Broken Promise (The Denton Family Legacy #1) - Sam Crescent
Chapter One
“Are you a fucking Denton, or are you a pussy? We don’t have pussies in the family, Landon,” Jacob Denton said to his youngest brother. The Denton name was a well respected name, and they were known for not taking shit from anybody. Their legacy had begun many years ago with his great-grandfather, or maybe even before that. They were all respected, feared, and admired wherever they went. Jacob liked the attention. He needed it.
They were not actors or models or singers. He along, with his five brothers and one sister, were part of an empire that spanned over several cities, and they had their noses in a lot of other people’s businesses. Some would say they were the bad guys, and mothers should really lock their houses when they heard a Denton was coming.
“I’m not a fucking pussy. I’m a monster,” Landon said, screaming out. Anyone looking at his youngest brother would believe he was a hell of a lot older than his sixteen years. Almost every single family would be horrified if they found out that their teenage son competed in an underground fight with someone who was a hell of a lot older. This was the Denton way. Their father had done this, and so had Jacob, Abel, Oliver, Gideon, and Damian. It was now Landon’s turn to not only prove himself to the family, but also get the same reputation for the world to see. The only person in the family who wouldn’t be in this ring would be Tamsin.
“Don’t fuck with a Denton,” people said. They were a crime family, a deadly mix that ruled with an iron fist. Jacob trusted his brothers, no one else. They had friends, but none they could trust as much as each other. Their father made sure there was no rivalry between them. They were all equal to him, and he never showed favoritism.
“That’s right, son, you’re the animal here,” Maddox Denton, their father and head of the Denton Legacy said. “You show them that no Denton will be beat.”
Landon growled out, and Jacob stood back, standing by his brothers as he watched him go back to fight his opponent. Abel had his hand ready on his gun to start fighting if shit hit the fan. They had all been in this place, and neither one of them had lost, but none of them looked as bad as Landon. For the first time in his thirty-five years, Jacob felt uneasy. No Denton had ever lost at a fight. Landon was just like them, but he was letting the fucker land punches when it wasn’t necessary.
“He’s doing it on purpose,” Damian said. “He’s feeding off the anger, besides, he wants to make Mom and Dad proud.”
Jacob looked toward the luxurious changing rooms to see his mother, Charlotte, with her arms wrapped around herself. Bruce, her bodyguard, stood beside her, keeping a watch for any potential threat. If their father could have, he’d have locked their mother in a tower so only her family saw her, he was that protective. Jacob knew it was hard for his father to allow another male to be close to her as that was another thing about their legacy, and what unnerved their enemies at times. Most families with dealings like theirs were known to be unstable, users, and passing whores around like they were going out of fashion. The Dentons, all of them, didn’t do that. Once they found that one woman there was no one else for them. Jacob had witnessed the love between his parents, and it rivaled those of the greatest love stories on the big screen.
“Block him, Landon,” Maddox said, yelling advice.
This was why his mother should never come to the fights, but she always did when it involved her kids. Landon had three blows landed to his face, and it looked like he was about to go down, but he paused. Jacob watched as Landon attacked, slamming his fist against his opponent’s face, working him over. The monster had been unleashed, and even Jacob was taken aback by the sheer violence in his baby brother.
Blow after blow after blow. There was no stopping the violence. The rage crossed Landon’s face, and when the whistle blew and he showed no sign of stopping Maddox ran into the ring and grabbed his son.
“Landon, enough!” Maddox held his son, and Jacob took over so their father could get Landon. When that didn’t work, their mother was suddenly in front of them, and she clapped her hands in front of Landon’s face, bringing their brother back.
Reality returned to Landon, and he nodded. “I’m good. I’m good.”
Stepping out of the ring, Jacob joined his brothers as his father showed off his latest son who had won the fight.
“He needs a woman and fast,” Abel said.
“Only his woman can handle that fucking monster. Look at Mom with Dad. She’s the only one who can talk sense into him,” Gideon said.