when she was desperate and alone. She had been promised power, respect, a place at the table. But she had been used. She had been a pawn, just like Dimitri. And now she wanted revenge.

"The Coalition is meeting tomorrow night," Lucia said. "At the old cannery. They're going to finalize the plan to kill you and blame the Vickerys."

"I know. I was there."

Lucia's eyes widened. "You were there?"

"I heard everything. I heard them say they were going to kill me. I heard them say they were going to kill you too."

Lucia's face went pale. "What?"

"They don't need you anymore. Once I'm dead, you're a loose end. They're going to kill us both."

Lucia was silent for a long moment. Then she laughed. It was a bitter, broken sound.

"I was so stupid," she said. "I thought I was playing them. I thought I was in control. But I was just another piece on their board."

"We all were."

"What do we do?"

Dimitri stood up. He walked to the window and looked out at the city. The sun was rising, painting the sky in shades of red and gold. It looked like blood.

"We do what they least expect," he said. "We go on the offensive. We hit them where it hurts. We make them afraid."

"How?"

"First, we need allies. We need the Vickerys."

Lucia shook her head. "Romano is a coward. He won't fight."

"Romano is in love with Gianna. And Gianna is on our side. We can use that."

"You trust Gianna?"

"I trust her more than anyone."

Lucia looked at him. "You love her."

Dimitri didn't answer. He didn't need to.

"Second," he continued, "we need information. We need to know everything about the Coalition. Their names, their businesses, their weaknesses. We need to know how to hurt them."

"I know some things," Lucia said. "I can find out more."

"Good. And third..."

He turned from the window. His face was hard, his eyes cold.

"We need to send a message. We need to show them that we're not afraid. We need to show them that we're coming for them."

"What kind of message?"

Dimitri walked to the door. He picked up a knife from the floor—one of the knives the attackers had left behind.

"We're going to kill one of them," he said. "Someone important. Someone they can't replace."

"Who?"

"Camilla's right hand. The man who killed Father."

Lucia's eyes widened. "You mean—"

"Valentin Kyser."

---

Valentin Kyser was not a hard man to find.

He was a creature of habit. Every night, he went to the same bar in the Silver Quarter. He drank the same whiskey. He talked to the same women. He thought he was untouchable.

He was wrong.

Dimitri and Lucia waited outside the bar. It was midnight, the streets empty. The fog was thick again, hiding everything.

"Are you sure about this?" Lucia asked.

"No," Dimitri said. "But I'm doing it anyway."

He stepped out of the shadows and walked to the bar. The bouncer saw him coming and reached for his gun. Dimitri was faster. He grabbed the man's arm and twisted, hearing the bone snap. The bouncer screamed and fell.

Dimitri stepped over him and pushed open the door.

Valentin was at the bar, a glass in his hand. He saw Dimitri and his face went white.

"Kellerman," he said. "What are you—"

"You killed my father."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You cut his throat. You watched him die. And then you went home and slept like a baby."

Valentin stood up. His hand went to his pocket.

"Don't," Dimitri said. "Don't make this worse."

Valentin froze. His eyes darted around the room, looking for escape. There was none.

"Please," he said. "I was just following orders. Camilla made me do it."

"Camilla didn't make you do anything. You chose to do it. You chose to kill an old man."

"He was going to betray us!"

"He was trying to protect his family. That's all he ever wanted."

Dimitri walked closer. His knife was in his hand.

"I'm not going to kill you," he said. "Not yet. You're going to tell me everything you know about the Coalition. And then you're going to help me destroy them."

Valentin stared at him. "You're insane."

"Maybe. But I'm the one holding the knife."

Valentin looked at the knife. Then he looked at Dimitri's eyes. Whatever he saw there made him shiver.

"Okay," he said. "Okay. I'll tell you."

---

They took Valentin to the Rust Belt.

Sienna was waiting for them, along with the soldiers who had survived the attack. She looked relieved to see Dimitri alive.

"I heard about Enzo," she said. "I'm sorry."

"Later," Dimitri said. "Right now, we have work to do."

They tied Valentin to a chair in the abandoned textile mill. Dimitri stood in front of him, the knife in his hand.

"Talk," he said.

Valentin talked.

He talked about the Coalition. About their plans. About their members. He talked about Camilla's ambitions, Stefano's weaknesses, the politicians and businessmen who were funding the operation. He talked about the deals they had made, the betrayals they had planned, the war they were going to start.

He talked for three hours.

When he was done, Dimitri had everything he needed.

"Thank you," he said. "You've been very helpful."

"What happens now?" Valentin asked.

Dimitri looked at Lucia. She nodded.

"Now," Dimitri said, "you die."

Valentin's eyes widened. "But you said—"

"I said I wasn't going to kill you yet. I didn't say I was going to let you live."

He nodded to Sienna. She stepped forward, a gun in her hand.

"No!" Valentin screamed. "Please! I told you everything! You promised!"

"I didn't promise anything. And neither did my father, when you cut his throat."

He turned away. The gunshot echoed through the mill.

---

Dimitri walked outside. The sun was rising again, the fog burning off. He felt nothing. No guilt. No satisfaction. Just emptiness.

Lucia followed him. She stood beside him, silent.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"I don't know. I thought it would be... more. I thought I would feel something."

"You killed the man who killed Father. You should feel something."

"I feel tired. I feel hollow. I feel like I've been fighting for so long, and I don't even remember what I'm fighting for anymore."

Lucia took his hand. "You're fighting for us. For the family. For Father's memory."

"He was a liar. He made mistakes. He almost destroyed everything."

"He was still our father."

Dimitri was silent for a long moment. Then he nodded.

"He was still our father."

They stood together, brother and sister, watching the sun rise over the city. The war was far from over. The Coalition was still out there. Camilla and Stefano were still planning their attack. And Dimitri had just declared war in a way that could not be undone.

But for the first time since his father's disappearance, Dimitri felt something like hope.

He was not alone. He had his sister. He had Gianna. He had Sienna. He had a handful of loyal soldiers.

It wasn't much. But it was enough.

"Come on," he said. "We have work to do."

They walked back to the car. The city was waking up, the streets filling with people who had no idea what was coming. They had no idea that a war was about to consume their world.

But Dimitri knew.

And he was ready.

---

The Vickery estate was quiet when they arrived.

Romano Vickery opened the door himself. He looked tired, his eyes bloodshot, his hair disheveled.

"Dimitri," he said. "What are you—"

"I need to talk to you. About Gianna. About the Coalition. About everything."

Romano's face went pale. "I don't—"

"Don't lie to me, Romano. I know about your wife. I know about the arguments. I know about the meeting at the lighthouse. I know everything."

Romano stared at him. Then he stepped aside.

"Come in," he said. "We need to talk."

Dimitri stepped inside. The house was dark, the furniture covered in dust sheets. It looked like a place that had been abandoned. A place where hope had died.

"I know about Gianna," Dimitri said. "I know she's working for the Coalition. I know she's a double agent. But she's also on our side. She wants to destroy them as much as I do."

Romano's eyes widened. "She told you that?"

"She told me everything. And now I'm telling you. We need your help. We need the Vickery family. If we're going to win this war, we need to stand together."

Romano was silent for a long moment. Then he nodded.

"I'll help you," he said. "I'll do whatever it takes."

Dimitri reached out and took his hand. They shook, a bond formed in blood and fire.

"Good," Dimitri said. "Because we're going to need all the help we can get."

He turned to leave. But at the door, he stopped and looked back.

"One more thing," he said. "If you betray us, I'll kill you. I'll kill your family. I'll burn everything you've ever loved. Do you understand?"

Romano swallowed hard. "I understand."

Dimitri nodded. "Good."

He walked out the door.

The war was coming. And he was ready.