JADE POV

The first strike of lightning rented the sky, its light illuminating the dark, ghostly hunting ground as the thunder rumbled violently in the troubled sky. The trees howled out their pain as the winds rippled through their branches, the sound of it like the wail of a dying animal.

I grinned. This was going to be a thrilling night indeed. I stalked toward my prey, the sound of his haggard breathing drawing me in like a magnet. 

He thought he could escape me, but he was wrong. No traitor got away from Jade Alvarez. I adjusted the bow I held, the arrow already in place as I inched closer while my prey was none the wiser.

The weapon I wielded was not the one I preferred, but my step-siblings had gotten their hands on all the automatic weapons before I could. It didn't matter. I'd finish my task before they had a chance to, if they could since I already put my signature on their kill, after putting an arrow in the middle of their eye sockets.

They never stood a chance, and neither did the man I was hunting now. Another strike of lightning lights up the whole arena and the prey sees me. The man froze, his eyes widening in terror and pleasure surged through my veins at the blatant fear that lurked within the depth of his eyes.

He doesn't stay paralyzed for long, and with a leap, he dashed forward, trying to escape the angel of death. I aim and let my arrow fly. A bolt of lightning struck, illuminating the beauty of my arrow as it chased him, then sank into the back of his thigh. The man crashed to the floor with a loud groan that rivaled the sound of the rumbling thunder.

Picking another arrow, I stalked toward him, having all intention of finishing what I started, and enjoying every moment of it.

He was on his knees when I got to him, tears streamed down his face and his breath came out in harsh pants as he bowed to the floor, his hands reaching to touch the tip of my boots. Pathetic.

"Don't… please… I have a family" he begged, his voice breaking pitifully.

"I'll make sure to take care of your family after I'm done with you".

His head whipped up in terror. "Don't touch them, they had nothing to do about this".

I raised my boot, then smashed it against his hand. His scream rends the air, but it doesn't please me. "Who are you to give me fucking orders? You should have thought about your family before you betrayed the hand that fed you and them. There is no mercy for traitors".

More tears streamed down his face. "Please, I don't want to die".

I aimed at his head and he watched me, helpless, his eyes pleading even though he knew it was futile.

"Then you should have never crossed my path," I said and let go. The arrow swished, the tip of it disappearing into his head and reappearing at the end of his skull, the force snapping his head back and the picture he presented was pretty tame in comparison to the others before him.

Shockwaves ricochet through my skin as I stared at the dead man, a smile tugging on the corner of my lips at the euphoric feeling that formed at the base of my spine and then traveled all around my skin.

Raising the flare gun I held onto the sky, I let off a shot and watched the beautiful flame try to kiss the darkened sky. It was to signal that the hunt was over. 

I stared at it until the red flame sparked, then faded into oblivion. I was getting closer to my crown, and no one was going to stop me.

*******

Standing under my father's scrutiny always made my heart rate irregular-even though I never let my fear show because of the evil he represented. Ryland and Lexis stood beside me, their faces grim as they stared down at the men that they had been assigned to kill, who all bore my mark, with my arrows stuck in their cranium.

Father came to stand in front of me and pulling my gaze away from my kill, I met his stare challengingly.

He smirked, the scar that started from the top of his head to his chin bunching up at the pressure, then his expression changed in a second. His palm landed on my face in a flash, the blow unexpected and furious, but the blinding pain that numbed my senses was a welcomed distraction as I defiantly held his gaze. 

"You disobeyed a direct order from me, Jade Alvarez. You were told to kill only your prey" he roared, his spit flying into my face but I didn't flinch in my stance. Ryland and Lexis kept their faces to the ground. They knew that father would take it easy on them, as he always did. He reserved all his wrath for me, and I knew the reason why, but I wasn't going to let it deter me. In the end, I was going to rule and he knew it. 

"You told me to kill anything that moved, and I did just that. It's not my fault if I outsmarted those two and got their bounty. Being slow doesn't get the job accomplished, and lost time is never gotten back. I'm just doing what a leader would". 

He watched me, a scrutinizing look on his face that made me feel almost angry because I knew he was trying to find a flaw in me even though I'd perfected all he taught me. When will I be enough? Was it always going to be Ryland for him? He chuckled, the fire in his eyes losing its ferocity. "You're right, you got rid of the traitor, and all in time too, but" he paused his gaze hardening. "Never go against my order, ever!" 

"Yes sir" I replied and he gave me one last look before moving towards Ryland and Lexis.

"You're on clean-up duty for a week. Fucking pathetic" he spat, then walked away from the arena. 

That was all they got. It made me want to smash something.

Ryland stepped towards me, a sneer on his lips. "You're never going to win his affection so you should stop trying to be so perfect, also, keep your eyes off the position of the Capo dei Capri. We all know who that seat belongs to after he dies''.

I rubbed my hands together, my mind debating whether to smash him in the face or choke slam him. "Maybe you should let the old man die first, Ryland. Rumours might reach him that you're planning his murder".

He grabbed my arms and I snapped. Grabbing his arms was the easy part, twisting them enough and stopping before I broke his bone was the hard part. His sharp cry of pain carrying through the quiet space made me smile as he struggled to remain still so as not to trigger me. I leaned against him, putting more pressure on his arm that had him keening in pain.

"Don't ever touch me if you want to live to see the day that I sit on that throne, Ryland. You push me to the wall too much, and I might just put an arrow between that mouth of yours." I threatened before letting him go with a shove. He tumbled to the floor, then he cradled his arm, his eyes glaring his hate as he stared at me. I wanted to pluck them out.

Lexis helped him up, before staring at me. "Father will not be too happy when he hears about this".

"You won't tell him anything lexis" Ryland roared, grabbing her by the arm. "He already thinks that I am pathetic, do you want him to see me as a worthless spineless weakling too".

They were very apt descriptions because he was right on every count. He was all that and more. 

"I'm just trying to help you against that witch".

"I don't need your fucking help. I will take care of it on my own".

I smirked. "I'm sure you will. Clean that up, you're on slave duty for the weak" I mocked then walked out of the arena.

I could hear Ryland raging but I didn't care. There was nothing he could do but bark. He knew the syndicate would be mine, in the end, I was already managing half of the business and the reputation I'd built for myself made my name a thing of fear on everyone's lips. They also knew my word was my honor, and I kept it to a T. I took care of handling all the transactions and I'd never lost a shipment or got caught by security.

Ryland was just the guy who thought everything should be handed to him on a golden platter just because he was Alvarez's only son, while I was the daughter he had from a treacherous affair.

I'd been treated like the dirt beneath their feet from the moment I was brought into the house. I was worked half to death for the first few months, then I was pushed off to be trained by the worst of them all, the psychopaths that drowned it into my head that it was either kill or be killed, and they almost killed me a dozen of times, but I survived and I never backed down. I was a fucking born leader. 

I'd already shown them that I was more than capable of handling the business, so if I found out that he was planning to name Ryland as his successor, I'd have no choice but to kill them both.

I'd kill them both without feeling an ounce of regret because there was nothing like family in the Mafia. I had no family. The syndicate was my life and to keep it as mine, I had to rule it. And I would, even if it killed me.