Chapter 26
We stormed out of the basement and headed upstairs, furiously stalking through the foyer and into the kitchen, where Luigi was.
Thankfully, Bianca and Katrina were ushered outside per Dominic’s order before we got upstairs. They didn’t need to witness what we were about to do to the traitor.
The staff on shift, including our new man of the hour, turned to look at us and stood in suspense. It was easy to tell something was wrong by the anger bleeding through our pores and the tension riding our shoulders.
“Get out,” Dominic gritted, low and dangerous. The staff scattered like bugs exposed to bright light, including Luigi. Pointing at Luigi, Dominic bellowed, “Not you!”
Maneuvering through everyone, I hurried to keep up with Dino and Dominic. One second, they were next to me, and in a flash, there was Dino grabbing Luigi from behind by the collar of his jacket.
I couldn’t help but cringe when Dino slammed Luigi’s face onto the counter. Blood poured from his shattered nose as Dino glared straight into his eyes.
“Piece of shit!” He slammed Luigi’s face onto the counter once again before jerking him back to his feet. Wobbly and disoriented, Luigi failed to get a grip on Dino’s wrist, let alone fight him off. “You think we wouldn’t find out, huh!?”
The anxiety of it all made my stomach start to ache. Honestly, while I wasn’t as surprised as I expected since learning that Luigi was working for the enemy, I was taken aback that it had gone undetected for as long as it had.
What drove him to betray us? Was it a dislike for Dominic? Me? No, that wouldn’t make sense. I didn’t trust him from the start. Aside from a mysterious general dislike for me, I didn’t sense any deep-seated hatred. Was it due to Hector trusting me so quickly and, in turn, incorporating me into his inner circle? Did he want a say? Or was Luigi mad that Dominic took over as don? That in itself would’ve come as a complete surprise because it was so damn obvious who was next in line. If he felt any type of way, he should’ve aired his grievances to Hector before he died, not turn on his family, the ones who gave him some kind of sense of belonging. Importance. Was it because he was demoted to one of the chefs? Was it before Hector was killed? Was that the moment Luigi betrayed us? Betrayed his oath to this family?
Just as Dino geared to drive Luigi’s face into the counter for a third time, I blurted out, “Wait!” Dino and Dominic looked at me. Luigi was too fucked up to differentiate his right from his left. “If you kill him now, we’ll be back to square one.”
“Fuck this asshole,” Dino gritted, his eyes burning red.
I walked towards the men, my hand out as I was about to ask Luigi if he even knew his name at this point, but movement to the right caught my eye. Dominic drove a serrated knife into one of Luigi’s kidneys, prompting him to gasp, horror in his features.
“What are you doing!?” I cried out, frustrated with how messy Luigi’s interrogation was. Literally. I went ignored.
“You have sixty seconds, Filippo,” Dominic alerted, his tone dangerous. “I want to know about your involvement with Nico Nasuti and Dante Vitis. Why? When? And if you know a man by the name of Vladislav Aleski.”
Gurgling and choking sounds were all Luigi could make as blood pooled up into his throat and spilled from his mouth. Dominic twisted the knife by a quarter inch, making Luigi groan in agony, his expression pained.
“Talk, Filippo!”
After spitting out blood, Luigi finally made words.
“They needed... Someone on the inside...”
As he began to sag, Dino jerked him back up straight. Another agonizing cry ripped through the kitchen.
“They offered... I... I...”
“Offered what, prick?” Dino questioned.
“Who made the offer?” Dominic asked. “Nasuti?” Luigi nodded. Barely. “What was it?” Dominic continued. “Money? Loyalty? What!?”
“Both.” Luigi spit out more blood.
With tears in my eyes from the stress of it all and the turn of events, I asked, “Why, Luigi? Why would you hurt us like this?”
Hearing me upset further angered Dominic and Dino, their eyes nothing but red, their fangs drawn.
Slow to turn his head, Luigi looked at me the best he could in his position. What I saw in his eyes was regret mixed with excruciating pain as the life slowly bled from his eyes. Whether it was genuine or because he was about to die, it cracked a small piece of my heart, nonetheless. Did he think he had it so bad with us that he had to sign his own death certificate? Why couldn’t he have just talked to us? Now, thanks to him, the family and then some were in danger.
More blood spilled past his chin. “I... Had no... Choice... I?—”
Mouth open, he widened his eyes in terror as Dominic pulled out the knife. Blood and bodily fluids leaked onto the floor, flesh and tissue caught on the tiny points of the blade, in its divots.
With an evil smirk curling the corner of Dino’s lips, he leaned in toward Luigi, saying, “See you in Hell.” He then bashed Luigi’s face on the counter until he was unrecognizable and lifeless, throwing Luigi away from him and letting him fall to the floor in a blood-soaked, crumpled heap. Dominic tossed the knife in the sink, his employee’s blood on his hand.
Excuse me—former employee.
Staring back and forth between both men in shock and filled with worry, all I could think to say was, “What do we do?”
Dominic walked over to me and pressed his shoulder into mine, that half of his body teasing me. It wasn’t at all threatening but attractive. That scared me, and quite frankly, I was scared of myself here.
He killed his own family member without hesitation and in a gnarly way. He was a criminal. An intellectual gangster with a macabre complex who knew his way around a knife like he did a paintbrush or his Fazioli. And I loved that. I loved him —a man that other men respected and who all feared crossing.
“We bathe the streets with their blood.”