Ten #2
I just stare him down with a grin. He swallows hard, then speaks again, this time, softer.
“You put me away for fifteen years. What more do you want?”
My voice turns lethal. “Your life.”
Then I pause to my feet. “But not that easy.”
He starts to crumble. “Katrina’s death wasn’t just on me.”
“I know. The other six are waiting for you in hell.”
“You killed them?”
“Every last one. Slowly. Painfully. Exactly how they deserved. Exactly how you deserve.”
“You’re my son!”
I sneer. “Other than that filthy seed you forced into my mother’s womb, we’ve got nothing tying us. I wiped your cursed name from my records years ago. Don’t pretend you don’t know my name’s Moretti now.”
He just stares at me, terrified. I rip off a strip of duct tape and slap it over his gaping mouth. I’m done hearing his voice.
“I’m not your son, Leo,” I hiss and lean in closer. “I’m your fucking reaper.”
I straighten up, pulling my switchblade from my coat pocket and slide the blade free. “But death’s something you’ll have to beg me for. I sent your buddies to hell, but for you, I’m bringing hell to earth. Death is a gift you’ll have to earn, Leo.”
Grabbing the phone on the table, I dial emergency services and give the address. “There’s been a robbery here.”
I glance at Nicola, pale as a ghost, no longer moving and I add before hanging up, “Two bodies and a guy with his dick cut off.”
Leo’s muffled sobs behind the tape betray his dread of what’s coming.
I grab his vile junk, the weapon that hurt my mother most. Locking eyes with him, I smirk. “You don’t need this anymore,” then drive the blade into the flesh, slicing it clean off.
His stifled screams are pathetic whimpers behind the tape. I hurl the severed piece out the window, toward where I’d seen stray dogs earlier.
That’s when I notice the two girls, clinging to each other, staring at me in terror.
I already know the answer but ask anyway. “You whores?”
The one who’d been in my father’s grip shakes her head no. “They kidnapped us.”
“Get up. Find something to wear.”
I turn back, grab Nicola’s pants from the floor, and press them against Leo’s open wound. “Don’t worry, you’ll be saved in time. I’m counting on hunting you for years.”
I scoop up my pistols and clips from the floor and head for the door, but pause before leaving and glance back at the two girls standing dazed by the living room. “Come on. I’ll drop you somewhere safe.”
***
I walk up the black marble steps, regal and gleaming, heading toward the VIP lounge, Carlo and Brando’s usual hangout. Carlo drops in on his brother now and then to chat about the casino and the underground fights Brando runs in its basement.
They’re both lounging on a plush velvet couch, smoking cigars. Brando might chain-smoke like I do, but Carlo only lights up occasionally, savoring the finest hand-rolled Cubans from Brando’s collection.
I sink into a single armchair and wave off the young waitress hovering nearby. She glances at Brando, waiting for his permission. He dismisses her with a lazy flick of his hand, and once we’re alone, he pours me a glass of whiskey and offers a cigar. I take the whiskey, sipping it.
Carlo’s in a gray V-neck tee, looking as sharp and lively as ever. “So, how’d it go?” he asks.
I cut straight to it. “I chopped his dick off.”
Both their cigars freeze mid-air. They stare at me, stunned. And when they see I’m dead serious, they burst out laughing in unison.
Brando sets his cigar in the ashtray. “He still alive?”
“Hope so. I’m not done with him yet.”
Carlo takes a final drag, leaning forward to stub his cigar in the glass table’s ashtray. “You should’ve finished him. You’ve got enough enemies as it is. You don’t need a wounded beast on your ass too.”
I shrug. “He can’t do shit.”
Carlo leans back, eyeing me for a moment before warning, “Don’t forget, Maxim, you’re not untouchable anymore. You’ve got someone else to think about now.”
A flash of orange curls pops into my head. I know Carlo’s right.
I nod. “I’ll end it soon.”
Brando chimes in, “How’s it going with your little carrot? You win her over yet?”
I flash him a smirk. “You underestimate me? I know how to get a lady’s heart.”
“Nah, Maxim. You know how to get a lady’s pussy,” Brando snorts.
Carlo smirks, but I answer seriously. “I’m an expert in women.
Whores might not need effort, but you know I’ve bagged half the supermodels in Italy.
Let me drop some wisdom for when you want to sleep with someone besides your maids, buddy.
The way to pussy is through a woman’s heart.
And the formula for that is simple: treat her with class, spoil her with expensive gifts, and drown yourself in the most luxurious cologne money can buy. ”
I snap my fingers. “That’s it. A hot, romantic night. Works every time.”
Carlo smirks. “Brando’s not into candles and flowers. Give him something with handcuffs, ropes, and nipple clamps.”
Brando raises his glass, savoring the jab. “Thanks, brother.”
He turns to me, serious now. “Joking aside, what’s it like being a dad? Last time I checked, you’d rather freeze your balls off than have a kid.”
I take a second, think about it, then say it honestly, “All I know is, if anyone lays a finger on that girl, I’ll wipe them and everyone they love off the face of the earth.
There’s no sacrifice I wouldn’t make for her.
No law I wouldn’t break. No man I wouldn’t crush.
I’d do anything, anything, just to make my little carrot smile.
She’s the only person I want more than I want myself. ”
Carlo raises his glass. “And that makes a damn good father.”
My gaze drifts past him to a tall, stunning woman striding our way. Martina, one of the tightest pussies in all of Italy. A famous model I’ve slept with a few times, and she’s still hooked.
As she reaches our section, she flashes me a bright smile and calls my name, but it fades when her eyes land on Carlo. She’s gambled enough in this casino to know who the boss’s brother is, and that you don’t approach him without permission.
Even though Carlo’s expression is blank, his natural aura’s got her spooked. She swallows hard and stops next to me. “Maxim, I was wondering…”
I reach out, squeeze her firm ass through her dress, and cut her off with a wink. “Not tonight, sugar.”
She takes the hint, and leaves us.
Brando lets out a whistle. “Oof, someone’s going to get some redhead pussy.”
The second he references Ava, a vein bulges in my neck like a rope. “And somebody, if he weren’t the brother of the capo, would’ve had his ass torn open for saying shit like that,” I say, calm but lethal.
Brando chuckles, throwing his hands up. “Don’t be so touchy. She’s not the first woman in your life.”
Carlo answers for me. “She’s the mother of his child. Show some respect, Brando.”
Without waiting for Brando’s comeback, he turns to me. “You planning to keep her in your life?”
“It’s not like I’ve got a choice. I don’t want Aurora getting hurt.”
“I didn’t ask if you want her in your daughter’s life. I asked what you plan to do with her.”
I take a deep breath and sip my drink.
Carlo and Brando are both eyeing me like they’ve already got the answer.
Annoyed by their stares, I mutter, “For fuck’s sake, Carlo. You’ve seen the woman. She’s the hottest, sexiest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. I swear, my balls have been on fire for a month because of her.”
“Is that so?” Brando grins. “I can’t believe Elen was right. You actually stayed away from our whores and kept your dick in your pants for a whole month? Dear Lord, nobody saw that coming.”