Chapter 40 Alessio
ALESSIO
I missed the fun with the professor, but I can’t say I regret it.
While Luca and Matteo were busy extracting information from that piece of shit, I was doing something more important—taking care of my family.
The last few days have been a blur. Rescuing Nina and Austin, getting Austin through heart surgery, and now watching him bounce back like the tough little fighter he is.
Turns out we were right about the Bratva being behind Lightning.
The professor cracked under Matteo’s persuasion and spilled everything.
Where they’re making it, how they’re distributing it, the whole operation.
Now the bastard’s dead, and Matteo’s at the old firehouse they’ve been using as a lab, ready to burn it to the ground.
Destroy the lab, destroy the product, and hit the Bratva in the wallet.
I wasn’t planning to be there for the barbecue. Watching things explode is always entertaining, but my priorities have shifted. Austin’s recovering, Nina needs me, and even hunting down that cockroach Richie has taken a backseat.
Apparently, the universe has a sense of humor.
I’m heading out to grab Austin’s favorite ice cream when something catches my eye. A black sedan parked down the block that doesn’t belong in this neighborhood. I’ve memorized every car on this street since Nina and Austin moved in with me.
Paranoia is a survival skill in my line of work, so instead of going to my car, I circle around behind the sedan. When I get close enough to see through the driver’s window, I nearly laugh out loud.
Richie fucking Newell.
Well, well. Christmas came early this year. Sitting there like he’s on some kind of amateur surveillance mission.
This moron actually thinks he can stake out my building after kidnapping my family? The balls on this guy are almost impressive. Almost.
I slip into the backseat before he knows what’s happening, pressing my Glock to his temple. His whole body goes rigid, and I can smell the fear-sweat immediately.
“Drive,” I say, my voice deadly calm.
“What the hell—”
“Drive, or I redecorate your windshield with brain matter. Your choice.”
He drives. His hands shake on the steering wheel, and the stench of terror fills the car. Good. He should be scared. Austin was scared too when this piece of shit dragged him into that cellar. My finger tightens on the trigger.
I give him directions to the firehouse, enjoying the way he flinches every time I speak.
Up close, he’s even more pathetic than I expected. Thinning brown hair, weak chin, the kind of guy who probably got his ass kicked in high school and never got over it.
When we arrive, Matteo’s got a few soldiers with him, and the sharp smell of gasoline burns the air. Perfect timing. Nothing like a little arson to end the day right.
“Hold up, Matteo,” I call out, stepping from the car with my gun trained on Richie. “Change of plans.”
I march the sniveling bastard into the building at gunpoint. He’s practically crying already, which is pathetic but satisfying.
“What are you doing to me?” he whimpers as I force him toward the center of the space.
I pistol-whip the back of his skull hard enough to scramble his brains. “Save your breath. You’re going to need it for screaming.”
The gas fumes are thick here, making my eyes water, but my aim is steady as I put a bullet through his kneecap. The scream that tears from his throat echoes off the walls, and he collapses like a sack of shit, clutching his shattered leg.
Blood seeps between his fingers, and he’s sobbing now. Good.
I turn and walk out without looking back. Nina will never have to be afraid of this bastard again.
Matteo’s waiting outside with a matchbox, but he hesitates, waiting for the word.
“That’s the man who kidnapped my family,” I tell him, meeting his eyes. “He terrorized them.”
Something dark and violent flashes across Matteo’s face. He strikes a match and tosses it through the doorway without another second’s hesitation.
The building goes up like it’s made of kindling. Orange flames lick toward the sky, and black smoke billows into the afternoon air. Over the roar of the fire, I can hear Richie screaming his lungs out.
I don’t feel a goddamn thing about it.
Six months ago, I had nothing worth protecting. Now I have everything that matters.
Walking back to my car, I pull out my phone to call Nina. Austin’s probably wondering where his ice cream is, and I promised him we’d watch that superhero movie he loves.
Some promises you keep with ice cream. Others you keep with fire.