19. Ilias
ILIAS
T he warehouse was somewhere we’d done this sort of thing before—abandoned for years, boarded and dust-choked, squeezed between a rotting rail yard and an empty lot. An urban graveyard perfect for this purpose: hidden, insulated by rust and silence.
The Scarpatos started running as soon as they heard that the Commission declared war.
We’d never been so obvious before. Well, Maxim had begun a war with another small bratva when he came to the East Coast, but nothing like this, where we were all involved.
This was an all-out brawl in the streets where the Volkovs, the O’Kellys, the Santellis, and the Anthakos were searching (and killing) anyone who would give us information on our three suspects.
Any poor bastard who was holding out on us was dead.
We’d been searching for Scarpato for nearly a week and had almost no luck finding the bastard. He had vanished into the cracks of New York like the cockroach he was.
We had arranged surveillance on their properties, and Angelo had already scheduled meetings with the Vanello and Cardoni famiglias so they understood what we were doing.
We needed everyone on the same page. Not to mention, it was time for the other mafias to start picking up slack in the Oliveto and Scarpeto territory.
We couldn’t afford to have the Commission leave these huge gaps or risk creating an imbalance, which would be a problem.
We needed them filled with people we wanted. Not assholes like Dino.
Tonight, we had decided to pick up Ricky Vairo and Ruben Bello before they rabbited.
Neither was a tough catch, especially when you had a bratva, a mafia, an Irish mob, and a bunch of misfits like mine.
The Anthakos might not be a traditional crime family, but I trained my people well. Now it was time for the fun part.
While nobody might miss Ricky and Ruben, that wouldn’t be the case for Dino.
He was the don of the Scarpato family. That was a big deal.
They were one of the five families in New York City, and while Angelo had talked to the other dons, it wasn’t something you did without a reason.
Still, Dino couldn’t just get away with assaulting known family members of the Commission.
That had been a death sentence. We had just cause.
Galena had been as good as my wife, and she was Maxim’s sister.
Neither Maxim nor I would end this any other way than that fucker in the ground. We just had to find him first.
A wide gap was cut in the chain-link fence at the back. The gravel crunched beneath our boots as we walked over to the warehouse. I was already looking forward to the evening ahead, and I knew the others were too. Nothing got the blood pumping like a little torture session.
Ricky and Ruben sat, hands bound behind them, illuminated by a single overhead bulb.
A light coating of sweat had already formed on their faces even in this frigid weather.
Ruben’s bald head glistened in the yellow light.
They were guarded by our men, both armed with batons, but waiting for the signal before they began.
Ruben glared when we entered, eyes narrowed into slits. Despite that, he tried a grin. “What a surprise,” he mocked. “Thought that was your guy who grabbed me, Angelo. What the fuck are you guys pulling? The other famiglias aren’t going to stand for this.”
I liked his brave front. He was going to play the Italian card. Too bad for him that this wasn’t that sort of thing. Stepping forward into the light, I grinned. “What are we pulling? You think we don’t know you were there? You and Ricky?” I slanted a look over to the other man.
He tried to crack a smile, but it died fast. His expression turned bloodless. Anyone else might’ve begged. His voice was pleading. “You can’t kill us.”
I leaned back, smiling at him and making sure that I saw the intent behind it. “We won’t. Yet.”
He swallowed. “You know what comes of this.”
“Sure. Justice.” Gesturing to the others, I ordered. “Strip ‘em and string them up.”
“Wait, wait …”
“No.” I leaned close. “There will be no more waiting. I think we waited long enough.”
As the men were stripped and hung from the meat hooks, I enjoyed the fear radiating off them, and I knew that the others did too.
Ignoring their muttered pleas and blubbering was easy.
It was tempting to go too far at this point, but I didn’t want to regret it later.
We might be able to get information about where Dino might be hiding.
Conall kicked an old chair, smashing the slats apart easily.
“Now remember, eejits .” He winked at us.
“Maiming only. I’m not sure about you, but I memorized that fuckin’ hospital report.
Take your turns, but she gets the final kill.
” He cracked the chair leg across Ricky’s kneecap.
Ricky screamed. “Music to my ears, boys. Fuckin’ music. ”
“Where’s Dino?” I asked. “We can’t find him.”
“Don’t say anything, Ruben. Don’t say anything,” Ricky blubbered around the snot and drool.
It was a symphony of justice. Brutal. Long overdue. They were barely breathing when we finally came to a stop. Some of their limbs hung at awkward angles, but I was pleased when we finally left.
In the car, I looked at Maxim. He didn’t smile, but he looked content.
Because justice—swift, brutal, earned—had finally found its mark.
Maxim’s men had orders to keep them alive until we returned, and we had some gloriously brutal options to present to Galena for their final journey to hell, where they belonged.
I knew which I hoped she would pick. Angelo already had one of his guys working on it.