Break Loyalty

Ethan Cole adjusted the collar of his leather jacket as he stepped into the dimly lit office of Vincent Moretti, the man who ruled the city's underworld with an iron fist and a charming smile. The air smelled of cigar smoke and expensive whiskey, a scent Ethan had grown used to over the years as Moretti's most trusted enforcer. Vincent sat behind his polished oak desk, his dark eyes glinting under the flickering light of a chandelier. "Ethan, my boy," he said, his voice smooth as velvet. "I've got a job for you. Simple. Easy. You're the only one I trust with it."Ethan nodded, his expression unreadable. He'd been Moretti's right hand for nearly a decade, a shadow who carried out orders without question. Loyalty was his currency, and he'd paid it in blood more times than he could count. "What's the job, boss?" he asked, his tone steady.Moretti leaned forward, sliding a folded piece of paper across the desk. "A delivery. Old warehouse outside the city. Pick it up, bring it back. In and out." His lips curled into a faint smile, but something flickered in his gaze, a shadow Ethan couldn't quite place. It sent a chill down his spine, though he brushed it off. Doubt wasn't an option, not with Moretti."Consider it done," Ethan said, pocketing the paper. He turned to leave, but Moretti's voice stopped him at the door."Ethan," he called, his tone softer now. "Keep your head down out there. You're family to me." Ethan gave a curt nod and stepped into the night, the weight of those words lingering like a storm cloud.He didn't head straight to the warehouse. First, he made a detour to a rundown apartment building on the edge of town, a place no one would think to look. Inside, behind a locked door and a stack of old furniture, was Lily, his little sister. At nineteen, she had the same sharp jawline and stormy gray eyes as Ethan, but none of his scars. "You good?" he asked, ruffling her dark hair as she looked up from a book."Stop worrying, Ethan," she said with a smirk. "I'm fine. Safehouse is still safe, right?""Yeah," he replied, forcing a smile. "Just checking in before I head out. Got a job tonight." He didn't tell her about Moretti, about the world he'd shielded her from since their parents died. She didn't need to know. Not yet."Be careful, okay?" Lily said, her voice softening. "You're all I've got.""Always am," he promised, then left, locking the door behind him. The drive to the warehouse was quiet, the city lights fading into the distance as he navigated the empty roads. When he arrived, the building loomed ahead, a rusted relic swallowed by shadows. He parked his car and approached the entrance, his hand resting on the gun at his hip. The night was too still, too silent.Ethan pushed open the creaky, rusted door, and the darkness inside swallowed him whole. The silence pressed against his ears, heavy and unnatural. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his gut, a whisper of instinct honed by years in Moretti's service. He took a step forward, his boots echoing on the concrete floor, and that's when he knew. This wasn't a delivery. It was something else entirely.