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RISE OF THE RUTHLESS
LUCIFER’S LANDING
BOOK 2
DAVIDSON KING
Book Title: Rise of the Ruthless
Series: Lucifer’s Landing Book 2
Copyright © 2024 Davidson King

Website: https://www.davidsonking.com
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Cover design by: Morningstar Ashley Designs

Editing done by: Flat Earth Editing
Proofreading provided by: Flat Earth Editing and Anita Ford

Interior Design and Formatting provided by: Ron Perry Graphic Design
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
including electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without express written permission from
the author, Davidson King. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places and events, the names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book’s interior or exterior was designed or written using A.I.
Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.
TRADEMARK NOTICE
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means – by
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission, except in the case of the brief
quotations embodied in the critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase
only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material.
Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are
a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or
dead, is coincidental. All products and/or brand names mentioned are registered trademarks of their respective
holders/companies.
CONTENTS
Trigger Warning
Author’s Note
Synopsis
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Closing Note
Other Books by Davidson King
Acknowledgements
About the Author
TRIGGER WARNING
This book contains on page violence and

off page torture.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Rise of the ruthless is book 2 in my Lucifer’s Landing series. This is not a standalone novel. You should read War of the
Wicked first otherwise this might not make a lot of sense.
The character Mykel – his name is pronounced like Michael. Just spelled differently. My lovely proofreader asked how one
would say it out loud and I thought maybe others would wonder too.
SYNOPSIS
Ren Ikeda’s world is falling apart. War has broken out in the streets of Lucifer’s Landing, and his entire empire is being
dismantled one explosion at a time. Unsure of his men’s allegiance, but desperately needing protection, he snatches up an
opportunity when it lands in his lap. Hiring Mykel Finlay, his complete opposite in every way, has the markings of being
disastrous. Realizing Mykel may be the only person he can trust, he clings to the man despite the danger to his heart.
Mykel Finlay doesn’t like bad guys. As ex-police and military, he prides himself on walking the line of good, not evil. When
his brother gets in a bind with Ren Ikeda, the Japanese mob boss, he must put aside his moral compass and dive into the murky
waters of the mafia. The only thing Mykel isn’t prepared for is falling in love and willingly drowning for Ren, a man he should
hate.
With the help of some very unlikely allies, Ren and Mykel try staying alive long enough to take down their enemies and grab a
happily ever after neither man thought they wanted. Will their salvation end up leading them down a path of destruction, or will
they actually prevail?
This is book two in my Lucifer’s Landing series and is not a standalone. It is highly recommended you read book one: War of
the Wicked first.
CHAPTER ONE
Ren Ikeda
“THANK YOU FOR DINNER, DANTE.” Rainn handed me my coat, a small grin adorning his face. He was a beautiful man, a good
soul. Maybe too good for this cruel world. He’d shown great courage in the face of true evil when it came to Joseph Etienne.
Having been kidnapped and almost raped simply because he fell in love with Dante Scavo, the head of the Italian mob,
didn’t diminish his shine one bit. If anything, it made it brighter.
“My pleasure. But, Ren, I have to ask you again if you’d like to stay here in this house. It’s not going to be safe for any of us
right now, and you’re down in numbers.” The concern in Dante’s gaze warmed my heart. I was happy to have my friend again,
and it touched me to see how worried he was for me. But my pride was too great.
“No, I will be fine. Asahi is with me, as is Minoto. I may have lost some protection, but I will replenish.” I buttoned my
coat and mustered a smile for Dante and Rainn, who seemed to need convincing. “Besides, I’m safer in my penthouse than I am
here. There, they have to climb twenty-seven floors in order to get me. Here, just one, maybe two.”
Rainn chuckled. “Please be safe.”
I knew if it hadn’t been for Rainn, Joseph would have killed me the night he’d destroyed my house. But Rainn’s quick
thinking in cutting my hand and painting my neck and face in blood made them think I was dead, and that in turn had kept me
alive. I would be forever grateful to this man.
“We will meet weekly. Nothing will change. I suggest we keep a united front on this, and perhaps people will think twice
before attacking either of us.” Even with my smaller numbers, I believed that.
Dante held the door open for me. “I hope you’re right. But I’d feel better if you took some of my men.”
I’d known this would be his next request. “No, thank you. Let me handle my own house, Dante.”
He nodded curtly and followed me out to my car. Rainn stayed back but waved as soon as I reached the vehicle.
“Ren.” Dante stepped closer, and Asahi got into the passenger seat, giving us some privacy.
“What is it, Dante? I’m not taking any of your men.”
He shook his head and seemed unable to meet my eyes. “I understand. You’re as stubborn as I am, and it’s why I want you
to listen to me.”
“Very well, what is it?” I scanned the area closest to the front of the house. A few of Dante’s men milled along the grounds,
but far enough to be out of earshot. My men were in the car, also out of earshot.
“We often don’t show our pain to those around us, for fear it exposes us, shows weakness. I understand this deeply. When
Rainn was missing, and we knew Joseph had him, that was when I realized I loved him—I’d never felt such terror, such fear
over anything in my entire life.”
Was Dante confiding in me as a therapist? Was the worry over Rainn causing him pain even with him being home and
safe?
“He’s okay, Dante. No one will harm him again.”
He nodded. “I know…I’m fucking this up, Ren.” Now he did meet my gaze, his eyes filled with sorrow and pain. “I know
you cared greatly for Yuma, and I’m just here to tell you that if you need someone to talk to…if you need to⁠—”
Oh, absolutely not. I wouldn’t have this at all. “Dante, I wish for you to stop talking.” I was relieved when he snapped his
mouth shut. “What Yuma was or wasn’t to me is my own business. While I appreciate what you’re stumbling through to say, I
wish the matter to be dropped.” I rapped on the window, and Asahi stepped out. “Have a good night, Dante.”
Asahi opened my door, and I quickly got into the vehicle. To Dante’s credit, he did not try to push the issue, nor did he stop
me from leaving.
On the drive to my penthouse, I thought a great deal about what Dante had said, and he was right. I needed more protection.
The men I had were loyal and talented. But they were still only a few, and I couldn’t expect them to cover every shadow.
“Asahi?”
“Yes, sir?”
“I’d like you to look into recruiting some people for protection. With everything going on here in Lucifer’s Landing, and
this impending war between the Irish and the Greeks, I can’t deny that Dante is right and my numbers need replenishing.”
“Not a problem. I will get right on it. Would you like to meet with each person or⁠—”
“I trust you’ll choose the right people for the job, Asahi.”
“Thank you, sir.”
I leaned back on the headrest and closed my eyes. Dante was also right about my feelings regarding Yuma. I’d loved that
man, and while I knew he’d understood my feelings, Yuma had been one hundred percent straight. A memory assaulted me of
one night as we’d sat by my koi pond in the backyard. Yuma had been bolder than anyone I knew, and that conversation would
always stay fresh in my mind.
“I wish I could love you, Ren, the way I know you love me.”
I turned toward him as he stared at the pond. The moonlight was bright, his every feature in view. I could see the
heartbreak not loving me was causing him.
“Love is as evil as it is kind, Yuma. I wish I hated you. It would make everything so much easier.”
“I wish you hated me too.”
Before that moment, I’d never verbalized my feelings to Yuma, but clearly, I’d been more transparent than I’d thought. Yuma
had been my number one, so it shouldn’t have surprised me that he’d seen right through me and picked up on every little thing.
Through the years my love for Yuma had changed…morphed into a strong respect. He’d died for me, and while I missed him
terribly, I had put to rest any chance of him being my partner long ago.
“We’re here, sir,” Asahi said, interrupting my melancholy. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, fine, just tired.”
He didn’t say more, and it was something I was grateful to Asahi for. He was never intrusive when it came to feelings or
emotions.
Earlier today, knowing I was going to Dante’s, I’d instructed two of my men to stay behind at the penthouse to make sure
there were no issues. So, it was just Asahi and me on the elevator up while Minoto secured the car in the garage, and I was
grateful he didn’t fill the silence with mindless babble.
The elevator doors opened, and I was assaulted by the sounds of yelling. One glance at Asahi and he stepped in front of me.
“Stay here,” he said, slowly walking in the direction of the noise.
I was a stubborn man, another fact Dante was correct about, and while I knew it would frustrate Asahi, I followed him to
see what the commotion was.
“The way I see it is you’re out a hundred grand, and Mr. Ikeda’s house won’t be completed on time.” I heard one of my men
speaking sternly.
“How am I out a hundred grand?” I knew that voice. It belonged to Louis Finlay, the contractor I’d hired to finish my house.
“Because he isn’t paying you a dime. Now that I think about it, you’re out two hundred grand, ’cause you’re going to fix it
out of your own pocket.”
“I can’t do that!” Louis sounded desperate, and I decided it was the perfect time to make my presence known.
“Good evening, Mr. Finlay.” I darted a look at Asahi, who wasn’t too happy I’d left the elevator.
“Mr. Ikeda.”
“I’m going to venture a guess and say there’s an issue with my home?” I divested myself of my jacket and handed it to Loni,
my housekeeper.
“It was a wiring issue, Mr. Ikeda.”
One of my guys, Eiko, rolled his eyes. “It was a guy you personally chose, Louis, to wire the house. And what happened
after he was halfway done?”
I turned to Louis, awaiting his answer.
“He disappeared, and the lighting sparked, setting the wall on fire.” Louis practically mumbled his response, but I knew
what I was hearing. The house wasn’t close to being done and now this setback.
“This is quite disappointing, Louis.” I slipped my shoes off.
“I’d worked with him before, and there’d never been an issue. I think something happened or⁠—”
“Be silent.” I held up a hand. “I want my home back, and I will pay to finish it. However, Satoshi is correct. You will be on
the hook for the payment.”
“Mr. Ikeda…I…I can’t afford that.” Beads of sweat were forming on Louis’s forehead, and his lips quivered.
“Louis.” I sat on my couch, enjoying the soft leather and calming feel of the cushion as it hugged my body. “You will owe
me, not whomever you hire to do the job. If you select someone and they fail, you are accountable.”
Louis’s eyes widened. I was positive owing a crime boss was far more frightening than owing a plumber or electrician.
There was no question he was in a bad spot.
“How am I going to do that?” His voice shook, and I knew if he didn’t sit soon, he’d likely collapse.
“Satoshi, please get Louis a chair.” Satoshi grabbed a stool from the kitchen and slammed it next to Louis, who jumped.
“Sit.” I gestured to the chair. “In a lot of instances, people who owe me don’t always have cash, so tell me something you have
that might be lucrative to me.”
As the Old English proverb said, “You can’t get blood out of a stone,” so I’d be sure to get payment another way from
Louis.
“Like trinkets, a house, some sort of collateral?” Louis was talking to me, but his gaze darted all around the room, looking
at my men and me.
“Loni, would you get Louis a glass of water?” I took a breath and met Louis’s very terrified expression. “Relax, please. I’m
not going to kill you. But I’m also not going to sweep this under the rug. Do you understand?”
He nodded quickly.
“Collateral works with banks, Louis. It’s something they hold in case you don’t pay. You’ve already told me you can’t pay.
So what will you give me that equals the amount owed?”
Loni came in and handed Louis a tall glass of water, which he took with unsteady hands. “Thank you,” he whispered. Loni
said nothing and left the room. Louis sipped the water, his brow furrowed, no doubt thinking about what he had that he could
give me.
“Louis?”
My voice caused him to jump, and he spilled water over the front of his shirt. “S…sorry.”
“What do you have that I’m able to use?” I ignored his sputtering and his now-wet shirt, wanting very much for this
conversation to end so I could go to sleep.
“I…I don’t know, Mr. Ikeda, I need to think.”
I nodded. It was a fair request. “Very well. You have forty-eight hours to come up with something. Eiko will retrieve you
then and bring you to me.”
“And if I don’t have anything?”
It was a dangerous question to ask because I knew Louis understood what not paying a crime boss meant.
“Let’s hope you are a clever man and can think something up.” I stood, the soreness in my back reminding me of the stress
that was my life making itself known. “Asahi will see you out.”
Louis muttered his thanks, but I was already walking down the hallway, toward my bedroom. I was exhausted, constantly
putting on a front that said I was aware, powerful, and always ready, only lasted so long. I’d reached my quota for the day.
“Sir?”
I was about to undress when Eiko came to the doorway.
“What is it, Eiko?”
“Someone should watch Louis, in case he runs.” I nodded in agreement, unsure who I had to spare for such a task. “I can do
it, sir. But what if he does try?”
I sat on my bed, exhaustion finally winning out. “If Louis tries to run, he makes his payment with his life.”
“Kill him?”
“Yes.”
CHAPTER TWO
Mykel Finlay
FUCKING L OUIS. I ran up the stairs of his shitty apartment complex to get to his place. I’d been trying to reach my brother on the
phone for two days, and it kept going to voice mail. Naturally, I began to worry, so I drove the three fucking hours from my
house to Lucifer’s Landing to make sure he was still alive.
When I reached his door, I banged on it with my fist. “Louis!”
I pressed my ear to the worn wood and listened. I heard rustling, and every instinct in me screamed to get in there.
Fortunately, Louis had given me a key for emergencies, and this was one of those. I quickly unlocked the door and pushed it
open, ready to tackle whoever was fucking around in my brother’s home. But as soon as I came face-to-face with Louis and no
one else, I froze.
“What the hell, Louis?” I pointed to the bag over his shoulder that was overflowing with clothes. “What’s all this?”
“Shit, Mykel, I thought you were Eiko coming to get me.” He released a breath and slid with a thud onto his couch. The bag
slipped off his arm, and a few articles of clothing fell out.
“Eiko? That an ex or something? And why would she make you run?” I shut the door and moved closer to my brother. He
was pale, sweating, and obviously terrified.
“Eiko is a guy, works for Ren Ikeda.”
I knew who that was. Everyone did. You didn’t need to live in Lucifer’s Landing to know all the demons who dwelled
there.
“What have you gotten yourself into, Louis?” I sat next to him and noted how he flinched. My brother was hanging on by a
thread, and if Ren Ikeda was the reason for his panic, I’d bury him in Hell, where he belonged.
“I took a job to help rebuild his home because of⁠—”
“I know the shit that’s been going on here, Louis. I watch the news, and you live here, so it’s my job to know.”
He nodded. “Right, so I saw he was looking for contractors, and I really wanted to get my business up and running. But
people keep blowing me off and not paying, but I knew Ren Ikeda would pay.”
“With blood money, but yeah.”
“So I got my guys together, and it was going well, but then Theo disappeared and⁠—”
“Your friend, the electrician?”
“Yeah, and we had a glitch with the power, and the wall caught on fire.”
I could feel where this story was going and hated it already. And sure enough, as Louis explained everything, the fact that
he was running started to make sense.
“A man like Ren Ikeda will kill you if you run. What were you thinking? Why didn’t you call me, or I dunno, Lou, answer
one of my calls?”
“And what, Mykel, listen to you lecture me about what an idiot I am?”
“Maybe later I would, but I’d have come here first and tried to help you.”
Louis snorted. “I don’t need your holier-than-thou attitude, brother. You and your old cop ways and going all, ‘I was a
soldier once.’ No thanks.”
“I have resources to help you!” Louis always skirted around the gray area of the law, but I tried to walk the blue line. It
wasn’t always easy for me—I had a temper and growing up, I’d gotten into more trouble than Louis. But when I’d joined the
military, I’d hoped it would straighten me out. It wasn’t perfect…I wasn’t perfect. I tended to jump into situations when
someone was in need and while my thinking wasn’t always stellar, I at least tried…unlike my brother. But I loved him no
matter what, even now while he was being a huge douche.
“Not against Ren Ikeda, you don’t.”
Our discussion, if you wanted to call it that, was cut off by someone knocking on the door.
“That’s Eiko,” Louis whispered. “I had forty-eight hours to come up with a way to pay Ren.”
“Shit.” I stood, but Louis’s hand on my arm stopped me from moving.
“What are you doing?”
“Answering it, Lou. It’s not like he’s going to go away. Just stay put.” I shook him off and went to the door. I opened it to
find an Asian man there. He was a little shorter than my six-foot-three height, and not as broad as I was. His dark hair was
buzzed on the sides, and he raised a cocky eyebrow at me while I assessed him.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“Who the fuck are you?”
He chuckled and tried to look over my shoulder, likely to see where my brother was. “Charming. I’m here for Louis.”
“Funny, I’m here for Louis as well.”
His cocky expression turned predatory, fast. “What business do you have with him?” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“None of yours.”
“Okay, look, Mr. I Have No Name Because My Mama Hated Me, I’m here to take Louis to a meeting, so if you’ll move to
the side.”
“Mykel.” Louis’s voice was directly behind me. “Let him in.”
“Oh, you do have a name?” He snorted.
“Eiko, I wouldn’t egg my brother on.”
In a matter of seconds, Louis managed to tell each of us our names and identify me as his brother. He needed to learn not to
play his hand so easily.
“His brother?” Eiko moved forward, but I wouldn’t budge. “Look, brother, I’m not sure what Louis has explained to you,
but he is coming with me.”
“Okay, okay, guys, please.” Louis touched my arm.
“All right,” I said. “But I’m coming with him.”
“No,” Eiko argued. And it was my turn to fold my arms over my much-larger chest.
“Fuck yes, I am.”
We glared at each other for a few moments. Louis was arguing with us to stop and for me to let him go. But then Eiko gave
me a curt nod.
“Fine, let’s go.”
I hid my shock that the argument was ending before it had begun. “You first.” I gestured for him to lead the way. He
chuckled and started walking.
I heard Louis behind me but didn’t dare take my eyes off the man in front of me. We followed Eiko down the stairs at a
steady pace, stopping outside the apartment complex, and he turned to us.
“You both get in the back.” He opened the door. A very large SUV idled at the curb. I saw someone in the driver’s seat and
realized that, if this went sideways, it was now two men, not one. Louis wasn’t a fighter, so it would all be on me.
“Fine by me.”
The two men spoke in Japanese the entire way, and while I knew several languages from my time in the military, Japanese
wasn’t one of them. Whenever Louis would bounce his leg, I’d place my hand on it to stop him. He was nervous. I got that. I
would be foolish not to be as well. But I’d faced a lot in my life and gone into situations I wished to never experience again. I
was approaching this the same way.
We drove deep into the city and pulled into an underground garage. I knew this was a building likely owned by Ren Ikeda,
but I made sure to keep a placid look on my face. After all, Louis was wearing his worry clear as day. One of us had to keep
his cool.
The two men got out of the car, and each held a door open for us. Eiko was beside Louis, and I refused to move unless
Louis stayed with me. Eiko whispered something to the other man I didn’t understand, but the guy nodded and didn’t force me
to go anywhere until Louis was with me. I figured Eiko was explaining to let me be.
The elevator ride up was incredibly quiet, Ren’s guys were in front of us, and through my periphery I saw Louis fidgeting.
There was no way I could tell him to stop without garnering the attention of the crime boss’s men, so I let Louis be.
The doors opened, and I expected to hear bustling, loud voices, and I didn’t know what else…just not the eerie silence that
greeted us.
“This way.” Eiko motioned, and Louis and I followed behind him while the other guy brought up the rear.
At the end of the hallway was a huge space, with wall-to-wall windows that reached from floor to ceiling, and I swore I
could see all of Lucifer’s Landing in the midmorning light. It was tempered glass, I was certain, and there was also no way
anyone could see inside.
“Remove your shoes, please,” Eiko said. I noticed how polite he was, and it made me realize that even though he’d been
adamant at Louis’s place, he was never cruel or brash.
I understood traditions, and I wasn’t about to put up a fuss, so I slipped my shoes off. Louis followed suit.
“This way.”
We followed Eiko again through the living room. There was so much white and beige, it surprised me how open and almost
happy the surroundings seemed. There wasn’t a lot of art, but what there was appeared to be stunning Japanese culture.
We went through another corridor with doors on the left and right, all closed, and stopped at the end. Eiko knocked.
“Come in,” a voice on the other side said, and I had a feeling it was Ren Ikeda. I’d seen the man on television, never
personally, but I knew his type. Pretentious, powerful, full of himself.
Eiko opened the door and gestured for us to enter. Louis whimpered, and I wanted to tell him to keep it together, but I
refused to show even an ounce of emotion. These crime lords ate that shit up like it gave them energy.
“Who is this?”
I looked over to the man we’d come to see, questioning eyes meeting mine. He was blindingly gorgeous. He had long black
hair that had been pulled half-up, and he wore a stark white suit, which only made his hair look darker. His eyes were
obsidian, and his skin was like flawless porcelain. My pulse rushed through my ears, but I kept my expression stoic. I wouldn’t
let this man know how he affected me.
“This is Louis’s brother, who was at his apartment when I arrived to get him. He insisted on coming along.” Eiko shrugged.
“It was better to bring him than to refuse him.”
Ren’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Better, how?”
Eiko sniggered. “Let’s just say, if you wanted the police and neighbors to all know what was happening, me taking Louis
without him would have done the trick.”
Ren took a few steps toward me but stopped. He narrowed his beautiful eyes, never looking away. “Protective brother, is
that right?” I grunted, matching his stare with a glare. “Do you speak words, Louis’s brother, or do you just make animalistic
noises?”
“My name is Mykel, and I speak. I’m here because you’re forcing my brother here against his will, and that’s not sitting
well with me.”
This appeared to amuse Ren—he chuckled and looked over to Eiko. “Did you not explain to Mykel here why his brother is
being called upon?”
I didn’t give Eiko the opportunity to answer. “I know damn well why he’s here, and I think it’s fucked up that you’re
holding him responsible for someone else’s issue. Did you even see if you could find Theo before tossing the blame on Louis?”
Ren’s brows creased. “Who is Theo?”
“The electrician!” I turned to Louis. “Did you not give them Theo’s information to track?”
“He…they…no one asked for it.”
“Why should I track down someone Louis employed? I am Louis’s boss here, and this Theo was chosen by your brother.”
Ren tilted his head and regarded Louis. “Did you find Theo?”
Louis shook his head. “No, I told you he just, like, poof, is gone.”
“No one is ever just, poof, gone.” Ren made a small bursting motion with his hands. “Theodore Franklin Sanon.” There
was a dead silence in the room. “Oh, Louis, Louis, Louis, I admit I am playing with you a tiny bit. My apologies. See, I always
know who is working for me. Unfortunately, while I did find out about Theo, it was a little too late. The information on him
didn’t reach my hands until yesterday.” He walked over to a sleek black desk, opened the drawer, and took out a manila folder.
“What’s that?” I pointed.
“Had I found out sooner, Theo would have never set foot on my property.” Ren slid the folder in invitation, so I went over,
took it, and opened it.
“What do you see, Mykel?”
I read quickly, but everything fell into place. “Theodore Franklin Sanon worked for Joseph Etienne for years.” I looked up
at Louis. “Did you know that?”
“No, why would I? Theo and I were more like acquaintance-type-friends. When we hung out we didn’t talk about anything
serious.”
“Maybe so,” Ren said. “But Joseph Etienne was not my friend, and he tried to kill me. It looks like Theo was hoping to
finish the job, but his faulty electrician skills went off prematurely.”
“You think you were supposed to be in that house when it sparked?” Louis was completely naïve as to what was happening
here.
“Oh, I know I was.”
“How?” I tossed the folder back on the desk and moved closer to my brother.
“Because when I located Theo last night, he verified that fact with his dying breath.” And there was the coldhearted killer
I’d known Ren Ikeda was.
CHAPTER THREE
Ren
MYKEL F INLAY WAS STRIKING . There was no question; the man knew how to hold his ground and fight when necessary, and I
understood why Eiko had agreed to have him come along. An altercation with him would not be quiet and would definitely
draw a lot of attention. He was almost the complete opposite of Louis. Mykel’s dark-red hair was shaved on the sides, and the
top was long and slicked back. His gray eyes were piercing, and when he stared at me, it was like a caress along my cock.
He was taller than any of the men I had in my employ and broader too. He had on a tight, long-sleeved shirt that was almost
the same color as his eyes, and he filled out his black jeans perfectly. He was exactly my type. The only con was that he hated
my guts.
“Theo’s dead?” Louis asked, his voice trembling.
“Yes.” I sat in my desk chair, mainly so my erection wouldn’t take center stage.
“Am…will I die?” Louis was inching closer to his brother, and upon opening my mouth to speak, Mykel interrupted.
“No, Louis, you’re not dying today, or any other day soon.”
Oh, the balls on this guy…which I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see. “Your brother owes me a⁠—”
“He owes you shit!” Mykel took a few steps toward my desk, only to be blocked by Asahi, who had been standing against
the wall.
“It would be best if you did not advance on Mr. Ikeda and also best if you didn’t interrupt him.” Asahi kept himself calm
and respectful.
“And who exactly will stop me?” Mykel’s tone and glare were challenging, and I found myself intrigued by the man in front
of me.
“Mr. Finlay⁠—”
“Mykel. Everyone calls me that. Don’t placate me.” Mykel stepped more into Asahi’s space, and to Asahi’s credit, he
didn’t budge, but there was no question Mykel Finlay was intimidating.
“You like interrupting people, don’t you?” Asahi was getting agitated, and while I wanted to see where this was going, I
also didn’t want my office torn to shreds because of two men fighting over whose cock was bigger.
“Enough.” I spoke more sternly than loudly. Both men reluctantly pushed apart and turned to me. “Mykel, I understand your
protective instincts are kicking in, seeing your brother in such a sticky spot. And one thing Theo did do before he died was
prove your brother had nothing to do with this.”
“He did?” Louis asked, hope blooming in his eyes.
“Yes, but understand, Theo was not your friend. The only reason I took him on his word about your lack of involvement
was because he mocked you. Said while he’d thought of bringing you in on the job, he knew you to be too pure for such a task,
and would likely go running off to your straight-arrow brother…” I pointed to Mykel. “I assume he meant you.”
“So Theo was an asshole, and that’s going to save my brother’s life?” Mykel folded his arms across his impressive chest. I
wished I had tea or something in front of me to occupy myself because everything this man was doing was ticking all my boxes.
“Your brother’s life being saved is up to him.” I pressed a button on my phone for Loni to come in. Tea was needed.
“But you’ve determined that Theo was working for Joseph Etienne, the Haitian crime boss, who I also heard met a grizzly
end. Clearly some retaliation for that, I dunno, nothing I care to fucking know. So, if that’s sorted, how’s my brother on the hook
for jack shit?” Mykel was always making sure his brother was close. He guarded him, protected him, and his confidence told
me that if any of my men advanced on Louis, it would end badly for them.
Loni chose that moment to enter my office. “Yes, sir?”
“Tea, please.”
Loni nodded and exited quietly, looking at nobody else in the room but me.
“If I hired a rapist, who I swore was my best friend, and then came over to your house to paint it, bringing them along of
course, and your sister was raped by them and then they disappeared—would you look to me for recompense?” I queried,
loving the expressions that played over Mykel’s face as I spoke. My comparison was absurd, but getting a rise out of him was
thrilling.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Mykel practically roared, and Asahi and Eiko took a notable step back. That was not okay.
“Mykel, may I ask what you do for a living?” I had to change the subject and steer the conversation where I wanted it to go.
“Are you mental?” he countered.
“No, well, no. No, I am not. I even have a paper saying I’m completely sane, why?”
“Your conversations are bouncing. Why does it matter where I work?”
I smirked and leaned forward, elbows on the desk. “Answer my question. I’ll explain everything, and your brother very
well may be in the clear.”
Mykel glanced at Louis, who shrugged, not knowing at all where I was going with this. Louis wasn’t as bright as his
brother. As a matter of fact, if they hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have guessed they were brothers.
“I work at a protection service.”
Ahh, yes. “Like security?”
“Bodyguard and security.”
I nodded. “May I ask what firm?”
“Rest Free Security and Protective Services.”
“I’m aware of them. They hire ex-cops and military. Which are you?”
Loni came in and set up the tea, acting as if nothing was happening in here. Just doing their job.
“Both.”
This was proving to be better than I’d thought.
Loni went around the room, giving everyone a cup of tea in what I referred to as a yunomi, but I suspected neither brother
knew that. I was pleased no one refused. Mykel even thanked Loni, which, for some reason, I found endearing. Once Loni left, I
took a sip of my tea and got to the point.
“I will spare your brother all he owes under two conditions.”
“Oh my God, thank you,” Louis said.
“Hold up.” Mykel set his yunomi on the small table near him. “What are the conditions?”
“First, he finishes the work he started without another cent from me.”
Mykel looked over to Louis, who was nodding in agreement. “Very well, and the second?”
“I am in great need of more men to protect me.” Mykel was already shaking his head, but I didn’t let it deter me. “Asahi
here is getting men in place, but I will need more personal protection. Asahi is my number one, but he has many duties, which
now include replacing those killed by Joseph Etienne. Therefore, I want you to be solely responsible for my life.”
“Protect you? You! I despise everything you stand for. I’d deal with Louis’s problems myself, my way, if I knew it wouldn’t
bring hellfire down on me.”
His honesty, while refreshing, was rude. “Mykel, this is the offer. Take it and your brother goes free to finish the job he
began, or refuse it and you leave, and Louis and I have a rather uncomfortable conversation.”
Mykel chuckled darkly and took a few steps toward my desk once more. Asahi wasn’t far away, but I doubted he’d be able
to stop Mykel if he decided to charge me.
“Those aren’t options, and they aren’t choices. They are ultimatums.”
I tipped my head at him, which, judging by his snarl, he didn’t appreciate. “And you’re smart.” I took one more sip of tea
and set it on my desk before standing. “I run a business⁠—”
“A business? Is that what you call what you do? You extort, kill, thieve, and fuck knows what else.” Mykel was even closer
now, and the rush of his scent flew around me like an intoxicating potion.
“You will not interrupt Mr. Ikeda when he is speaking,” Asahi said loudly now.
“It’s fine, Asahi.” I had to lift my head to look up into Mykel’s gray eyes. They raged like a storm at sea. “You’re not
wrong, but regardless of how you see it, it’s a business. We’re not law abiding—on that we agree—but we run how we do, and
when someone throws a wrench into the machine, it’s a recipe for ruin. Mykel, I am being as patient as I can with you because
you are a benefit to me, but I have my limitations.”
Mykel’s face kept its hardened expression, but he spoke softly, as if it were only he and I in a bubble. “So I keep you alive,
and you keep Louis alive. That’s basically what you’re saying?”
I gave him a single nod. “And he finishes the house, and because I’m feeling generous, I will pay for further repairs needed,
but Louis doesn’t get a cent personally.”
“And how long am I your indentured servant?”
I had to roll my eyes at the label, but I’d give him an answer. “Until I have replenished my numbers and the war has
subsided.”
Mykel stepped back, eyes wide. “War?”
“Oh, yeah, um, there’s like a full-blown war going on between⁠—”
“Please do be quiet, Louis.” I stopped his rambling.
“He was explaining.” Mykel would likely defend his brother to his dying breath.
“Louis knows exactly what we want all people living in Lucifer’s Landing to know. But I do promise you, if you are to
protect me, you will be privy to a lot more. To properly protect anyone, there can be no surprises. Am I right?”
“Yeah. You’re right.” Mykel, for the first time, didn’t answer me with an attitude.
“Do we have a deal?” I held out my hand to shake upon it.
“A handshake? That’s how we’re sealing the deal?” He chuckled.
“Did you want to seal it another way?” I didn’t hide the desire in my tone, and when I saw him swallow, I knew through all
the thorns and hardened steel was a soft side that wasn’t at all repulsed by me.
“A handshake will do.”
His hand dwarfed mine, and I stopped to relish in the feel of the roughness of his skin mixed with the warmth that
surrounded my own flesh.
“Looks like you have work to do, then,” Eiko said, breaking the trance I was caught up in.
“You drove me here. My truck, it’s at my apartment.”
Mykel released my hand and turned toward his brother. “I’ll take the bus with you and⁠—”
“Nonsense, I’ll take him.” Eiko smiled, but I knew that wouldn’t put Mykel’s mind at ease.
“Mykel and I have to iron out a few things, and I’m sure he will need to make arrangements with his employer and such.
How about, Louis, you stay, have a bite to eat, and you and Mykel can leave together in the car I will provide him?” I turned to
Mykel. “But you must return this evening,” I ordered him directly.
“I have a car. It’s back home, but I have one.”
“I’m sure you do, but if you’re working for me, you’ll use my vehicles.”
He narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to me. I held my breath, wishing for what, I didn’t know. “If I’m going to protect
you, we will do it my way. I can’t protect someone who has a set of rules they want me to follow.” He pointed to his own
chest. “I’m the boss of your protection. If you’re gonna be a hard-ass about that, this won’t work, and you will die.”
A shiver danced up my spine, and I’d never wanted to crush my body against someone and taste them more than I did at this
moment. Instead, I sighed and nodded.
“Good.” He straightened and went over to Louis. “I won’t be long. Just don’t leave this place, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” Louis watched us as he followed Eiko out. When it was just Mykel, Asahi, and me, I returned to my desk.
“Asahi, how is it going finding more able bodies?”
“Actually, I have a meeting with a few of them in half an hour.”
Excellent. I wanted to be alone with Mykel, and this was the perfect opportunity. “Very well, go ahead. You may leave.”
“But, sir?” His eyes darted to Mykel and back to me.
“I’m bringing him on to keep me alive. If I can’t trust being alone with him, this will never work.”
Mykel had a sardonic grin on his face as he listened to my conversation with Asahi.
“I’ll return soon,” Asahi said as he left the room.
“And then there were two.” Mykel moved over toward my desk and sat in the seat across from me.
“It would appear so.”
“So, tell me.” He released a sigh, stretched in the chair, and smiled. “Just how fucked are you without me?”
“You want to know statistics, Mykel?” I smirked and rested my hands on the top of my desk, regarding him.
“Oh, no, no, no, Ren, I want to know your deepest darkest secrets.”
He’d called me Ren. No one did that without permission, and yet I found I liked hearing my name on his lips.
“I don’t see why those dark secrets are relevant.”
Mykel stood so abruptly, I slammed my back against my chair. He didn’t laugh at me; he just pressed his palms atop my
desk and hovered. His face was grim, his eyes haunted.
“It’s in the darkest shadows of your darkest secrets where the demons hide, Ren. Every enemy you have is pulling up every
board, lifting every stone, and shining every light to find what weakens you. I need to know before they do. It’s how you
survive. It’s how I keep you alive. So when they open the door thinking they got you, they’ll find me and know it’s me who has
you and understand. If they see me, they’re already dead.”
Holy fuck. I wanted him to have me. I swallowed my knee-jerk response and instead said, “My death would bring about the
end of Lucifer’s Landing. If I die, Mykel, so does this place.”
“There are many bosses, Ren.”
“That’s the thing, Mykel. There aren’t. In the end, there is really only one.”
“And that’s you?”
Neither one of us had moved, and I didn’t know why I was telling him all this. No one knew it. Nobody.
“What if I told you once upon a time my family owned all of Lucifer’s Landing?”
“I’d ask you how you lost it.”
“And I’d tell you I never did.”
Mykel stepped back, confusion marring his features. “Then why do the others think they have any part of Lucifer’s
Landing?”
“Because if they found out, they’d all kill me for the rights. Dante Scavo is with me in this fight for everyone to keep their
land, though he doesn’t know any of this about me.”
“So you honestly are fucked without me.”
I nodded. “I’m dead without you, Mykel.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Mykel
S HIT . I couldn’t believe what I was hearing…Wait, was I even hearing it correctly? I sat back down, not trusting my legs to
keep me up. “Let me see if I got this right. You basically own all of Lucifer’s Landing. None of the other bosses know, and if
they did, they’d each try to kill you so they could be the sole owner and take it all?”
“Yes.”
“How did it become what it did? I mean, there are crime bosses left and right, and politicians. Does any one person
actually ever own a whole city-state?” I couldn’t wrap my head around any of this.
“It’s a long story, and while I can see it doesn’t make sense to you, I will give you the very short version. When my family
came over from Japan, my great-great-very-great-grandfather was a powerful man. They wanted him here to help the economy
and build on the land. Not stupid, he demanded ownership, and so they gave it to him. But this was forever ago, and as time
passed, there were gang wars, and it was a mess. My family was outnumbered, and bosses took over areas. But one thing no
one ever did was make it legal or official.”
“And the numbers have still never been on your side, so rather than put a huge bull’s-eye on your back, even if it all is
legally yours, you let it be what it is?”
“Most of the time it’s fairly peaceful, Mykel.”
“But it’s yours. You could change it to be a place where people want to raise a family. Instead, it’s mob owned, gang run,
and shady.” If I had the power of someone like Ren Ikeda, I’d never let the land my family formed turn into what it currently
was.
“You should know that it wasn’t I who made Lucifer’s Landing what it is.”
“But you’ve kept it like this. Why not have a sit-down with Dante Scavo and offer to split the land with him, legally, if he
helps you?” I didn’t know the Italian mob boss, but to know you’d have half of Lucifer’s Landing had to be appealing.
“And what should I say to Dante, that he has to be a blue-collar, clean criminal?” Ren chortled. “It’s a lot more
complicated than you think. This is all just dirt and rocks. We can’t just decide to go walk the right path, Mykel. We are more
than just this land.”
“How so?”
“We have important, powerful, and very dangerous people who rely on us. Even if I was able to defeat the other bosses
with Dante’s help, it wouldn’t stop others from coming over to take their piece of the pie.”
I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of that. I easily saw in Ren’s eyes that if he could change things, he would. But he was
stuck, like so many of us, in the lives we were born into.
“Yeah.” I breathed out my reply. “That sucks.”
Ren chuckled, and his smile transformed his entire face. He was gorgeous without it, but with it, he was luminous.
“I try to keep the peace, Mykel, I truly do. In the last attack, I lost good people, my sister was in danger, and had it not been
for Rainn Blessing, she’d likely be dead.”
Who? “Who is Rainn Blessing?”
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but as I sat there listening to Ren talk—about who Rainn was, about his sister
Himari, the people he’d lost, and what his destroyed home looked like—I found myself relaxing. He had a soothing voice and
told a tale exactly the way I liked it. No unnecessary crap, straight to the point, but with personality.
A knock on the door interrupted Ren’s story about his parents. “Come in,” Ren called out.
Eiko and Louis entered. “Sir, it’s getting late, perhaps⁠—”
Ren turned toward the window, as did I. The sun was setting. We’d been in here for hours.
“Forgive me, I lost track of time. Mykel, I do apologize.” He stood, and I followed suit, feeling my body protest from being
stationary too long.
“It’s been enlightening,” I answered.
“Well, you need to make arrangements, do you not?” He quirked a brow, and while I was slightly irritated that I was being
forced into this situation, I had to admit I was intrigued by this man.
“I will contact my boss tonight. I own my home, so it’s no bother worrying about rent or anything. I can pay bills from here,
but I’ll need to call the post office, and my dog is at my house, so he’ll have to be here.”
“Dog?” Ren asked. “A furry dog?”
“Is there such a thing as a hairless dog?” I laughed at the sheer horror on Ren’s face.
“Actually, yeah, I think there is,” Louis answered.
“Can’t the dog go to a kennel?” And just when I was starting to like Ren, he said that.
“I’m not putting Zeus in a kennel for a long period of time. He needs exercise, and his diet is tricky. I have a coworker
watching him for now, but Zeus doesn’t like it when I’m away, and he goes on all my jobs with me.”
Ren’s eyes widened. “And if he destroys my home?”
“He won’t. I’ve had him since he was a puppy. He listens to me.”
We had this stare-down going on. Clearly, Ren was not a fan of dogs—fear or messiness, I wasn’t sure. But if there was no
Zeus, there was no me.
“Mr. Ikeda, sir.” Louis took a few steps toward us. “Mykel is real good with Zeus, and he’s the best dog ever. He won’t
ruin none of your nice things. I swear it.”
Ren’s glare softened, though his expression was still hard. “One week. If the dog breaks one thing, he’s gone.”
“That’s fine, but remember, if Zeus leaves, so do I.”
I thought I had him until he spoke. “And you remember that if you leave, your brother’s debt isn’t paid.”
I shot Ren a quick, narrowed glare and then faced Louis. “Let’s go. I need a few days, but I’ll return.”
“A few days?” Eiko blocked the exit to the office.
“I need clothes. I need to get my dog, and I live three hours away. I said a few days, and it is what it is.” I got right up in
Eiko’s space and ensured there was no mistake understanding what I was telling him.
“That’s fine,” Ren answered. “Move aside, Eiko. Mykel, I will see you in two days. Louis, I suggest you’re up bright and
early tomorrow morning to get working on my house.”
“Yes, sir, I will be.”
“Very well, you may all go.” Ren waved his hand in such a dismissive way, a spark of anger trembled through my body.
I’d just spent hours talking with him and had thought, ever so briefly, that maybe I’d read him wrong. But no, this solidified
it. Ren Ikeda was an asshole, and I’d keep him alive only so I’d be the one to bury him.
“Mykel.” Louis’s hand on my arm pulled me back from making what I was sure would be a huge mistake.
“Let’s go.” I stomped out of Ren’s office, not eager to return.
“I DON’T UNDERSTAND, how long will you be gone?” My boss, Neil, was a retired Marine and a former chief of police in
Los Angeles. He was tough as nails but cared a lot for his employees.
“I don’t know. My brother got himself in some serious shit, and I need to go help him out.” I was currently rushing around
my house, packing everything for me and Zeus while Neil sat on my couch, watching me go back and forth.
“You gonna run every time your brother has an issue?” He meant no offense by it, and I loved Neil, so I didn’t punch him
through the wall, thankfully.
“Probably, you know that. We’re all each other has.”
He nodded, huffed, and stood. “Okay, I’ll block you out for a month. If it takes longer, let me know. And, Mykel.” He
stepped in my path, forcing me to look and listen to him. “If you need help, call. We’ll all be there.” And he meant it. If one of
his employees was in trouble, he’d come.
“Thanks, Neil.”
As he walked past Zeus on his way out, he patted him on the head and spoke to him. “You take good care of your pop,
Zeus.” The dog responded with a lick and a quick huff.
“See ya, Mykel. Be safe.”
Zeus looked over at me after Neil left, his blue eyes piercing. Sure, he was a terrifying dog. He was supposed to be. Zeus
was pitch black except for his eyes. He was a cane corso; they were bred to be hunters and protectors. He had more muscle on
him than some men I knew, and I’d seen him take people to the ground. But he was also a secret cuddler and licker. He loved
tug-of-war, read people really well, and liked to judge me for my choices…like right now.
“Don’t look at me like that. This’ll be fine. The place is big, and there’s a huge park across the street where we can run and
play.”
Zeus blinked and yawned.
“Fine. You just put on your judgery-doo face, and you’ll just have to wait and see for yourself.”
I shoved the last of his toys and treats into his duffel and plopped it in front of him. “You can carry that yourself.”
I gathered my things, and Zeus took his duffel in his mouth and followed me out. I’d hired a maid service to pop in once a
week to clean, water my plants, and grab my mail. Fortunately, I made decent money with Neil. I wished my money could have
gotten Louis off the hook, but paying for the electrical work and then some would be too much. And Ren seemed more pissed
that Theo had worked for Joseph Etienne, and nothing was going to appease him except me protecting him.
Zeus took his spot in the passenger’s seat as I got into my pickup truck. I rolled the windows down, enjoying the cool
breeze, and raised my music. It was a three-hour drive, and I had a lot to think about on my way there.
This was a bad situation, and I knew bad. I sure as shit got myself into, or found myself in, horrific places, tangled in
dangerous missions often enough to know. I’d had my fair share of horrible thoughts with calls I was given, but protecting Ren
Ikeda was the worst decision I’d ever made.
I looked over at Zeus, sleeping without a care in the world, and hoped no one would provoke him. I didn’t want him to end
up hurting anyone. I meant it—I’d leave if they made him go, and that had me worrying about my brother. How’d he always get
himself in so much shit all the time?
It was late afternoon by the time I drove my truck into the underground garage of Ikeda’s building. Zeus needed to run, pee,
and eat.
“Let’s get settled, buddy, and I’ll take you for a nice, long walk. Sound good?”
He huffed and stretched best he could in my truck. I got out, grabbed our bags, and dropped Zeus’s duffel to the ground.
Once he picked it up again with his mouth, we were off. As soon as we got to the elevator and hit the button, a voice came
through the speaker.
“This is a restricted area. All personnel have to be cleared with Mr. Ikeda. Please state your name.” You’d think they’d
have been aware of my arrival, but it appeared the security really was for shit.
When I glanced down at Zeus, he was totally giving me the equivalent of a doggy eye roll.
“Mykel Finlay. Ren’s expecting me, which if you were exemplary security, you’d have known.”
There was a brief silence and then, “Mr. Ikeda, you mean.”
“I have no time for this shit. Am I coming up or leaving?”
A moment later, the elevator doors opened, and Zeus and I walked in. We didn’t have to hit a number because the second it
closed, it started moving.
“Fancy.”
The doors opened, and when Zeus and I stepped out, we were greeted by two guys I hadn’t met…and they had guns pointed
at us. Huge mistake. Zeus dropped his duffel and began to growl.
Fuck.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ren
I WAS SITTING with Himari in the living room, discussing with her why her going on a vacation with friends right now was
extremely dangerous when the elevator buzzed. I knew Mykel was arriving today, so I anticipated it would be him. Eiko,
Asahi, Minoto, and Satoshi were all aware, and I’d expected them to discuss it with staff and security. Letting them handle it, I
continued my talk with Himari.
“It’s not the time, and I don’t have the men. I’m sorry.”
“Maybe me being far away is safer!” She was as stubborn as I was.
“Or my enemies will hunt, and if that happened, finding you would be harder. They’d likely kill you to weaken me.”
She huffed and opened her mouth to speak just as two men ran past us with guns, heading toward the elevator.
“Himari, go to your room now,” I ordered.
“What about you?”
“Now, Himari! I will not argue this.”
Fortunately, she did as I commanded and went. I saw Eiko coming out of the kitchen, his gun in hand.
“What’s going on?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but stay here, sir.”
I held back, respecting Eiko’s request, and listened. I heard the elevator doors open and the familiar sound of safeties being
turned off. There was a plop followed by a growl. A growl?
“You’ll want to put those guns away now.” That was Mykel’s voice, and he was eerily calm.
“What’s going on?” Eiko asked, and then the growl turned into a bark. The dog!
“Everyone, stop moving!” Mykel shouted. “Please.”
“Put them down,” Eiko said, and I assumed they listened. “What do we do, Mykel?”
“I’m gonna reach over and take Zeus’s collar. It’ll tell him not to pursue, and these two jackasses need to slowly walk
away.”
“Okay. You two heard him. When he takes the collar, move out of here.”
As I stayed frozen in place, I soon saw the two men walking backward into the living room. I shook my head at them and
swore I’d find out why they hadn’t been told about Mykel’s arrival. New people were so hard to break in.
“Now what?” Eiko asked.
“Now, you go. Let me sit with Zeus and calm him. He’s trained well, but one of those lessons is to stop someone from
shooting me.”
“Understood. I’ll move.”
The moment I saw Eiko, he stood beside me and spoke in hushed tones.
“That dog is a beast.”
I hated dogs. At the age of eleven, a neighbor’s dog had chased me and bitten my leg. I wasn’t thrilled about Zeus at all and
really hoped this wasn’t a mistake.
“I thought one of you told the new men about Mykel’s arrival.”
Eiko huffed. “We did. I will speak with them about it and find out, but I must have failed to mention the dog because I
assumed it was going to be some mangy thing. We weren’t expecting Cerberus over there. The elevator cameras must’ve shown
that monster, and they reacted.”
I listened as Mykel spoke in hushed, sweet tones to the dog. The growling stopped, and the men were out of sight. I retired
to the couch, where I had been sitting with Himari, and thought it best to relax there. Eiko sat in the wingback chair across from
me, and we waited.
It didn’t take long, and yet it felt like forever, before Mykel stepped into the living area. Zeus was very reminiscent of
Cerberus, like Eiko had said, and his fierce glare stole my breath.
“He won’t hurt you, Ren.”
I couldn’t take my gaze off the piercing blue color of the dog’s eyes, and it seemed Zeus wouldn’t budge, either.
“Mykel, you promised he’d be safe,” Eiko whispered loudly, but I dared not move.
“He’s trained to react if I am in danger. As you saw, he did not attack anyone but gave them warning.” Mykel stood between
Zeus and me, effectively jolting me to look at him. “He is an asset, trust me.”
“Trust you?”
He sighed, came over to the couch and sat. Zeus stayed put, watching every move.
“I’m here to keep you alive, and you yourself said that you had to trust me if I was to protect you.”
I nodded, looking between Mykel and Zeus. “I did, but how can I trust a dog? Especially one known to be bred for
violence.”
“Any dog is violent if his master demands it,” Mykel responded. “But Zeus is only protective. And if you’ll let me, I’d like
to have him protect you.”
“How do you propose to do that?”
We stared at each other for a moment. I couldn’t read Mykel’s mind, but there was no question he was contemplating
something. He broke eye contact and gave his attention to his dog.
“Zeus, come.” His voice was commanding, and Zeus slowly came over. My body stiffened, and I held my breath. “Give me
your hand.”
Instinctively, I curled my fists closer to my sides. “Why?”
“Trust, Ren.” He held out his open palm and waited patiently. I eyed the dog, darted my gaze to Eiko, who appeared shell-
shocked, and slower than I was sure Mykel appreciated, I put my hand in his.
“Zeus, paw.” He opened his other hand, and without hesitation, unlike myself, the dog plopped his massive paw in his
hand.
“What are you doing?” I wanted to pull away, but Mykel must have sensed it, because his grip tightened.
“Do me a favor and don’t speak, Ren. Just let me be in charge.” He winked at me, which was odd under the circumstances,
and yet a tendril of warmth trickled across my stomach to my groin and…No, no, not now.
“Good boy,” Mykel said, and I didn’t know if he was talking to me or the dog. I watched in horror as he put Zeus’s paw
atop my hand. “Zeus, friend.” When Zeus leaned close to my hand, I wanted to snatch it back, but terror kept me frozen in
place. “Ren, friend,” Mykel spoke to his dog, and Zeus sniffed me.
I felt a slight bit of slobber and snot on my hand, which was gross, but I dared not move. After a few seconds, Zeus swiped
his tongue across both of our hands.
“Good boy, Zeus.” Mykel looked directly into Zeus’s eyes, and the dog obediently made eye contact. “Zeus, protect Ren.”
He rubbed the dog’s paw over my hand. “Protect.”
To my surprise, Zeus huffed, dropped his paw from our hand-holding session, and moved to the other side of Mykel so he
was directly in front of me.
“Is he going to eat me?”
Mykel laughed. “No, watch.”
A second later, Zeus lay at my feet, one paw on my foot. He was unmoving.
“Is he going to sleep there?”
“Ren, he’s protecting you. Trust me…and trust him.” He turned to Eiko. “Do I have a room where I can put my things?”
“Yeah, um, is he good?” Eiko pointed at the sleeping dog.
“He’s fine. Come on, let me get settled. I have to take Zeus for a walk and feed him. Then I’d like to go over your shitty
security.”
“I beg your pardon?” I raised my voice, and for a single heartbeat, I thought Zeus would react, but he didn’t.
“Your security is shit, Ren.” He stood and followed Eiko with his bags.
I wanted to chase after him and pry deeper into this conversation. I needed him to take his damn dog and not leave me here
with him. I didn’t take my eyes off Zeus as he snored lightly. I was so entranced with the dog, I didn’t hear Himari enter until
she plopped onto the couch beside me. Zeus never moved.
“Aww, look at the pup.” She leaned down and gently petted his head and still Zeus never moved.
“He is not a pup. He’s a vicious killer sent here from Hell to supposedly protect me.” I spoke softly, because while Himari
appeared to have a death wish, I did not.
“He doesn’t seem vicious.” She slid to the floor beside him.
“Himari, he will murder you with his deathly jaws.”
She chuckled and kept petting his head. He was clearly enjoying it, and Himari started talking to him in encouraging tones,
telling him he was a good boy and asking if he liked a certain way she scratched him.
“You’re embarrassing yourself,” I said as I dared to relax slightly.
“You’re a scaredy-cat, Ren, and I get it. Maybe if I had been mauled by the neighbor’s dog as a kid, I’d have a fear too.”
She scratched behind Zeus’s ear, and he grumbled happily.
“You were attacked by a dog?” Mykel startled me. I hadn’t heard him come into the room.
“It was a long time ago. May I get up now?”
Mykel’s brow furrowed. “Of course, anytime you want, you can get up. Zeus knows you’re a friend and to protect you.”
I wasn’t sure I believed that, but with Mykel here, I felt more secure getting up. Zeus didn’t budge much. Of course, he
watched me, but not like I was prey. More like he wanted to know where I was.
“Hi.” Himari waved from her perch on the floor. “I’m Himari, Ren’s sister.”
“Hello, I’m Mykel. I’m here to keep your brother alive.” His smile was disarming, and his gray eyes twinkled under the
lighting.
“Oh, that’s wonderful. He needs help.” I wanted to say something, but she barreled through. “Is this your dog?”
“Yes, his name is Zeus, and I see he likes you.” He chuckled and went over to where Himari was. They were talking, so I
made a mad dash to the kitchen for some water.
I’d just poured myself a glass when Eiko came up beside me. “You all right?”
“Yes, why do you ask?” I chugged the water down so fast I sputtered.
“It’s not too late to tell Mykel no. I mean, do we really need him, sir?” Eiko and I looked out through the kitchen to the
living room where Himari and Mykel were sitting on the floor with Zeus, who very much loved the attention.
“No slight to you, Eiko, or the other men, but yes, we need him. I need him. He has the kind of experience so few have, and
he’s quick witted.”
“You barely know who he is. How can you be sure?”
I sighed, put my glass in the sink, and rested my hands on Eiko’s shoulders. “I know people. I know which of my men are
likely to actually jump in front of a bullet for me and which will run. I know the strengths and weaknesses of you all. And
Mykel will fill a spot here that is greatly lacking.”
“Of course I trust you, sir, I…he’s so⁠—”
“Different.”
Eiko nodded. “He will dismantle all we have in place.”
I released Eiko and walked over to the archway where the kitchen met the living room. Neither Mykel nor Himari would be
able to hear me.
“I think we need to be dismantled and rebuilt. My structure wasn’t sound, and that’s how they got into my home. I was too
comfortable, and so were all of you. Mykel Finlay very well may be the glue that keeps it impenetrable this time.”
Eiko nodded and sidestepped me to go into the living room. I had just taken a few steps into the room when Zeus stood
abruptly and started growling. I froze, thinking I’d done something.
“Don’t move, Ren.”
I didn’t dare. Zeus slowly moved toward me, and my body vibrated with terror. He quickened his steps, and I looked at
Mykel for help, but it all happened so fast. Zeus jumped on me, tackling me to the ground. Glass from one of the windows
shattered, and the room began to fill with smoke.
Zeus wouldn’t move, and I couldn’t breathe. I heard Himari yell, the sounds of gunfire, and the stench of the smoke was so
horrible, I could taste it. But Zeus stayed on me. I wanted to get up. I needed to get to Himari. I heard her scream with terror…
and then nothing. Silence.
CHAPTER SIX
Mykel
“EIKO , GET HIMARI OUT OF HERE!” He seemed unsure of what to do: go to Ren or listen to me. I had hoped we’d have time to
talk about the security and who would be running this safety shit before anything like this happened, but clearly I was wrong.
“I’ve got Ren.”
Thankfully, he crawled over and took Himari’s hand. “Stay low,” he said to her. She was sobbing but able to nod,
indicating she’d heard him.
All my weapons were in my bags that were currently in the bedroom I’d be staying in, so I had to keep Ren alive and
defend him without anything. Zeus was lying across Ren, ready to attack anyone who even thought of coming near him. When he
saw me, he shifted enough to where I could see Ren. He had his eyes closed, and I didn’t know if he’d passed out or if he was
seriously hurt.
“Zeus, bag.” My dog got off Ren and ran to the bedroom. He knew what I meant. There was a smaller one I carried with
guns and ammo in it, and he’d retrieve it.
“Ren?” I lightly smacked his face just as another window blew out. “Shit. Okay, I’m carrying you, then.”
Zeus came running in and dropped the bag beside me. I quickly got my two guns out and grabbed some ammo. I tucked one
gun into my waistband, keeping the other at the ready. Ammo in my pocket, I scooped Ren up.
“Gotta run, Zeus.”
There was no way of knowing if the elevators were working, and if they were, I wasn’t signaling that we were on our way.
Stairs it was. I lifted Ren in a fireman’s carry, so I had my other hand free to shoot any motherfucker who got in my way.
“Follow,” I ordered Zeus, who I knew would be right behind me as I rushed for the door to the stairwell. Bullets whizzed
by me, and knowing how high up we were, that meant snipers.
I felt the biting kiss of a bullet as it grazed my arm, but I never faltered. We got to the door, I opened it, and Zeus darted in. I
knew he was using all his senses to our benefit, and hearing no growl, I started descending the stairs as fast as my feet could
take me.
Red lights illuminated the stairwell, indicating all power was out in the building. I had barely made it three flights when
people began rushing out and running down the stairs.
“Stay close, Zeus.” He pressed his body against my side, indicating he heard me.
I didn’t know where Eiko or anyone else was, but my job was Ren, and I knew where my truck was. That was my goal.
Carrying Ren along the narrow stairs with a bunch of people pushing and freaking out wasn’t easy. I couldn’t see if Zeus
was all right, but every so often, he nudged me.
It took forever, but we made it to the garage.
“Truck, Zeus.”
With his head low, searching under vehicles for anyone who may have been hiding, he trotted toward my truck. I kept Ren
steady with one arm and held my gun in the other hand. I was in amazing shape, but this wasn’t easy, and by the time I made it
to my truck, I was ready to drop Ren. As soon as I opened the rear door, Zeus jumped in. A second later there was the distinct
sound of the click of a gun.
“Don’t fucking move,” the voice said, and I thought it was safe to assume he wasn’t a cop. “Drop your gun and put him on
the ground.”
I slowly turned, knowing Zeus would be watching my six, and Ren’s head would be closer to him than the bullet.
“I said don’t move!” the idiot shouted.
“You also told me to toss my gun and put him down. You can’t have it both ways, cupcake.”
The man who stood before me was in a crisp, expensive three-piece suit. He had a shiny gun and no brains at all.
“Yeah, you knew what I meant. Just do it.”
“You got it, Nike.” I threw the gun to the pavement, and the man grumbled that he didn’t understand what I meant by that.
My plan was to put Ren on the seat, grab the gun in my waistband, and shoot the guy, but as I was about to do that, I felt a
hand slide up my ass and pull my gun out of my pants. Ren was awake. New plan it was.
I turned around and placed Ren on the seat. He pretended to be dead weight, playing passed-out really well, and then I gave
the guy my attention.
“Now what?”
“Now fucking throw me your keys and fuck off.”
“Hmm.” I folded my arms over my chest. “You’re gonna take my truck, my dog, and my man? Where’s the deal in that?”
“You get to live.”
I knew Ren was ready…I hoped, anyway.
“But you don’t.”
“Wha—”
I dropped to the ground and heard the shots overhead. Only three. I looked at Mr. Three-Piece Suit as he collapsed. One in
the head, two in the chest. Nicely done.
Zeus barked and I leaped to my feet. “We gotta go.”
Ren didn’t argue. He shut the door with Zeus beside him, and I got into the driver’s seat.
“Where are we going?” Ren asked.
I started the truck and peeled out of there. “We’re going where they won’t find you. Now stay low.”
It was likely whoever these people were that were hell-bent on getting their hands on Ren knew what my truck looked like,
but with the tinted windows, I knew they couldn’t see him. As I booked it down the street, I saw emergency vehicles headed
toward the building.
“Where’s Himari?” Ren was on the floor in the back seat, Zeus standing guard.
“She went with Eiko, and when we get to a safe area, you can call him, and we will figure out our next steps.” The second I
turned onto the highway, I was relieved. “Are you hurt?”
“No, why?” he wondered.
“You were passed out when I got to you.”
“Because your dog was lying on my chest, and I couldn’t breathe.”
I chuckled. Ren wasn’t the first person Zeus had done that to, but I was going to have to figure out a way to teach him to
guard differently. It would have been a hell of a lot easier had Ren been able to take the stairs on his own instead of me
carrying him.
“You’re bleeding.” Ren placed his hand on my arm before I could react to what he was saying.
“What? Oh yeah, just a graze. No big deal.”
“When we get to where we are going, be sure to stop at a store for something to patch you up.”
I shrugged. It really was just a graze, and I’d had far worse. “There’s a first-aid kit in the bed of my truck. No need to
stop.”
We were silent for a while as I drove. My boss, Neil, had a nice big cabin in the woods about an hour from Lucifer’s
Landing. He told all of us, if we ever needed it, it was ours, and then gave us each a code to get in. I hoped no one else was
occupying it, but it was the only place I could think of where I could keep Ren safe.
“How much longer?” Ren’s impatience was clear in his tone.
“You’re like a kid. But, Little Ren, only another ten minutes.”
“You could at least tell me where we are going.”
“We’re going to Lancaster Lodge.” I laughed lightly, and of course, Ren didn’t miss a beat.
“Why is that funny?”
“Sorry, it’s not. My boss is Neil Lancaster, and we joke and call it Lancaster Lodge. He has it there for any of his people,
and I’m hoping it’s vacant.”
Ren didn’t respond to that, and soon enough, we were pulling into the driveway of a vacant cabin. I was glad I wouldn’t
have to explain to anyone why I had powerful Japanese mob boss Ren Ikeda with me.
“It’s dark,” Ren said as he stepped out of the truck.
“No one’s here. Come, we’re safe, but I’d like to get inside.”
I grabbed the first-aid kit even though I was sure Neil had enough stuff in the cabin to keep us cared for and fed for at least
a month.
I pressed the code onto the number pad on the door, and it clicked open. The second we entered, lights turned on.
“That’s a neat trick.” Ren was looking all around the room, and I was noticing how out of place this was for him.
“Your security is seriously lacking if you think that is neat. No one should have been able to infiltrate your penthouse that
high up and⁠—”
“Mykel, not right now. I need to get in touch with Eiko and see that Himari is safe.”
“Fine. You have your phone?” He nodded. “Make your call. I’m going to take Zeus outside and then get him some food and
water.” I left the room, letting Ren deal with that mess, and got Zeus situated.
Ren was still talking when I came back inside, so I searched the cupboards and refrigerator and wasn’t shocked to see it
stocked. Neil once told me he had someone come in once a week to fill things up and clean and that when we used our codes to
get in he would be notified. I didn’t mind Neil knowing I was using this place. He wouldn’t ask me anything unless I reached
out to him.
“Eiko has Himari at his apartment.” Ren stepped into the kitchen just as I was taking beef out of the refrigerator.
“Is that safe?”
“It should be. It seems like every property I publicly own is being taken apart. Eiko’s home is off the grid enough that she’ll
be safe there, but it’s small. Louis is also safe where he is—I’m sure that was your next question.”
I had been about to ask where Louis was, but a vulnerable Ren wasn’t something I imagined he made a habit of letting
people see, and that was front and center in my mind right then. I put the meat on the counter and went over to him.
“Have a seat. I’ll make some coffee, or tea if you rather.”
“Tea would be nice, thank you, but…” He reached out for my arm. “I’d really rather clean this up. I can’t have my one and
only protection dying of sepsis or anything, can I?”
“It stopped bleeding. I’m sure it’s fine.”
“Clean up, then tea, and then we figure all this out.”
People like Ren craved to feel in control, and right now his whole world was anything but. I knew I was fine, but I needed
Ren sharp, and if that meant letting him get his way this once, I’d do it.
“Fine. Follow me to the bathroom.”
I left the first-aid kit by the entrance, already knowing Neil had the medicine cabinet filled. I brought us to the master
bathroom because it was by far the biggest, and I didn’t want to squeeze to fit in the one on the ground floor.
“Have a seat.” Ren opened the medicine cabinet and began pulling things out with a familiarity of someone who had lived
here for years.
“You appear to know what you’re doing.” I sat on the toilet seat and pulled my shirt off.
“Why, because I took things out of the medicine cab—” He stopped talking so abruptly I looked up from appraising my
wound.
“What?”
His eyes weren’t glued to the gun shot but instead to my abs. Hell, if I didn’t know better, I would swear I felt his gaze like
fire, licking my skin.
“Ren?” I didn’t even try to hide the amusement in my tone. “Do you see something you like?” Sliding my hand down my
chest and along my stomach was meant to be in a fun, teasing way, but there was clear want in Ren’s expression.
“You, um…” He ripped open the bandages so forcefully they flew everywhere. “Shit.”
“It’s fine, hey.” I stopped him from picking them up by gently grabbing his arm. “Let’s get me cleaned up, okay? They’re
fine.”
He swallowed once more, and as if someone flicked a switch, he was back to the Ren I met a few days ago.
“Now, let’s fix you up. How you got yourself shot is beyond me.”
I rolled my eyes and let Ren fix me up.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ren
MYKEL WAS right in that the bullet had simply grazed him, but my stubbornness made the wound cleanup a big deal. He didn’t
hiss when I cleaned it—hell, he didn’t even flinch. The man must have an incredible pain tolerance.
“We good, doc?” Mykel looked up at me from his seat on the toilet, amused gray eyes meeting mine.
“I would say so, yes.”
“Great. I’ll get changed. There’s a room across the hall you can have, and there should be spare clothes in the closet and
drawers.” He stood, and it was as if I were being dismissed.
“But this is the master bedroom and bathroom. Shouldn’t I have it?” Was I being pretentious? Yes, but I had to shake off the
feeling of wanting to jump on Mykel’s dick so I could beg him to fuck me into the morning.
“This here is where my boss sleeps, and he only lets his people use this room. I’m not budging on that.” He didn’t make eye
contact with me as he spoke. He dropped his pants and stood right there in the bathroom in his tight, black briefs, leaving
nothing to the imagination.
“I see. Well, I would like to clean up. My suit is, well, destroyed.” I looked at my once-white suit and grimaced.
“Neil always makes certain there’s stuff here for whoever. Go ahead and take your time. You’re safe here.” He walked
over to the shower and turned it on. I darted out of there as fast as I could because if I saw Mykel’s cock, I was sure to
embarrass myself.
Across the hall, in another bedroom that was very lovely, I began poking around. There were clothes for men and women,
and all sizes. Another drawer had sealed underwear, boxers, briefs. And in the nightstand, I found a wrapped toothbrush with
toothpaste, soap, and hair products. What kind of house was this?
I was glad to find clothes that not only fit me but were close enough to my style. I grabbed them and the toiletries and went
to the bathroom down the hall to shower. I normally enjoyed a long shower, and it took time to dry my hair, but it would seem
those luxuries weren’t available at this time, so I’d make do.
After I was clean, changed, and my hair in a long braid, I left the bathroom and followed the delicious aroma coming from
the kitchen.
“Smells divine in here,” I said upon entering. Mykel had on a tight plaid shirt, jeans, and his wet red hair was slicked back.
“Making chili.” He grinned at me, and I didn’t miss his appraisal. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him.
“I’ve had chili many times. I’m interested to see how you make it.” I sat at the table, smiling as Mykel brought over a mug.
“I don’t have any of that fancy tea you probably like, but we have a few kinds.” He set a silver square container filled with
different teas.
“I’m sure one of these will be fine.” He poured the hot water into my mug, and I chose a tea. “I was worried about Loni and
my other men at the penthouse. Eiko said he’d find out, but I can’t stay here, Mykel. As safe as this cabin may be, my sister is
out there albeit not in any harm currently, and also my men are my protection.”
“I’m your protection, Ren. Me and Zeus.” He closed the lid on the cooker and sat at the table with me.
“You don’t understand, Mykel. That man in the garage worked for Cillian McLoughlin. I had hoped that Cillian and Elias
would fight between themselves first before going after me or Dante.”
“Actually, it’s a brilliant strategy.”
“Pardon me?” I slammed my tea on the table harder than intended, causing it to spill over. Mykel tossed me a towel.
“Calm yourself. You’re badass and all, but out of all the families, yours was hit the hardest and you are the weakest right
now after the Etiennes, right? You pick off the least threatening first, then go for the big ones after you’ve eaten up as much
power as you can.”
I hated how much sense that made. If the tables were turned and I had to take down my enemies, I’d be going for the
weakest as well. Unfortunately, me being the weakest made it hard for me to retaliate.
“I understand their tactics. But I was never about a war. They just happen sometimes. I only retaliate when I must, and I
don’t have the manpower to do that right now. But I do need to respond to this.”
Mykel took a sip of his coffee and chuckled. “What, like an RSVP on an invite?”
“No, I can’t let this go unpunished. They think I’m weak, and while they’re not wrong, I must make them see otherwise.”
“Like kill one of them?”
I nodded. “If you haven’t noticed, Mykel, it’s kill or be killed.”
He lifted his arm that was shot. “Oh, I noticed.”
“Right, so either you allow my people here, or I’m going to have to go somewhere to arrange things.”
“Before that’s even considered, you and I need to talk seriously.”
I quirked a brow. “When do we not talk seriously?”
He kept going as if I hadn’t uttered a word. “You need to make clear to your men that I’m in charge of security. I get that you
have Asahi as your number one or whatnot, but you’re not faring well with him in charge, and that’s because of all the holes in
your boat. You can’t let the water in, Ren, and this is what I do for a living. I need everyone to do as I say and not go off half-
cocked because they think they know better.”
“Listen to me, Mykel. I understand what you’re asking, but I’m not sure I can give that to you. See, my security does more
than protect me. They avenge the Ikeda name when offense has been given, such as the actions that transpired today. You have
no interest in that.”
He sat back, eyes narrowed. “I will only kill those who try to kill what I’m here to keep alive.”
“Kill them now or kill them later—does it truly matter?”
“Going into a defenseless person’s bedroom to kill them on the off chance they’ll harm you, yeah, it matters.” He stood so
abruptly the chair wobbled.
I watched as he went over to the cooker and stirred the chili. How could he judge me knowing he’d done the same? I was
sure.
“Don’t tell me—in your years in the military, you were never ordered to go and kill someone and, in that moment when you
took their last breath from them, they weren’t defenseless.”
He turned quickly, took the two steps it took to reach me, and hovered over me as I sat in the chair.
“You do not get to compare the military to the mafia!”
“The military is run by the government, and I can’t think of a more questionable racket.”
I wouldn’t back down, even when he placed his hands on the armrests of the chair and inched closer to my face.
“You speak of things you don’t understand.”
“And you’re asking me to change the world I know…a world, I might add, you know nothing about. The aroma in this room
is much more than just the chili.” I made a show of sniffing. “Is that hypocrisy, Mykel?”
The wood squeaked under his punishing grip. There was no hiding the anger on his face, and yet—though we weren’t
seeing eye to eye, and we each wanted to win this argument and rub it in the other’s face—I wanted him to slam me on the
kitchen table, rip my pants off, and fuck me so hard I felt it for weeks.
“Your choices are my way, or get the fuck out of here and tough it on your own,” he said through gritted teeth as though he’d
come apart if he spoke any louder.
“And what of your brother?” I countered.
“You really going to threaten me right now?”
He wasn’t budging, and the more he hovered, the angrier he got, the more I wanted to push him a little further to see what
he’d do.
“What are you going to do to me, Mykel? You’re supposed to protect me.”
“You don’t know when to shut the fuck up.”
I knew Mykel could see me as my hand moved from my lap, but he didn’t move an inch. I slowly slid it up his arm, but he
still didn’t so much as twitch, and as soon as I gripped the collar of his plaid shirt, the sound of his gasp was as powerful as a
pin being pulled out of a grenade.
“I think I want you to make me shut the fuck up, Mykel.”
And then it was like a grenade exploded. In one fluid and powerful movement, Mykel scooped me out of the chair and
pressed our lips together with such force, our teeth clashed and I tasted copper in my mouth.
There was no finesse in how we divested ourselves of our clothes right there in the kitchen, me in Mykel’s arms. It was
clumsy, and the sounds of grunting, tearing fabric, and wet kisses played like a chaotic symphony.
“Shit,” Mykel said, and we started moving out of the kitchen. I had no idea where he was carrying me, and I found I didn’t
much care. I’d let him fuck me on a mound of dirt right now.
But it wasn’t dirt I fell onto; it was something plush, and when Mykel’s hard body pressed atop mine, I was tumbling
through the most perfect feelings. For the first time in forever, I let someone take control and allowed myself to trust in
someone else.
“You really want this, Ren?” I would like to think Mykel was concerned for my well-being, but the raw gravelly way he
asked was anything but sweet and caring.
“Do you think you’ve got what it takes?” I knew I was egging him on, but I wanted to feel this, him, anything other than the
dread that had been suffocating my mind lately.
He chuckled darkly, raised his body slightly, and with one hand continued removing my clothes. “Oh, I know what I got.”
“No more talking. Fuck me.”
He spread his hand on my chest and pressed me down toward the plushness. “You’re not in control here, Ren. This is my
domain. You get it?”
I got it, and I wanted it. “Fine, then get to it before I have to take the reins.”
His smile was full of sin and lust, and I couldn’t wait to feel every inch of what he was going to give me.
“Remember, Ren, you asked for it.” With one last smirk, he gripped my shirt and ripped it the rest of the way off.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mykel
AS I HOVERED over Ren and tore at his clothes like some rabid, sex-crazed animal, my mind was shouting at me to stop. This
was Ren Ikeda. I didn’t like him at all…Well, maybe a little. I was about to put a lid on all of it when his shirt slid off his
torso, revealing delicious, unmarred, alabaster skin. His nipples were as pink as a cherry blossom, and fuck, I wanted to bite
them.
“We um…” I trailed the tips of my fingers over his chest, sweeping my thumb over one of his nipples and he arched up,
hissing. His reaction fueled me, and all thoughts about how wrong this was fled my mind. I leaned in and swiped my tongue
across his pebbled nub, loving how his muscles vibrated beneath me.
His fingers dug into my arms, and I knew he was holding back. Showing someone this side of yourself was a vulnerability,
but if I were in charge, I’d make sure to see who Ren the lover really was.
“Let go, Ren. Show me how much you want this.”
He quickly circled my waist with his arms so fast and began grinding his hard cock against mine. His moans and begs
nearly did me in.
“Slowly, or I’ll come in my pants. Speaking of…” I got up and removed the rest of my clothes. Ren did the same from
below me, and the more of himself he unwrapped, the hungrier I became.
I was gonna fuck Ren Ikeda. That thought played through my head as I lowered myself, covering him with my body. He felt
amazing and hard and…hell yeah, this was addictive.
Fusing my mouth to his, I licked my way inside, tasting his words, his breath. Legs entwined, arms tangled, we were
connecting in fury, want, need, and emotion. The world could crash and crumble around us, and I wasn’t certain we’d notice.
My touch seduced his legs open, and my fingers explored every inch they could, only stopping when I reached his balls.
Ren wriggled below me, spurring me on. The moment the warmth of his hole touched my finger, I tapped and tenderly prodded
it.
“Mykel,” he whispered.
I slid down him and rested between his legs. His cock, hard and dripping onto his stomach, was a sexy-as-fuck sight. His
balls were ready to explode, but it was his tight pink hole that entranced me.
Nestling my face into his crease, I breathed in his intoxicating smell and circled his taint with the tip of my tongue. I had to
slick it up and get him open because I wasn’t moving to get lube. His taste was as addicting as his smell, and I pushed my
tongue inside him, loving how he came apart, gripping the large cushions below us as if he were desperate to keep everything
together but losing the battle.
I worked his opening until it was slick and soft, then lifting up, I met his obsidian gaze and without looking away, pressed
my finger in. There was a glazed expression that caressed his features, and when I pushed another one in, reaching his prostate,
he turned into my instrument…and I fucking played him.
“You have to fuck me, Mykel. I’m negative. I’m sure you are. Just fuck me!” Ren was almost hysterical with hunger.
I crawled up his body, stopping inches from his face. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and he was sex dazed. I
brought my hand to my mouth and spit a few times, jacked my dick, and slowly entered him. Spit wasn’t ideal, but it was as
though neither of us could move before we came.
When I was finally all the way in, I froze. He needed to adjust to me. It was as if a vise were surrounding my dick and I
was dying to move, but I waited.
Ren released a contented sigh, and a small smile appeared on his face. I started to slide out and back in in small bursts as
he gripped my arms and wrapped his legs around me. I began to pump harder and faster, chasing our orgasms and at the same
time hoping to stay in this delicious bubble of seduction.
“Yesssssss,” Ren hissed the same time I shouted, “Fuck!”
We came within seconds of each other, and it went on forever, wave after wave of pleasure and beautiful pain.
As the feeling of ecstasy faded and we lay there with come and sweat between us, the shitty reality of what we did hit us
both like a wrecking ball, and as I jolted up, he crawled away.
“It was the adrenaline of the day, that’s it,” I said in my defense—as if an excuse were warranted.
“Caught in the moment, of course.” Ren was looking anywhere but at me. He swiped the afghan off the back of the couch
and covered himself.
I needed to get away from him, or I was sure to rip it off his body and we’d be at it again. I rushed out of the living room
and to the master bedroom. I shut the door, pressed my forehead to the cool wood, and berated myself for letting my dick think
for me.
I knew the chili in the kitchen still had an hour to cook, so I stayed in the room. I showered, changed, and paced. I heard the
shower turn on and Ren’s footsteps as he went to and from his room. How would I be able to look at him? I was a grown-ass
man. I could do this. When I couldn’t hole myself up in the room anymore, I opened the door and with purpose walked to the
kitchen and straight to the chili pot.
I was so focused on the food and trying not to think about what Ren and I had done, I didn’t hear him come in.
“It will be awkward if you can’t look at me, Mykel. I mean, how are you to protect me if you can’t see me?” The scrape of
the chair against the floor indicated Ren was going to sit down.
“We shouldn’t have done that.” I closed the lid to the pot and turned to Ren. He was right; I couldn’t ignore him.
“Famous last words.” He chuckled, and while he was pretending my brush-off didn’t hurt, I saw the strain on his face.
“I need to keep my wits about me, Ren, and what we did in there?” I pointed at the living room. “That was dangerous.”
“Of course.”
“It needs to stay professional. Because once my brother’s debt is paid, I’m out of here.” I started pulling bowls from the
cupboards.
“Understood, Mykel.”
I served us each a bowl of chili, and we sat in silence, minus Ren telling me the chili was very good. After we were
finished, Ren left the kitchen, and I heard the door to his bedroom close. It was best we kept some distance right then.
As I washed the dishes, I thought about our next steps. We were safe in this cabin—hopefully for a while. I was worried
that if we brought Himari and Ren’s guys here, it would showcase where we were. Not to mention, if I was going to have
mobsters in my boss’s cabin, I had to tell him. No way that would be a fun conversation. And while I was worried about Louis,
I had to trust that he was safe. There was just too much going on right now.
After the dishes were done and the kitchen cleaned, I went into the living room to straighten up only to discover Ren had
already done it.
The sun had set hours ago, and while I wasn’t tired, I didn’t want to sit around the cabin doing nothing but watching TV.
Zeus was plopped in front of the fireplace even though it wasn’t lit, and I called him over.
I wanted to check out the cabin grounds, so I took Zeus out with me to walk. The cabin sat on more land than I could see.
There was a lake where Neil and I had fished many times right off the dock by his cabin. If I could, I’d buy this cabin off him
and live here forever. But he purposely had this built for his people. A place for them to go in times of need.
There were no neighbors for miles, and Zeus wasn’t growling, so I knew it was clear. I let him go to the bathroom, and we
went back inside, where I set him up with food and fresh water.
I slept with my door open, and Zeus would usually lie with me or guard the house. As I rested under the covers, I replayed
every second with Ren. It had only been days, but I felt as if I’d been in that man’s clutches for years. Louis had gotten me into
this mess, but seeing firsthand how fucked Ren was—that was what kept me here. I couldn’t just walk away from him. There
was no way my conscience would let me.
My sleep was fitful, and by the time five a.m. came, I’d given up that I’d get more than ten minutes at a time. I went
downstairs and decided to make coffee and sit on the porch with it until Ren woke up. He and I had to talk, but first, I had to
make a phone call to my boss.
“GOOD MORNING,” I said when Ren joined me a few hours later. I’d called Neil and was ready to talk with him, but he
looked to still be sleepy.
“Morning.” He went straight for the kettle and filled it.
“When you’re fully awake, we need to have a talk.”
He set the kettle on the stove and turned to me. “I don’t wish to rehash last night with you, Mykel.”
“Good, neither do I. What I want to talk to you about is the security and what we’re going to do moving forward.” I was
sitting at the kitchen table. My call with Neil had lasted an hour, and there’d been a lot of yelling involved, but in the end, he’d
deferred to me and my decisions.
“Perhaps we could have breakfast as well?” He looked around the room as if it were going to pop out at him.
“We could. Whatcha makin’?”
He chuckled. “I’m good at many things. Cooking isn’t one of them. If you’d like burned eggs and toast, sit back and let me at
it.”
I was relieved that at least the strain of what transpired last night was gone, and sarcastic Ren was making an appearance.
“Fair enough. You deal with your tea, and I’ll feed us.”
Ren went about making his tea while I whipped us up some scrambled eggs and bacon. As I cooked, he sat at the table,
telling me how he’d spoken with Himari last night and Asahi as well. Everyone was safe and very much awaiting instructions
on what to do next.
“And that’s where I come in,” I said as I set a plate in front of him. “I spoke with my boss, and we can have them all here.
But…” I held up a finger when it seemed as if he were going to interrupt. “I set the rules here, Ren. That has to be agreed on
between you and me here and now.”
Ren daintily wiped his mouth and nodded. “This is your territory, and we will adhere to your rules. I will speak to
everyone when they arrive and make that clear.”
“Thank you.” Honestly, I was shocked Ren had so readily agreed to my demand, but as I watched him eat, I realized this
was a different Ren. Maybe one he didn’t often show people but was allowing me to see. Either way, the fact that I wouldn’t
have to fight him at every turn on this made my job a hell of a lot easier.
“Great. Let’s eat, and afterward you can call in the cavalry.”
CHAPTER NINE
Ren
AFTER BREAKFAST , Mykel gave me very clear directions on how to get to the cabin. I then left the kitchen and went upstairs to
my bedroom to call Eiko.
“Have you had any issues?” he asked.
“No. It’s been quiet here. It’s extremely secluded. It’s a good place to regroup and figure out the next steps. I will leave it to
you to contact everyone else. It’s important they tell nobody of this location.”
“You don’t wish for Asahi to gather everyone?” It was true, Asahi was my number one, but with everything going on, it was
obvious Mykel was taking over that spot.
“It’s phone calls, Eiko. Please do as I ask, and quickly. I’ll see you soon.” I ended the conversation and went through the
closet to find something that my people were used to seeing me in. Sweat pants or jeans would not be okay.
I found a gray suit in the closet that was only slightly larger than I’d wear, but it would do perfectly. I showered, dried my
hair, and with a hair band I’d found in the nightstand, I put it half-up. I looked as close to the Ren Ikeda they were used to as I
was going to get.
Once ready, I went downstairs to update Mykel. I found him kneeling in front of the fireplace, his muscled ass bunched
against the heels of his feet. The man was stunning, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want those arms around me every morning.
I must have made a noise, because he turned and his brows furrowed. “What’s the matter?”
“What? Nothing. I wanted to tell you I spoke with Eiko, and everyone will be here throughout the day. I also made sure
Louis is being protected. He will stay at a safe location until the threat is lifted, as promised. No one will find him.”
His eyes scanned my body. “I appreciate that.” He cleared his throat. “You look nice.”
The smile that bloomed on my face shocked me as much as it appeared to surprise Mykel. “Thank you.” I cleared my throat
and went into the kitchen to get a drink of water and stop embarrassing myself.
“Do you know how many people will be arriving?” Apparently, Mykel had followed me in.
“No. I left it to Eiko, why?”
“There are four bedrooms, but Neil has some air mattresses. We’ll need to make arrangements for everyone. We’ll be doing
shifts—so they can share rooms, I’m sure.” He started making a pot of coffee while he spoke.
“I’m sure you can arrange it. Eiko most likely will arrive first, and we can ask him about numbers.”
Without knowing where exactly everyone was, we had no way of knowing what time the last of the people would show.
“I’m going to sit on the porch and wait for the first to come.”
I set my glass in the sink. “I’d like to join you if that’s okay. You may not know who is who and accidentally shoot one of
my men.”
Mykel chuckled. “I have never accidentally done anything.”
I couldn’t let the moment slip by, so as he was passing me to leave the kitchen, I grabbed his arm and he looked down at
me. “Never?” I asked.
His eyes widened, and his body stiffened. He didn’t answer me, but I knew he understood my meaning. He’d said he never
accidentally did anything, and yet he’d said we should never have done what we had last night.
“I’ll meet you outside, but if it’s dangerous or something happens, you have to listen to me.”
“Yes, boss.” I slipped out of the kitchen before him, smiling when he growled.
AS I SAT on the porch with Mykel and drank tea, I listened to the nature around me. So much of my life was a cacophony of
sounds, but so little of it was peaceful. With the lake behind the house, I heard slight lapping against the dock, birds chirping
overhead, and the wind whistling through high trees. Zeus lay between the two of us, but he was very much being entertained by
a family of squirrels that seemed to be playing a game of tag.
“It is very peaceful here,” I said to Mykel.
“Yeah. Neil built it himself a few years ago. He wanted it for when people needed it. But you can’t be here and it not feel
like home. So many don’t get the breaks they deserve, and Neil wanted this place to be that break…a sanctuary.”
As the sun sprinkled light along the green grass and gravel driveway, it made sense to me. “That’s why you’re so protective
of it.”
Mykel sipped his coffee and nodded. “My buddy stayed here a few months back, said it was like the demons weren’t
welcomed past the door. In there…” He gestured behind him. “You’re safe. No one and nothing gets to you.”
I set my tea on the small table beside me and gave Mykel my full attention. I needed him to understand I’d keep this place
safe as it was keeping me safe.
“Mykel. I know you see me as a gangster, a bad guy in your eyes. But I have honor, and my word is the only thing I have full
control of. And you have my word that this cabin will be respected and its secrecy kept.”
He never got a chance to respond. The sound of tires on gravel made us turn in time to see Eiko’s car pull up.
“Ren!” Himari shouted out the passenger window, and Mykel huffed.
“Hush!” I walked over to the car. “Can we maybe not announce where we are, Himari?”
“Sorry.” She hopped out and wrapped her arms around me. “I just missed you and was so worried.”
“I missed you too.” I pressed my face into her hair as she squeezed me so tightly. She was all the biological family I had
left, and if anything happened to her, I’d die internally.
“I have coffee and tea inside. Why don’t the three of you go in and get situated, talk? I’ll keep an eye out here with Zeus.”
At that moment, I realized my time alone with Mykel was over, and I had to secure the mask I wore. I’d allowed myself to
show who I was in my heart to Mykel. And while he didn’t nor did I think he’d ever disclose what happened last night, I had to
be who he probably hated…a mob boss.
“Sounds good. Let’s go.” Eiko and Himari followed me, and right before I shut the door, I saw the yearning and loss in
Mykel’s eyes. We could never be. I knew he was right, but I hated it.
“IS THAT LAKE SWIMMABLE?” Himari wondered as she looked out the kitchen window.
“I’m not sure. I imagine so. Why, you going to swim?”
She shrugged. “Maybe not now because it’s cold, but I was just wondering.”
Eiko was sitting at the kitchen table, ending a call with Asahi, who was half an hour away, while Himari and I were
talking.
“This place means a lot to Mykel. We will respect it, and I need you to make sure that it is.”
Himari looked at me with a serious expression. “Of course.”
“Thank you.” I gripped her hand in mine.
“We have about five more coming, counting Asahi.” Eiko put his cell phone on the table and took a sip of tea.
“That means there are ten of us.”
“Nine,” Eiko corrected.
“No, ten. Zeus takes up a lot of space, and I think if you forget he’s here, he will gladly remind you.” I chuckled at Eiko’s
eye roll.
“Fine, ten. And how are we doing this?” Eiko asked, and I knew this next part wasn’t going to go over well, and honestly, I
wanted to wait until everyone was here so I only had to say it once.
“As soon as everyone arrives, we will discuss it. I’d rather not repeat myself.” I made sure the tone of my voice ended the
conversation.
“I heard from Loni,” Himari said.
“And?”
“Staying with their mother. They twisted their ankle badly, and since I knew you wouldn’t argue with me, I told them to stay
where they were and we’d get in touch with them when it was safe.”
Himari was very good at delegating, and many times I left scheduling to her.
“Thank you.”
Over the next few hours, everyone arrived. Mykel had two slow cookers of beef stew going, so if anyone came hungry they
could eat.
“Eiko, could you please gather everyone and have them join us in the living room?”
“Yes, sir.” He immediately began doing that, and I went over to Mykel.
“I will let them all know how things will be while we are here. I ask that if anyone gets upset, you let me handle them.”
He nodded and went to the living room, where everyone else was gathering.
I took a deep breath before I left the kitchen and followed. Many might laugh at such an act because I was the boss. But they
didn’t realize that being the boss didn’t make me invulnerable. I was as strong as my men allowed me to be. All they’d have to
do was say no and turn on me, and then I’d be dead and someone else would be controlling my territory.
The trick was making them believe I had more power than I truly did. Being a Magician of Manipulation, my father had
called it once.
“I need everyone’s attention, please.” I stood in front of the fireplace. Mykel was by the main door, Zeus at his side. Eiko
was by the kitchen door, and Himari was on the couch in the center. I looked at her and she winked at me, ever the pillar of
support.
Once everyone was quiet, I began. “It’s no surprise war has erupted, and we have been targeted. But where they failed was
underestimating the Ikeda family.” There were low cheers. “That said, tactics must change.”
I met Asahi’s eyes, and he narrowed them at me as if knowing what I was going to say.
“On two occasions now, my home was invaded, which tells me what we are doing isn’t enough, and it is time to go a
different direction.”
I was glad no one spoke, and though I saw the curious expressions on all their faces, they were still with me.
“Mykel here is nice enough to let us use his sanctuary as our home base. He is also well equipped to design plans for
security and how we rebuild and go forward from here. This is his home, and it will be respected. We will treat it with care,
and its location must never be shared. I promise should it be, you will lose your ability to live.”
“Are you telling us he’s in charge?” Asahi stepped forward.
“I’m saying what we have done thus far isn’t working, and we must strip away our old ways and face this anew.”
“That’s a lot of fancy words to say yes,” Asahi argued.
“Asahi, enough,” Eiko said.
“Is it, Eiko? Our boss is using an outsider to dictate the safety of our family.”
“Asahi, it is my choice!” I raised my voice just enough to leak out venom.
“It is disrespectful to your family name.” He rounded the couch, and Zeus growled distinctively. “You spend twenty-four
hours with this man, and now you’re, what, his puppet?”
“I’d be very careful if I were you, Asahi.” I folded my hands in front of me and lifted my chin. I wouldn’t be reduced even
an inch in his presence.
“Or what? I mean I’d rather die at the hands of the enemy than be forced to take their orders.”
“Mykel is not our enemy.”
He huffed and inched another step closer. I heard how much Zeus was protesting, but Mykel must have been holding him
back.
Asahi stared at me, stone cold and angry, and then a flicker of something. “He fucked you, didn’t he?”
“Asahi!” Eiko shouted.
“You are out of line, Asahi.” I gritted my teeth.
“So you’re, what, his whore?”
It was unfortunate when this happened. Being challenged so blatantly before your men was inexcusable. If Asahi and I had
been alone, this would have gone down very differently, but all eyes were on us, and how I handled myself now would dictate
who the others followed, me or him.
“And you’ve reached your limit,” I snapped, and too fast for Asahi to react, I gripped his throat with one hand, lifted him
slightly, and slammed him to the ground. As I hovered over his shocked form and squeezed his throat, I spoke for all to hear.
“The only disrespect I see is your own. Sadly, you have shown where your loyalties are, Asahi. Anata wa jisatsu shimashita.”
I pressed a knee to his chest, gripped the sides of his head with both hands, and in one swift motion snapped his neck.
“Ren!” Mykel shouted and rushed over.
I dropped Asahi’s head with a thud and stood to face Mykel.
“Ren…” His eyes fell to Asahi’s lifeless body.
“Kare wa jisatsu shita.”
“Yeah, you said something like that a minute ago. What does it mean?”
I pressed a hand against Mykel’s chest, looked into his stormy gray eyes, and answered, “It means he killed himself,
Mykel.” I sighed. “The secrecy of this place is safe.”
He didn’t say anything, and I was sure there was nothing he could say. I turned to the rest of the people in the room, chin up,
hands folded.
“Anyone else wish to complain?”
Silence.
CHAPTER TEN
Mykel
I WAS ALWAYS TAUGHT you could either lead with fear or with respect, never both. Ren Ikeda was the exception to that rule. As I
searched the faces of everyone in the cabin they were intimidated and scared of Ren, but beneath that there was strong
reverence.
“Ren.” Himari was staring at Asahi’s dead body, and with each blink a tear fell.
“Mari.” Ren kneeled beside her. “I’m sorry you had to see that. Perhaps you should go to your bedroom and I’ll be in
shortly.”
When she didn’t move, one of Ren’s men gently assisted her out of the area.
“Ren, a word.” I jerked my head toward the door.
“Eiko, we need this cleaned up.”
The widening of Eiko’s eyes was all I needed to see to know the guy had no idea how to do that while keeping this place
quiet.
“Ren, we need to talk before you do anything, because you’re not telling anyone about the cabin, and you’re not burying a
body on my boss’s property.”
With a sigh, he nodded. “Give me a minute, Eiko. Mykel and I will figure out the next steps.”
Eiko’s relief was potent, and Ren followed me to the front porch.
Once the door was shut and Zeus, Ren, and I were away from the mayhem in the cabin, I let my anger show.
“What the fuck were you thinking?”
“You’ll want to remember who you’re speaking to, Mykel.” Ren narrowed his eyes but other than that, there wasn’t a trace
of emotion on his face.
“You killed a man in my boss’s cabin with no plan on what to do with it afterward. This isn’t the life I lead, and normally if
there’s a person that needs to be dead, I call Neil. But this…” I gestured to the door. “I can’t call my boss for help with that.”
“I never expected you to.”
“No?” I folded my arms over my chest. “Enlighten me on your master plan to get rid of Asahi without telling anyone else
about this place and not digging a hole in the backyard.”
Again, Ren glared, his jaw clenching, and there was no hiding the fact that he didn’t know what he was going to do. No
doubt this wasn’t typical of the brilliant mobster.
“Ren.” I unfolded my arms and wrapped them around his shoulders. “This is something I’m very good at. I’m thrown into
chaos and asked to calm it on the daily.” I jutted my chin toward the cabin. “I’m not okay with Asahi’s death, but I can’t undo it.
I saw what happened in your penthouse and what’s going on out there in Lucifer’s Landing. So, let me tame this beast for you.”
Ren swallowed, his gaze never leaving mine. “How?”
“To all the people in that house and to anyone involved, you’re calling the shots. Only you and I will know I’m handling
things.”
“I appreciate that. But once more I ask—how? What is your plan?”
“You’re going to have to call Dante Scavo. I’ll allow him and two of his men to come here. You have to sit with him and
you two need to figure out how to stop the Irish. Seems the other fuckface⁠—”
“Elias?”
“Yeah, him. He isn’t going at you or Dante…but you won’t know that until you sit with him and find out. He has the
numbers. You need him, Ren.”
There was no part of any of this I liked, and I was sure Ren felt the same way, but it was inevitable. If forces were taking
the Ikeda family out, Dante was next and soon they’d lose their chance to conquer.
I wasn’t a fan of this side of justice, I despised the five families of Lucifer’s Landing, and these shitfucks stood for
everything I hated. But Ren was burrowing himself into my heart, and what I stood for didn’t matter at this juncture.
“Very well, Mykel. I’ll call Dante.”
“You do that, and in the meantime Asahi’s body can’t stay on the floor inside. I’ll move him and when Dante gets here, you
guys can make arrangements.”
Ren didn’t say anything at first, staring at me. “I must rise from these ashes, Mykel. Weakness isn’t an option, nor is defeat.”
I sighed, the anger and worry morphing into something softer as I looked at the man in front of me.
“You’ll rise, Ren, and you’ll be ruthless. Of that I have no doubt.”
There was a spark of something in Ren’s dark eyes, and I almost missed the slight smile as he turned to enter the cabin, but
it was there.
Inside, only a few people were milling about. I saw some outside talking, and I couldn’t help wondering if they were
plotting. Did they see Ren as weak? Was their loyalty waning? I wasn’t one to bring forth unnecessary violence, but should any
of them make a move to hurt Ren, I would eliminate them without losing sleep.
“Is Mari still in her room?” Ren asked Eiko.
“She’s resting and is okay, sir.”
“I’ll talk to her later. I need to make a phone call.” He motioned toward me. “Mykel will need help removing Asahi’s body;
assist him in any way you can.” With that, I watched Ren exit the room on his way to ask Dante Scavo for help.
How the fuck had I gone from not wanting to deal with any mobsters to dealing with two?
Neil had a bunch of deep freezers in the shed out back and in the basement. Mostly he used them for meat storage and when
he went hunting. After a quick check, one that was large enough to store a whole buck was available and cold.
“Eiko, grab a sheet or two, so we can wrap him and put him in the deep freezer until Ren knows what he wants to do.”
Eiko didn’t argue or ask questions, simply did as he was instructed. It took half an hour, but Asahi was removed and by the
time I was done washing away the dead body feelings from my skin, Ren was entering the living room.
“I need everyone’s attention,” he said, and without hesitation he had it. “I just got off the phone with Dante Scavo. He,
along with two of his associates, will be arriving in the morning. I expect them to be treated with respect.”
“Why are the Italians coming?” one of Ren’s men, someone I wasn’t too familiar with and had zero idea what his name
was, asked.
“I understand you’re all concerned with the current happenings, but I will not have my orders questioned by anyone. When I
want you to know what the plan is, you will.”
The man shook his head. “I think it’s a bad idea, working with the Italians.”
I didn’t want Ren killing another guy, and I was out of freezer space, so I stepped up. “I don’t know where you got your
opinion, but I hope you kept the receipt. Now sit, shut the fuck up, and let your boss finish talking.”
Ren’s mouth curled, trying to fight off a full-fledged smile. “Your loyalty is to me, and if it is not then you may leave, but I
will guarantee you will be traveling in a body bag.”
Fuck. No more dead bodies, please.
The man—I needed to find out his name—visibly swallowed, nodded, and finally sat down and shut up.
“Eiko and Minoto, you’re on dinner duty tonight. Mykel, I need to speak with you in the other room.” He pointed to the
other three men, giving them orders and once done, I followed him into the same room he’d made the phone call from.
Once the door shut, he faced me with a sigh. “Dante, his brother Giovanni, and Angelo—one of his most trusted guys—are
coming here. Things are bad in Lucifer’s Landing. Cillian and Elias are in an all-out war and sporadically targeting Dante’s
businesses as well. However, Helen, Elias’s sister, told Giovanni it’s not her brother. Which means the Irish are trying to wipe
everyone out at once.”
“That’s foolish.”
“Maybe so, but it’s working.”
I nodded. “So that’s the strategy? Take out the Irish? If Elias is willing to team up, the three of you can wipe them out
easily.”
Ren shook his head. “Elias would take advantage of seeing through Dante’s and my defenses. We can’t have that.”
He was right. Once the Irish were done for, the Greeks would be next. “Dante and you can build a big enough army to
destroy the McLoughlins, but, Ren, you’ve got an issue with some of your guys.”
Ren nodded. “Agreed, and they will be dealt with accordingly.”
“Ren.” I gripped his shoulders. “Please stop leaving dead bodies in my boss’s property.”
He snorted a laugh, something so out of place for this man. “I shall try.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ren
AS PREDICTED , quite a few of my people were visibly angry, tossing me side-eyes.

“Wars are won when we strengthen our alliances. If anyone has issue with how I run my family, I will see it as you
forfeiting your loyalty to me.” I stepped toward Jiro. He was the one who had no problem speaking out regarding my decisions,
and I’d seen him talking to others here.
“If Asahi wasn’t a big enough warning as to how I handle disloyalty, I’d be happy to conduct another experiment.”
Jiro’s jaw tightened. “Mr. Ikeda, I mean no disrespect, but you threaten us with death should we speak our mind.”
“No, Jiro, I threaten your lives for disrespect, disloyalty, and betrayal. When you stated you didn’t want to work with the
Italians, you lived.”
“You threatened I’d leave in a body bag. That’s leading with fear, not strength.”
Jiro had a point, and as much as I wanted to be done with any who were questioning me, I needed the numbers.
“Fair enough, Jiro.” I inhaled and caught Mykel’s “This is gonna be good” face. “I am not thrilled to work with the Italians,
but they are not only a powerful ally—Dante Scavo and I are friends. He wants peace to reign as much as we do.”
“And should he stab us in the back?” Jiro raised a brow.
“Then with our dying breath we turn and stab him in the front.”
Jiro bowed his head slightly and just like that, I’d gained my footing with my people and Mykel was shaking his head in
disbelief.
Dinner was a quiet affair, many taking plates and eating where there was space. The cabin was huge but the sheer number
of bodies as we had made the place feel small. All traditions I’d held dear were absent, and I longed to have my life back.
After dinner I saw Mari sitting outside gazing at the stars and decided to join her. We’d not spoken since Asahi’s execution,
and even from far away I saw the worry on her face.
“May I join you?” I asked when she didn’t acknowledge my presence.
She motioned to the empty seat next to her on the bench. “Would I be able to stop you?”
I froze at the coldness of her words. Himari wasn’t a mean person. Sometimes I’d thought she was too kind for this world
and yet here I sat, watching the darkness in her eyes as she stared at me. Anger…she was upset with me.
“Of course you could, Mari. I’d respect your wishes.”
She didn’t respond, simply tipped her head up to the sky and looked at the stars.
“You’re angry with me.”
She snorted. “Angry is one emotion I’m feeling.”
“Do you care to tell me the others swirling around your head and heart?”
“Fear, worry, anger of course, loss. Asahi didn’t deserve his fate. You chose poorly, Ren, and you can never take it back or
make it right.” Her gaze met mine, and it was startling how grown-up she looked. “You have always been fair but today I saw a
tyrant. I saw a man who wasn’t my brother but instead was just like the enemies you seek to destroy.”
“Mari.” I turned my body to face her and tried to take her hands but she pulled away. “I’ve always been the man you saw
today; I just never let you witness it. But I am also the brother you love and who loves you in return. Nothing I do is on a
whim.”
She dipped her chin. “I suppose I might always have known you to be vicious, and secretly I told myself I was being
ridiculous.”
“And today you found out the truth?”
She nodded. “I didn’t like it, and for the first time in my life I wanted to get away from you.”
Not much hurt me, but hearing her say those words sent a sharp pain straight through my heart.
“Mari,” I whispered and reached for her hands. This time she didn’t pull away. “You’re the most important person in my
life. I love you, never fear me…don’t disappear.”
The moon reflected off the tear sliding down her cheek, and my already bruised heart cracked. “I love you too, Ren. That
will never change, but today was a lot. Maybe too much.”
“I won’t make false promises, Mari. What’s coming will be brutal and you’ll see me do things I never wanted you to see,
but I’m fighting for peace. As crazy as it sounds, this is the only way to give you the life you deserve.”
She lifted her hand and placed it on my cheek. “I know, Brother, and that’s what saddens me more than anything—that the
world must break before it comes together.”
“I’m sorry I shielded you from so much.” I covered her hand on my cheek with my own.
“When those men came for you at the house and Rainn helped me, part of me wanted them all to die. I saw bodies of those I
cared about and those I didn’t know, and yet today is what fractured me.”
“Mari, after things settle, when it’s safe, if you want to be away from me and this life, I will make it happen for you.”
She scooted closer and I opened my arms, happy when she tucked in. “What happened to you not wanting me to
disappear?”
“You wouldn’t; I’d still know where you were.”
She chuckled. “I see. I will let you know, Ren. I suppose I’ll wait and see how all of this plays out.” She pulled away and a
spark of light shone in her eyes. “And besides, I kind of want to see how things go with you and Mykel.”
“Pardon?” My eyes widened, and she pulled away.
“Don’t get all proper on me.” She smirked. “There’s fire there, and I love that you have someone to be passionate over.”
“Mari, I don’t think you understand.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, I most definitely do.” She stood, and I was stuck on the bench trying to piece together all she’d
said. “Maybe you’re the one confused, though.” She kissed the top of my head and sauntered away.
“What could I be confused about?” I whispered into the chilly night air.
I sat there on the bench for a while, replaying the entire conversation I’d had with Mari. She had to work through a lot, and
there was so much I couldn’t answer for her. She had to make choices I didn’t envy but would respect. On the other hand, there
were her comments about Mykel.
He was hot, smart, and self-sufficient. What was confusing about any of that? We were scratching each other’s itches was
all…right?
“Mr. Ikeda?”
I looked up to see Eiko with a steaming mug in his hand.
“Yes, Eiko?”
He handed the mug to me. “Tea?”
“Thank you. What time is it?”
He smirked, likely because I was out of sorts.
“Midnight.”
I stood, mug in hand. “I need to arrange the security for the evening.”
“Mykel and I handled it, if that’s all right.”
What was I going to say? I’d told them all Mykel was facilitating so much already. “Perfect. Thank you, Eiko.” I lifted my
tea. “I’ll take this to the bedroom and retire for the night.”
“Sleep well, sir.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Mykel
HOW WAS any of this my life? Oh, right, because of my stupid brother. I waited in the kitchen while everyone began heading to
where they were sleeping. Eiko and I organized a rotation and that along with the security the cabin had in place, meant we’d
all be relatively safe for the night.
After starting the dishwasher, the sound of the back door sliding open caught my attention. Ren, mug in hand, offered me a
small smile.
“Eiko told me you and he organized security.”
“We did. My boss has the entire perimeter set up so no one can step foot on this property without us being notified. Should
they make it five feet from any entrance…well, let’s just say they’ll be tied up until we can get to them.”
He dipped his chin. “What if a deer gets close?”
I walked a few feet closer toward him, happy he didn’t move away. “Animals don’t tend to come onto this property. There
are precautions for them.” I shrugged. “I don’t know more than that.”
Ren never took his eyes off me as he sipped his tea. I watched as he swallowed, and the urge to suck on his Adam’s apple
was intense.
“Good to know.” He smirked. “And are you on first watch?”
“As a matter of fact, I’m not.” One step forward and my chest rubbed against the mug in his hand. “Did you need something
from me?”
He shook his head slowly, the lust in his eyes was intoxicating. “I was simply going to bed.”
“Bed…mmhmm.”
“I suppose you’re also going to try and get some sleep.”
This coy motherfucker. “I am.”
“Then I’ll bid you goodnight.” He made to move around me, but I gripped his arm.
“For security purposes, Mr. Ikeda, I’ll have to make sure your bedroom is safe.”
Ren chuckled and followed me to his bedroom. Of course it was safe—we knew that. Once we were inside, Ren shut the
door.
“Can I sleep peacefully, Mr. Finlay?”
“Appears so.”
He placed his tea on the bedside table and began stripping off his clothes. I watched, fixated as more and more of his
beautiful skin was exposed. Ren never took his eyes off me, and there wasn’t anything short of assassins breaching the property
that would get me to turn away.
“Is part of your services making sure nothing lethal is on my body?” He dropped his briefs, exposing his very aroused
cock.
“Oh, Ren, that thing is very lethal.”
He fisted his dick and pumped it leisurely. “Oh, dear. Perhaps you can help me.”
I didn’t need to be given that offer more than once. And in just two long steps I was on my knees in front of him, sucking in
his hard shaft, relishing the taste and his glorious moans.
“Mykel,” he whispered softly while he gripped my hair tightly. I could stay right here all night worshiping his cock and die
a happy man come morning.
Ren’s legs shook, so I cupped his ass and held him up. No way was he collapsing until I’d swallowed every drop of his
come.
“Mykel, I want to touch you.” Ren clawed at my head, reaching for my shoulders but I wasn’t budging. No, this man was
playing by my rules right now. “Fuck!” he shouted as I pressed a finger into his hole.
As soon as he bowed over me, I pushed it in deeper as his entire cock was rammed down my throat.
“I’m going to…” He didn’t get to finish; a second later the bitter sweetness flooded my mouth, and I devoured everything
he gave.
Once I released him, I gingerly placed him onto the bed and stepped back. I couldn’t help but laugh as he narrowed his eyes
at me. How could he be angry after that?
“If you’re scowling, I’ve done it wrong.” I shuffled forward. “Let’s go again.”
His hand shot up so fast and landed on my chest right before I lowered myself on him. “That was incredible, and you know
it.”
“Then why so angry?” I quirked a brow.
“Because you’re not naked…you even have shoes on still, and I wasn’t able to get my hands and mouth on every inch of
your skin.”
Well, hell. His words went right to my dick, and I pressed on the noticeable bulge in my pants. “You sweet talker.”
“Strip.” He lay back, his gorgeous body on full display. He leaned on his elbows and opened his legs wide enough for me
to see every inch of him from cock to hole. “If you want a round two, I get my round one with you, your cock, and my mouth.”
A big guy and not very graceful, I was shocked at how fast I undressed without falling over. Ren only had a moment before
I practically jumped on top of him.
“Oh,” Ren gasped and I smiled at him, having him exactly where I wanted him to be.
“I want inside you, Ren Ikeda. Next time you’ll have to be able to take me down if you want to ravish me.” I didn’t give
him a chance to respond. I plundered his mouth, humming while his fingernails dug into my skin.
His cock was hard as it touched mine, precome creating a slide that was sending delicious waves of pleasure to my balls.
“I’m gonna fuck you so hard, tomorrow while you’re meeting with the Italians you’ll feel me and remember how you were
at my mercy until I was done with you,” I rumbled in his ear, chuckling darkly when he growled.
“Perhaps it will be I who has you.” His foot grazed over my calf and the next second I was being spun. My back hit the
mattress, and Ren hovered over me with a triumphant grin.
“You want to fuck me?” My gut clenched. Bottoming wasn’t something I enjoyed, but as I stared into Ren’s eyes I realized
I’d do it for him…Why was that?
Ren simpered. “Your dick can be in my ass, and I can still be fucking you.”
Gripping Ren’s ass in the palms of my hands, I hummed. “Get fucking already.”
He was off my lap and pulling lube out of the drawer faster than I could blink. I lay there watching as he poured some onto
his fingers, reached around, and began stretching himself.
“Lube up.” He tossed the bottle at me with his other hand.
I caught it and slicked my cock, all the while never taking my eyes off Ren. He was sex personified. His head was arched,
his long black hair swaying. His lips opened slightly as moans escaped while he fingered himself.
“Please tell me you’re ready,” I growled.
He hummed as he positioned himself above me. “Get ready to be fucked.” With that, he slid along my shaft, engulfing me
with his heat.
I had to will myself not to come right then and there. The feel, scent, and sound of Ren were overloading my senses.
“Damn,” Ren whispered and as I searched his face, I saw he was completely blissed out.
With a wicked smile, I smacked his ass and immediately laughed as his eyes widened in outrage.
“Did you spank me?” He said this as he ground down on my cock. Words were not easy to conjure.
“Um…yeah, shit, Ren, you feel amazing. Fuck me.”
Ren leaned closer, digging his nails into my chest and did just that. His pace was punishing and when I went to pinch my
nipples, he pressed my wrists against the mattress.
“You come without touching yourself, Mykel, or you don’t come at all.”
How was that so fucking hot?
Ren lifted, almost releasing me completely and slammed back down, grinding, fucking…I was mumbling words I wasn’t
even sure were English.
“Ren, I…”
“I want to feel it, Mykel…come.”
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suffering must be infinite, that is, it must endure for ever and ever,
and thus salvation is altogether out of the question. The Jewish hope
is, therefore, unwarranted by Scripture, and contrary to reason, and,
we may add, inconsistent with itself. In the custom and doctrine
which we have just considered, a dying Jew is taught to hope that he
shall be delivered from that place of torment, whither he is going,
either on account of his son’s prayers, or on account of his Jewish
origin. But on his death-bed he is taught to believe that his death will
be an atonement for his sins, for in his dying confession, these
words are put into his mouth:—
‫ תהא מיתתי כפרה לכל חטאותי ולכל עוונותי ולכל‬, ‫ואם קרבה עת פקודתי למות‬
‫פשעי שחטאתי ושעויתי ושפשעתי מיום היותי ׃‬
“But if the time of my visitation to death be near, O let my death be
an expiation for all my sins, iniquities, and transgressions, wherein I
have sinned, offended, and transgressed against thee, from the day
of my existence.” These two doctrines are plainly contrary the one to
the other. If death be an atonement for all sins, then, when it is once
suffered, all these sins are forgiven, and there is no need of further
punishment in hell for twelve months. But if this further punishment
be inflicted, then the death of the individual is not an atonement for
his sins. The Jew may choose which of these hopes he pleases; but
whichever he may assert to be true, the other is necessarily false;
and if one be false, then the oral law teaches falsehood, and cannot
be depended upon with respect to the other. There is, then, in these
two statements, a glaring inconsistency, which makes them both
suspicious in themselves: and the Word of God is as opposed to this
last statement, as to the former. The Bible represents death as a
consequence and punishment of Adam’s sin, not as an atonement:
and hence it is that infants die, who have never committed actual sin,
and do not need an atonement on that account. Death is, therefore,
a punishment, and that which is a punishment can never be an
atonement. The dying Jew, then, if he be a reasonable man, has no
hope that can yield him peace and consolation in that solemn hour.
He prays that his death may atone for his sins, and yet believes the
very contrary—that he is going down to the place of the damned,
and that his son will have to undertake the work of his redemption.
How any thoughtful man, especially how any Israelite who has read
the Law and the Prophets, can be content with such a religion, we
cannot comprehend. The very essence of religion, the very
consideration that gives it any value, is the comfort which it affords to
the departing sinner. If it cannot soothe, support, and comfort him in
the hour of death, it is not worth the having. The Christian faith is
very different, and, in our opinion, far more in accordance with the
Old Testament. We believe, in the first place, that there is a full and
perfect pardon for all sins by the atonement of the Messiah, so that
the sinner who dies in repentance and faith, is delivered from all
punishment and other consequences of sin, and enters at once into
the abodes of the blessed, there to await the morning of the
resurrection. The Old Testament promised that Messiah should bear
our sins. The New Testament tells us that He has borne them, and
that therefore we can “now be justified from all things from which we
could not be justified by the law of Moses.” (Acts xiii. 38, 39.) It tells
us that “God made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. v. 21); and
“that if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus, the
Messiah, the Righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins: and
not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John ii.
1, 2.) We believe, therefore, that Messiah has borne all that we
ought to have borne, as the prophet says—
‫מוסר שלומנו עליו ובחבורתו נרפא לנו ׃‬
“The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
we are healed,” (Isaiah liii. 5,) and that now we are delivered. There
is no twelvemonth of torment awaiting those whom Messiah has
redeemed, neither do we trust in our own death as a possible
atonement. Our hope is firmly fixed, and, therefore, though sinners,
we can die in peace, resting on the salvation which God himself has
wrought, in no fear of the torments of the damned, but humbly
expecting, for the Messiah’s sake, to be admitted into the mansions
of the blessed. Resting on this hope, the Christian can say, “To me to
live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philip, i. 21.) He can look forward
from death to the glorious consummation, as St. Paul did, who, when
the hour of his martyrdom approached, was enabled to say, “I am
now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I
have fought a good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the
faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day; and
not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” The
Christian expects after death not to spend twelve dreary months in
hell, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were
dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly
desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if
so be, that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that
are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we
would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be
swallowed up of life.” (2 Cor. v. 1-4.) Such is the hope which
Christianity holds out, and it is hardly necessary to prove that it is
more satisfactory, and more calculated to convey peace to the
conscience of a dying believer, than the dread prospect, of twelve
months’ sojourn in the place of torment. This in itself proves, that
Christianity is greatly superior to Judaism, and even affords a
presumption that Christianity is true. Reason tells us, that if God has
given a revelation at all, that revelation must contain the way of
obtaining pardon for sins, and be able to administer consolation to
the dying. In this respect Judaism fails. It promises forgiveness and
justification to a thousand ceremonial observances, but in the hour of
man’s extremity, it tells him that there is no way of pardon, but that
he must go down into torment, and expiate his sins by actual
suffering. This system cannot, therefore, be of God. Christianity, on
the contrary, has the first great essential in religion; it informs man
how he can obtain forgiveness, and tells him how to die in peace;
and the system of pardon and consolation which it proposes, is in
exact accordance with the doctrine of Moses and the prophets.
Moses promises pardon to an atoning sacrifice. Isaiah says, that
Messiah is to be the true atonement; and Christianity rests upon
these two principles. The Jew himself must admit, that our hope has
at least a strong appearance of truth, and that we have the letter of
the Old Testament in our favour. We have, therefore, more reason to
trust to Christianity, than he has for resting on Judaism, which has
not even a semblance of proof, and is as far from the letter as from
the spirit of the Old Testament. We would earnestly request of every
Jew to consider what is his hope in death, and what is his prospect
after it? Can he be content with that which Judaism offers? Can he
be happy in the prospect of twelve months’ torment? Or, can the
repetition of Kaddish afford him any hope of liberation from that
place, whither his sins have brought him?
He cannot pretend to have any warrant from Scripture. Where does
Moses tell a Jewish child to say Kaddish for his deceased parent, or
that the saying of it will deliver the soul from the grasp of Divine
justice? And reason does not offer a greater measure of consolation.
Reason says plainly, either that the deceased is guilty or not guilty;
either, therefore, justice demands that he should be punished or
delivered. In the one case the prayer is unavailing, in the other
unnecessary. Reason says that God either pardons or punishes; but
that there is no middle way. Judaism then offers a hope equally
unwarranted by reason and Scripture, and thus, forsaking a poor
sinner in the hour of his extremity, is not worthy of the profession of
any one who uses his reason, or reveres the Word of God.
No. XXXIX.
ALMSGIVING.
The object of our late numbers has been to point out the
inconsistency and precariousness of the various hopes, which the
oral law holds out to its advocates, and the consequent inadequacy
of a religion which leaves its professors without a reasonable hope of
eternal happiness. In the course of our observations, the subject of
almsgiving twice presented itself prominently to our notice; first, as a
means of compensating for the sins and omissions of the past year;
and secondly, as a means of promoting the repose of departed
souls; from which it appears that the oral law considers this duty as
most important and beneficial both to the living and the dead. The
object of the present paper shall therefore be, to inquire into the
rabbinic doctrine of almsgiving, and to compare it with the law and
the prophets. The duty and extent of almsgiving are thus defined:—
‫מצות עשה ליתן צדקה לעניי ישראל כפי מה שראוי לעני אם היתה יד הנותן משגת‬
‫ ונאמר והחזקת בו גר ותושב וחי עמך ונאמר‬, ‫ שנאמר פתח תפתח את ידך לו‬,
‫ וכל הרואה עני מבקש והעלים עיניו ממנו ולא נתן לו צדקה עבר‬, ‫וחי אחיך עמך‬
‫בלא תעשה שנאמר לא תאמץ את לבבך תקפוץ את ידך מאחיך האביון ; לפי מה‬
‫ אם אין לו כלי‬, ‫ אם אין לו כסות מכסים אותו‬, ‫שיחסר העני אתה מצווה ליתן לו‬
, ‫ ואם היתה אשה משיאין אותה לאיש‬, ‫ אם אין לו אשה משיאין אותו‬, ‫בית קונין לו‬
‫אפילו היה דרכו של זה העני לרכוב על הסוס ועבד רץ לפניו והעני ירד מנכסיו קונין‬
‫ מצווה אתה‬, ‫לו סוס לרכוב עליו ועבד לרוץ לפניו שנאמר די מחסורו אשר יחסר לו‬
‫ שוכרין לו‬, ‫ יתום שבא להשיאו אשה‬. ‫ ואין אתה מצווה להצשירו‬, ‫להשלים חסרונו‬
‫ בא העני ושאל‬, ‫בית ומציעים לו מטה וכל כלי תשמישו ואחר כך משיאין לו אשה‬
‫די מחסורו ואין יד הנותן משגת נותנין לו כפי השגת ידו וכמה עד חמישית נכסיו‬
‫ פחות מכ עין רעה ׃‬, ‫מצוה מן המובחר ואחד מעשרה בנכסיו בינוני‬
“It is an affirmative precept to give alms to the poor of Israel,
according as the poor have need, if in the power of the giver; for it is
said, ‘Thou shalt open thine hand wide to him’ (Deut. xv. 8); and
again, ‘Thou shalt relieve him, a proselyte[34] or a sojourner, that he
may live with thee;’ and again, ‘That thy brother may live with thee.’
(Lev. xxv. 35, 36.) Whosoever sees a poor man begging, and shuts
his eyes against him, and does not give him alms, transgresses a
negative precept: for it is said, ‘Thou shalt not harden thine heart nor
shut thine hand from thy poor brother.’ (Deut. xv. 7.) According as
the poor hath need, thou art commanded to give. If he has no
clothing, he is to be clothed; if he has no furniture, it is to be bought
for him; if he has no wife, he is to be helped to marry one; if a
woman, she is to be assisted in getting a husband: yea, if it had
been the poor man’s custom to ride upon a horse, and to have a
servant running before him—but he is now come down in the world,
—it is a duty to buy him a horse to ride, and a servant to run before
him, for it is said, ‘Sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth’
(Deut. xv. 8); and thou art commanded perfectly to relieve his want,
but not to make him rich. If an orphan apply for assistance in order to
marry, it is a duty to hire a house for him, and to provide all
necessary furniture, and afterwards to help him to marry. If a poor
man come and ask for relief, and the giver has not as much as he
wants, he ought to give what his means afford. How much? He that
gives a fifth of his property fulfils the commandment well. He that
gives one part in ten fulfils it in a middling manner. He that gives less
must be regarded as a person with an evil eye.” (Hilchoth Matt’noth
Aniim, cvii. 1-5.) In this definition of the nature and extent of the duty
of almsgiving, there is much that is good and worthy of our
admiration, especially in this selfish and money-loving age, when
poverty is regarded, if not punished, as a crime, and the poor are, by
many, considered as unworthy of all domestic comfort. Without
binding ourselves to the approval of all the details here specified, we
must acknowledge, that the spirit of this passage is agreeable to the
idea of true charity, and, if universally acted upon, would do more for
the happiness of mankind than some theories now afloat. But though
ready to admire and to acknowledge the general beauty and
excellence of this passage, we must also remark that the main
feature of charity is, by the rabbinical system, excluded. God
commands that this help should extend beyond the narrow limits of
selfishness and nationality, to “the stranger and the sojourner,” but
the oral law neutralizes the mercifulness of God’s commandment by
making the word stranger signify a proselyte to Judaism. The original
Hebrew word ‫( גר‬Ger) plainly means a stranger, as may be seen in
the words of Moses—
‫ואהבתם את הגר כי גרים הייתם בארץ מצרים ׃‬
“Love ye therefore the stranger; for ye were strangers in the land of
Egypt.” (Deut. x. 19.) It is certain that the Israelites were not
proselytes, but strangers; this word, Ger, therefore, signifies
stranger, not proselyte; and yet the oral law says that no one can be
a Ger without sacrifice, circumcision, and baptism, or now, that there
is no temple, without the two last requisites:—
, ‫ובזמן הזה שאין שם קרבן צריך מילה וטבילה וכשיבנה בית המקדש יביא קרבן‬
‫גר שמל טבל או טבל ולא אינו גר עד שימול ויטבול ׃‬
“At the present time when there is no sacrifice, circumcision and
baptism are necessary, and when the temple is rebuilt, he must bring
a sacrifice. A Ger who is circumcised but not baptized, or baptized
but not circumcised, is not a Ger, until he be both baptized and
circumcised. (Hilchoth Issure Biah, c. xiii. 5, 6.)” This rabbinical
definition of what is meant by Ger, restricts the exercise of charity
within a much narrower limit than that prescribed by God, and does,
in fact, destroy one of the most beautiful features of the Mosaic law,
namely, the merciful provision which it makes for the relief of the
stranger. The law of Moses has the spirit of its divine Author. He calls
himself “a jealous God,” and it may well be called a jealous law,
watching carefully over every departure from truth, and punishing it
rigorously: and yet, like God himself, this just jealousy is tempered
with mercy, and beams with love. The oral law, on the contrary, is an
envious and vindictive code, and its zeal degenerates into narrow-
hearted bigotry. It would not only punish the idolater, but exclude
every stranger from the pale of charity, unless he be a proselyte; and
an Israelite too, if he had in any wise dared to transgress the
rabbinical commands. A remarkable instance of this hatred, to those
whom it considers apostates, occurs in these laws respecting
almsgiving. The oral law says, that the most meritorious exercise of
charity is, the ransoming of captives:—
‫ ואין לך מצוה גדולה כפדיון שבוים ׃‬, ‫פדיון שבוים קרדם לפרנסת עניים ולכסותם‬
“The ransoming of captives goes before the feeding and clothing of
the poor, and there is no commandment so great as this.” (Hilchoth
Matt’noth Aniim, c. 8.) And yet if a brother Israelite should deviate
from the rabbinical commands, the oral law makes it unlawful to
ransom him, at the same time that it enjoins the ransom of a slave if
he be a proselyte:
‫עבד שנשבה הואיל שטבל לשם עבדות וקבל עליו מצוות פודין אותו כישראל‬
‫ ושבוי שהמיר אפילו למצוה אחת כגון שהיה אוכל נבלה להכעיס וכיוצא‬, ‫שנשבה‬
‫בזה אסור לפדותו ׃‬
“A slave who is in captivity because he has received the baptism of
slaves, and taken upon himself the commandments, is to be
redeemed. But as to a captive who has altered even one
commandment, if for instance he has eaten forbidden food in order
to vex, it is forbidden to ransom such an one.” (Ibid.) Thus the oral
law forbids all compassion even to an Israelite, if he is not of the
rabbinic religion. The conduct which it prescribes towards poor
Gentiles, “for the sake of the ways of peace,” ‫מפני דרכי שלום‬, we have
considered long since; but the prohibition to receive alms of the
Gentiles, deserves notice here, as it furnishes another proof of the
contracted views of the rabbies, and the falsehood of the oral law:—
‫אסור לישראל ליטול צדקה מן הגוים בפרהסיא ואם אינו יכול לחיות בצדקה של‬
‫ ומלך או שר מן הגוים‬, ‫ישראל ואינו יכול ליטלה מן הגוים בצנעה הרי זה מותר‬
‫ששלח ממון לישראל לצדקה אין מחזיריו אותו משום שלום מלכות אלא נוטלין‬
‫ממנו וינתן לעניי גוים בסתר כדי שלא ישמע המלך ׃‬
“It is unlawful for an Israelite to receive alms from the Gentiles
openly. But if he cannot live by the alms of Israel, and cannot receive
it from the Gentiles privately, then it is lawful. If a king or prince of the
Gentiles sends money to Israel as alms, it is not to be returned, on
account of the peace of the kingdom. On the contrary, it is to be
received, but it is to be given to the poor of the Gentiles privately, so
that the king may not hear of it.” (Ibid.) Here the oral law endeavours
to pervert that kindly feeling which should exist between all the
families of man, and spurns a demonstration even of love, because it
comes from a man of a different religion. At the same time its
authors had not the moral courage to do this openly and honestly,
and if need be, suffer for conscience sake. They command that the
proffered alms should be taken from the king, as if they intended to
devote it to the object for which he gave it, and then privately to
apply it to a totally different purpose. This want of good faith shows
abundantly that the oral law does not come from the God of truth.
The narrow bigotry of the system thus neutralizes all the individual
trials of excellence which the oral law contains. They appear
beautiful only when viewed apart from their context; but the moment
we view them in relation to the other parts of Rabbinism, their beauty
is gone. Thus the duty and extent of almsgiving, as prescribed by the
oral law, at first sight appears admirable; but the narrow spirit of
bigotry by which it is circumscribed, totally destroys its moral value in
the sight of God and man. Almsgiving is lovely only when it is the
offspring of charity. God looks not at the mere outward act of giving
money, but at the heart, and if there be no love there, almsgiving is
valueless in his sight. And how can any one pretend that there is a
grain of true God-like charity in a system which turns stranger into
proselyte, prohibits to help a brother because he is not of our own
religious sentiments, and refuses even to receive a kindness from
one of a different religion? Just contrast this with the Christian
doctrine, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you,
and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which
is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. For if ye love them
which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the
same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than
others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even
as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. v. 44-48.)
But the oral law not only perverts and falsifies the true doctrine
concerning charity, but also misleads its followers by teaching them
to think that almsgiving is a peculiarly meritorious act, and will atone
for other transgressions. Thus it is said—
‫ שהצדקה סימן לצדיק זרע‬, ‫הייבין אנו להזהר במצות צדקה יותר מכל מצות עשה‬
‫ ואין כסא‬, ‫אברהם אבינו שנאמר כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו לעשות צדקה‬
‫ קאין ישראל‬, ‫ישראל מתכונן ודת אמת עומדת אלא בצדקה שנאמר בצדקה תכונני‬
‫נגאלין אלא בצדקה שנאמר ציון במשפט יפדה ושביה בצדקה ׃‬
“We are bound to be more careful respecting this commandment of
alms than about any other of all the affirmative precepts, for
almsgiving is a characteristic of the righteous seed of our father
Abraham, as it is said, ‘I know him that he will command his children
to do alms.’ (Gen. xviii. 19.) By almsgiving alone it is that the throne
of Israel is established, and that the law of truth standeth, for it is
said, ‘by alms (literally in righteousness) thou shalt be established.’
(Isaiah liv. 14.) By alms alone it is that Israel shall be delivered, for it
is said ‘Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with
alms (righteousness).’” (Isaiah l. 27.) (Ibid. c. x. 1.) According to this
doctrine, the man who gives alms has the merit of upholding truth in
the world and helping to deliver Israel from captivity. But the
following passage tells us that it will deliver from the punishment
which he deserves, and which is already impending over his head:—
‫הצדקה דוחה את הגזירות הקשות וברעב תציל ממות כמו שאירע לצרפית ׃‬
“Almsgiving annuls the evil decrees, and in famine it delivers from
death, as happened to the widow of Sarepta.” (Joreh Deah, 347.)
And hence it is that, as we have seen, at the approach of the New
Year the Rabbinists practise almsgiving abundantly, and also, that
the survivors offer for the repose of the souls of their debased
relations. The tendency of this doctrine is obviously pernicious, for it
encourages men to persist in sin, under the idea that almsgiving will
compensate for all other deficiencies. The doctrine itself is positively
false. Where does the law of Moses say that almsgiving can
purchase forgiveness? Moses requires obedience to all the
commandments, and he enjoins the practice of charity to the poor,
but he denounces wrath against all transgression. The doctrine of
Moses is not that obedience to one command will compensate for
disobedience to another, but that disobedience to one command will
make obedience to others of none effect. The doctrine that the giving
of money to the poor can change the course of God’s judgment, or
alter this sentence, is very little short of blasphemy: for it represents
him as an unjust judge who can be bribed, whose severity can be
bought off, and whose favour can be purchased with money. A more
degrading view of the Divine character can scarcely be imagined.
Such conduct in a human judge would stamp him with infamy, and
cannot possibly be true of Him who is a God of truth and justice. This
one feature of rabbinic religion is sufficient to prove that it is the
invention of men, and of men too without any very exalted notion of
justice and equity.
Besides, this view or almsgiving takes away all the virtue of
obedience and love to God, and turns it into a mere mercenary
transaction. The great beauty of almsgiving is that it proceeds from
love to God and man, and that its motives be mercy and obedience.
But the man, who gives alms in order to atone for other
transgressions, or to avert the punishment which he deserves, is not
performing an act either of obedience or charity, he is simply making
a purchase and driving a bargain which is much to his advantage.
He has got money, and with that money he can buy a house, or a
horse, or deliverance from punishment. It is, therefore, a simple
question of interest. He considers which will be the most profitable
investment of his money, and if he decide that deliverance from
God’s wrath is the most advantageous, he lays it out in almsgiving.
Obedience, or love to God or man, is here altogether out of the
question. Can any one, who has got the law and the prophets in his
hands, imagine that such a doctrine can come from God? or can any
reasonable being suppose, that escape from God’s wrath, or the
enjoyment of his favour depends not upon man’s moral worth, but
upon his ability to give alms: in a word, that his salvation depends
not upon the state of his heart, but the laying out of his money? This
one doctrine, if thoroughly believed and acted upon, would overturn
the whole law of Moses, and offer life not to the obedient, but to the
moneyed.
In this doctrine of almsgiving, however, the oral law errs at the very
foundation. It has chosen the Hebrew word ‫ צדקה‬to stand for
“almsgiving,” whereas its true signification is “righteousness,” as may
be easily proved by reference to passages where it cannot possibly
signify “almsgiving,” as for instance—
‫וצדקה תהיה לנו כי נשמור לעשות את כל המצוה הזאת לפני ה׳ אלהינו כאשר צונו‬
‫׃‬
“And it shall be our righteousness (not our almsgiving), if we observe
to do all these commandments before the Lord our God as he hath
commanded us.” (Deut. vi. 25.) Here ‫ צדקה‬cannot possibly signify
almsgiving. And again,
‫והאמין בה׳ ויחשבה לו צדקה ׃‬
“And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for
righteousness (not for almsgiving).” (Gen. xv. 6.) And again,
‫לך אדני הצדקה ולנו בושת הפנים ׃‬
“O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of
face” (Dan. ix. 7), where it is impossible to say that “Almsgiving
belongeth unto the Lord.” The oral law is therefore guilty of
perverting the meaning of one of the plainest and most commonly
repeated words in the Bible, and of course of thereby giving an
erroneous sense to the passage where it occurs. Thus it says, as we
have seen above, “that by almsgiving the throne of Israel is
established and the law of truth standeth,” and it proves this
assertion by referring to a verse of Isaiah, where the word ‫צדקה‬
occurs, and which signifies “by righteousness shalt thou be
established,” but which it perverts to mean “by almsgiving thou shalt
be established.” Here then the oral law is plainly convicted of
falsifying the Word of God, and perverting its meaning in order to
serve its own purposes and favour its own false doctrine. To teach
false doctrine is bad enough, but to pervert the plain sense of
Scripture is a great deal worse. Either charge, if proved, would be
sufficient to prove that the oral law is a false religion, but here both
charges are proved together. The oral law here teaches that
almsgiving can do that which it cannot do, namely, bribe God to have
mercy; and it supports its false doctrine by interpreting ‫ צדקה‬to
signify “almsgiving,” whereas it plainly signifies “righteousness.” A
religion guilty of such error cannot be from God. It is for the Jews,
then, to consider whether they will persist in upholding the truth of a
system which opposes the doctrines of Moses and the prophets, and
perverts the Word of God. The great boast of the Jews is, that they
are faithful to Moses and to the religion of Moses: but this boast is
vain so long as they profess Judaism. If Moses were to rise from the
dead, and get the oral law into his hands, he would not be able to
recognise it as the religion which he left to Israel. And, as to the
commands about almsgiving, he would not be able even to translate
them, for in his time ‫ צדקה‬signified righteousness.
The prophet Isaiah would feel equal astonishment if he were to
return and learn, that the oral law quoted him as an authority for the
assertion, that Zion is to be redeemed, not with righteousness, but
with almsgiving. And we doubt not that both Moses and Isaiah would
protest as earnestly as we do against a doctrine based upon
perversion. But it is extraordinary, if the Rabbinists really believe
their own doctrine, that Israel can be delivered from captivity by
almsgiving, that they should set any bounds to their liberality, or ever
stop giving, until the desired redemption be effected. If their doctrine
be true, then all that they so earnestly pray for, is entirely in their own
power. They know the means, and they possess the means of
terminating this long captivity. They need only to give a sufficiency of
alms, and, according to the oral law, even Zion itself shall be
delivered. How extraordinary then, that they should have suffered so
many centuries of misery to pass over their heads, and left their
brethren to endure such calamities, when liberality in almsgiving
could have put a period to all their sorrows. We think too highly of
Israel’s charity to suppose for a moment that they would hesitate to
make the sacrifice, if they were persuaded of its efficacy. We must
therefore infer, that they do not believe in the doctrine, and ask them,
why do they profess a religion in which they do not believe?
No. XL.
PRIESTS AND LEVITES.
The great test of a man’s faith in, and love to, his religion is his
practice. If a man live in open and perpetual transgression of its
commands, no profession can satisfy us that he is in earnest, or that
he really believes what his creed confesses. Now let the advocates
of the oral law examine themselves by this test. They profess to
believe in, and to love the law of Moses; and their great boast is, that
Moses is their master, and that they are his disciples, but do they
prove the reality of their faith by their obedience? They sometimes
tax Christians with inconsistency in professing to believe in Moses,
and yet in neglecting the observance of certain ceremonial
observances; but are they themselves more careful and less guilty in
this matter? We do not mean to allude to the weightier matters of the
law, love to God and man: that is a question for the conscience, not
a subject for controversy, but we refer to some mere external
matters, easy of observance, and open to the cognisance of every
man. Moses and the prophets have commanded that the priests, the
Levites, ‫הכהנים הלוים‬, should be the teachers of the law, and that
from them the people should learn. Moses does not say one word
about rabbies or wise men, ‫חכמים‬, but restricts the office of teaching
to the priests, the Levites: now, do the modern Jews obey Moses in
this respect? Who are their teachers of religion, and from whom do
they learn? Are the priests and the Levites the teachers of Israel, as
Moses commanded, or are they taught by their rabbies and
Chachamim, of whom Moses does not say one syllable?
We assert, that Moses has commanded that the priests, the Levites,
should be the religious teachers in Israel, and in proof we refer to the
words of Moses himself. In the tenth chapter of ‫ויקרא‬, Leviticus, he
thus writes:—
‫ יין ושכר אל תשת אתה ובניך אתך בבאכם אל אהל‬. ‫וידבר ה׳ אל אחרן לאמר‬
‫ ולהבדיל בין הקודש ובין ההול ובין הטמא‬. ‫מועד ולא תמותו חקה עולם לדורותיכם‬
‫ ולהורות את בני ושראל את כל החקים אשר דבר ה׳ אליהם ביד‬. ‫ובין הטהור‬
‫משה ׃‬
“And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor
strong drink, thou nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the
tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for
ever throughout your generations: and that ye may put difference
between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; and that
ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord
hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.” Here the nature of
the priest’s office is clearly defined. It is, in the first place, to go into
the tabernacle of the congregation, and there to serve before the
Lord: and secondly to instruct the children of Israel in the difference
between holy and profane, clean and unclean, and especially to
teach the children of Israel “ALL THE STATUTES,” which the Lord had
given to Moses. The commission is not only very comprehensive, but
very exclusive. If the priests were to teach “all the statutes,” there is
no room left for rabbies, or Chachamim, or any other description of
teacher, the priests are the only divinely-accredited religious
teachers in Israel.
If this passage stood alone, it would be quite sufficient to establish
the doctrine; but it does not. Moses was particularly anxious to
impress upon the Israelites the nature of the priestly office, and
therefore repeats the instruction again and again. Thus in the law
respecting a dead body found lying in a field, after commanding that
the elders and judges should come forth, he adds—
‫ונגשו הכהנים בני לוי כי בם בחר ה׳ אלהיך לשרתו ולברך בשם ה׳ ועל פיהם יהיה‬
‫כל ריב וכל ננע ׃‬
“And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near: for them the Lord
thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name
of the Lord: and by their word shall every controversy and every
stroke be tried.” (Deut. xxi. 5.) One should have thought that the
elders and judges were enough in such a case. But not so. God had
determined that the priests were to teach Israel “all his statutes,” and
therefore commands that they should be present in this case, that
they should give the decision.
Again, when Moses was about to part from Israel, and to leave them
his dying benediction, he was directed by the spirit of prophecy to
impress upon them the same great truth, and in the most solemn
manner:—
, ‫וללוי אמר תמיך ואוריך לאיש חסידך אשר נסיתו במסה תריבהו על מי מריבה‬
‫האומר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו ואת אחיו לא הכיו ואת בניו לא ידע כי שמרו‬
‫ יורו משפטיך ליעקב תורתך לישראל וגו׳ ׃‬. ‫אמרתך ובריתך ינצרו‬
“And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy Holy
One, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst
strive at the waters of Meribah: who said unto his father and mother,
I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor
knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept
thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy
law.” (Deut. xxxiii. 8-10.) And as this doctrine forms a part of Moses’
last words, so also it is found in the last prophetic message which
God vouchsafed to Israel. Malachi, the last of the prophets, reminds
Israel—
‫כי שפתי כהן ישמרו דעת ותורה יבקשו מפיהו כי מלאך ה׳ צבאות הוא ׃‬
“That the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek
the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts”
(Mal. ii. 7): so that if there be any one thing more plain than another
in the Old Testament it is this, that the sons of Levi are the divinely-
appointed religious teachers of Israel, and that it is the duty of all
Israelites to seek instruction from them.
It cannot be said that the priests are not now well known, and that on
this account these commands have lost their force; for those who
believe in the oral law, profess to know the family of Levi, and in the
synagogue, at the reading of the law, the priest and the Levite are
called up in a certain order:
‫ ומנהג פשוט‬, ‫בכל קריאה וקריאה מאלו כהן קורא ראשון ואחריו לוי ואחריו ישראל‬
‫הוא היום בישראל שאפילו כהן עם הארץ קודם לקרות לפני חכם גדול ישראל ׃‬
“At every time of reading the priest reads first, and after him the
Levite, and after him the Israelite. And the simple custom of the
present time is, that a priest, even though he be an unlearned man
(amhaaretz), takes precedence in reading before the most learned,
who is only an Israelite.” (Hilchoth T’phillah, c. xii. 18.) And as the
priests are thus supposed to be known, so the oral law expressly
maintains that they still retain their priestly office, and are bound to
discharge the duties of it, so far as is possible, in the captivity: and
therefore requires them to bless the people as Moses commanded.
Indeed the firm conviction of the Talmudists on this subject is
strikingly exhibited in their assertion, that a priest, although
unlearned, or even notoriously wicked, is still not exempted from his
obligation to perform this duty:—
‫כהן שלא היה לו דבר מכל אלה המונעין נשיאת כפים אע׳׳פ שאינו חכם ואינו‬
‫מדקדק במצוות או שהיה חבריו מרננים אחריו או שלא היה משאו ומתנו בצדק‬
‫ לפי שזו מצות עשה על כל כהן וכהן‬, ‫הרי זה נושא את כפיו ואין מונאין אותו‬
‫ ואל‬, ‫שראוי לנשיאת כפים ואין אומרים לאדם רשע הוסף רשע והמנע מן המצוות‬
‫ שאין קבול הברכה תלוי בכהנים אלא‬, ‫תתמה ותאמר מה תועיל ברכת הדיוט זה‬
‫ הכהנים עושים מצוה‬, ‫בהקב׳׳ה שנאמר ושמו את שמי על בני ושראל ואני אברכם‬
‫שנצטוו בה והקב׳׳ה ברחמיו מברך את ישראל כחפצו ׃‬
“A priest who has none of these disqualifications for the lifting up of
hands, even though he be not learned, nor accurate in the
commandments; and although his companions make a mock of him,
or his dealings should not be righteous, still he is to lift up his hands
[to bless], and is not to be prevented, for this is an affirmative
precept binding upon every priest, who is otherwise qualified; and we
must not say to a wicked man, Away, thou wicked man, be thou
disqualified from keeping the commandments. Do not ask, saying,
What profit can there be in the blessing of this simple fellow? for the
receiving of the blessing does not depend upon the priests, but upon
the Holy One, blessed be He, for it is said, ‘They shall put my name
upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.’ The priests perform
the duty commanded them, and God, in his mercy, blesses Israel
according to his pleasure.” (Ibid. c. xv. 6.) The existence, then, of the
priests, and their continued obligation to perform such official duties
as are now possible, are fully acknowledged, yea, it is even asserted
that a wicked priest is by no means to be prevented from doing his
duty: it has also been plainly proved, from the words of Moses and
the prophets, that it is the duty of the priests to teach, and of the
Israelites to be taught by them: and no man can deny that the
performance of this duty is possible. The destruction of the temple
has prevented the priest from sacrificing, but it has made no
difference with regard to the possibility of teaching: it is, therefore, a
fair question to propose, to those who boast in their obedience to the
law of Moses, How is this Mosaic command respecting the teaching
of the law fulfilled? Are the priests, the Levites, the religious teachers
in all Jewish congregations? or have they been excluded from the
office assigned to them by Moses? and is it occupied by others to
whom Moses did not give it? Every Jew must answer that this
command of Moses is utterly disregarded—that the office of the
priesthood, as established by Moses, has now scarcely the shadow
of an existence amongst the Jews—that the rabbies, Chachamim,
and the Melamm’dim are universally the religious teachers—and that
hundreds, if not thousands, of the priests are left in utter obscurity,
and not a few in destitution. Jeremiah complained of the heathen—
‫פני כהנים לא נשאו ׃‬
“They respected not the persons of the priests” (Lam. iv. 16); but it is
equally applicable to the adherents of the oral law. Here and there a
son of Levi may be a rabbi, and then he has the honour attached to
the rabbinical office; but the Mosaic institution of the priesthood, as
the appointed order of religious, teachers to Israel is utterly
disregarded. Moses declares, as we have seen above, that it is the
priest’s office “to distinguish between holy and unholy, and between
clean and unclean;” but if a Jew has got a ‫שאלה‬, a question or a
difficulty, it is to the rabbi that he goes to get the decision. Moses
says that the priests are appointed by God “to teach Israel all the
statutes which the Lord hath spoken to them;” but now men are
made rabbies and Melamm’dim who do not pretend to be of the
family of Levi: and there are congregations even where there is no
Levite nor priest at all, and where, therefore, this command is utterly
despised. But the worst feature in this disobedience is, that it is
systematic. It is not one of the casualties of the captivity, but it is the
deliberate aim of the oral law to degrade the priesthood, as
established by Moses, and to set up above it another office, that of
rabbi, of which Moses does not say one word. The oral law, instead
of deprecating the possibility of an Israelite congregation existing
without a priest a son of Levi, quietly layeth down the law for doing
without them. When prescribing the order in which persons are to be
called up to the reading of the law, it says—
‫אין שם כהן עולה ישראל ולא יעלה אחריו לוי כלל ׃‬
“If there be no priest there, then an Israelite is to go up, but no Levite
is to follow him.” (Ibid., c. xii. 19.) And again,
‫ואם אין להם כהן כלל כשיגיע שליח צבור לשים שלום וכו׳ ׃‬
“But if the congregation has no priest at all, when the reader comes
to that part of the prayers he is to say,” &c. (Ibid., c. xv. 10.) Now if
the oral law were anxious to maintain the institution of Moses it could
make no such supposition. On the contrary it would urge upon every
congregation the indispensable necessity of having a priest or the
family of Levi. The supposition shows that its authors cared but little
about the commands of Moses, for where there is no priest it is
plainly impossible for the people to obey that often-repeated precept
to learn the law from the sons of Levi. And yet the authors of the oral
law, who care so little for this commandment of Moses about the
priests, command the appointment of Melamm’dim, or
schoolmasters, wider pain of utter destruction—
‫ וכל‬, ‫מושיבין מלמדי תינוקות בכל מדינה ומדינה ובכל פלך ופלך ובכל עיר ועיר‬
‫עיר שאין בה תינוקות של בית רבן מחרימין את אנשי העיר יד שמושיבין מלמדי‬
‫תינוקות ואם עוד לא הושיבו מחרימין את הציר ׃‬
“Teachers of children are to be established in every province and
district and city. And every city in which there are not school children
the men of that city are to be visited with the Cherem, and if they still
neglect, the city itself is to be devoted.” (Hilch. Talm. Torah, c. ii.)
When we see them enforce this commandment of their own with
such zeal and severity, and yet appear so careless and negligent
about the commandment of Moses, we justly infer that this neglect
was intentional, and that the object was to exalt themselves, and to
depress that office which God himself had ordained, And this
inference is abundantly confirmed by ‫הלכות כבוד רבו‬, the numerous
and minute laws respecting the honour due to a rabbi, whilst the
respect due to the family of Levi is almost entirely disregarded, and
his office evidently depreciated below that of the former. As, for
instance, in establishing the order in which captives are to be
redeemed, the oral law says the priest is to be redeemed before the
Levite, and the Levite before the Israelite, but then adds—
‫ אבל אם היה כהן גדול עם הארץ‬, ‫במה דברים אמורים כשהיו שניהם שוין בחכמה‬
‫וממזר תלמיד חכם תלמיד חכם קודם ׃‬
“In what case does this hold good? In case that they were both equal
in wisdom. But if the high priest be an unlearned man, and an
illegitimate child be the disciple of a wise man (chacham), the latter
is to have the precedence.” (Hilchoth Matt’noth Aniim, c. viii. 17.)
Here the office of the priesthood and even of the high priesthood
itself is put below that of the rabbi or chacham, and the intention of
the Rabbinists to exalt themselves, and their utter disregard for the
law of Moses and his commandments, is especially apparent. The
high priest was the chief person in the whole Mosaic dispensation.
Without him the blood of the offering could not be carried into the
holy of holies on the Day of Atonement, and yet the oral law says,
that if he and an illegitimate child, that is, the least honoured person
in Israel, be both in captivity, and the latter be the disciple of a rabbi,
he is to be redeemed first. It is needless to add any further proof of
the fact that the command of Moses, respecting the family of Levi, is
systematically and intentionally transgressed by the authors and
adherents of the oral law. The priests, the Levites, have been thrust
out of that office which God gave them, and others have been made
the religious teachers of Israel who have no right at all to this
appointment. How then can the modern Jews pretend to be zealous
for the law of Moses? They are living in plain and systematic
violation of one of his plainest commands. It will not do to say that
the office of rabbi is also of divine appointment. An assertion which
nullities a Mosaic institution must have the most unexceptionable

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This book contains on page violence and

AS PREDICTED , quite a few of my people were visibly angry, tossing me side-eyes.

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