Chapter 38
Endo is not taking this well
Scarlett
From the back of a black SUV with tinted (and probably bulletproof) windows, Massio gives me a two-hour tour of what he insists on calling his city, no doubt to cement the idea that he’s the king here, as opposed to Endo, who’s just a visitor.
The four leather seats in the back are custom-made and facing each other, giving it the feeling of a limousine.
Endo broods the entire time.
We finish circling the largest cathedral in the region, and as we pull away, Massio fishes out a cold bottle of water and twists the cap. He offers it to me and says, “I can arrange for a private tour of the inside of the cathedral later tonight.”
Next to me, Endo tenses.
I pat his thigh. “That’s not necessary. Thank you.” I wave off the water.
How does Massio’s interference affect the exchange between Endo and my dad? I’d love to crawl inside Endo’s brain right now and figure out what he’s planning. Also, Massio showed up with a large entourage right as we landed, which means he was ready for us. He knew we were coming.
Is my dad connected with this man? Oh God.
Massio’s smirk tells me he’s pleased to have annoyed or at least outmaneuvered Endo. He drinks the water, Adam’s apple bobbing. I don’t find it attractive.
Massio crunches the empty bottle of water in his fist and puts it on the tray, then looks over at Endo as if assessing him. For what, I have no idea. I don’t read gangster body language well. Or psychopath’s, for that matter.
“Who told you I was in town?” Endo asks.
“Should’ve been you.”
Endo pulls his bottom lip through his teeth. “You’re right. My apologies. I’m not here on business. It’s a pleasure trip, so I didn’t call.”
“Even so. If I so much as flew over your territory you’d get bent out of shape. You disrespect me when you arrive and don’t tell me. But at least your fiancée is nice, so I can forgive you.”
Massio snatches my hand and brings it to his lips as if to kiss it, but Endo yanks my hand back, pulls out his gun, and lunges at Massio. He pins the man against the seat and shoves the barrel of the gun inside Massio’s mouth.
Endo is breathing hard.
I make a conscious effort not to urinate on the seat. I’m terrified Endo will fill Massio’s head with bullets, and he’ll die right in front of me. A whimper escapes. “Please,” I utter, but it’s so quiet, even I can barely hear it.
Endo pushes the gun farther down Massio’s throat, eliciting a gag. The man lifts his arms in surrender, and Endo sits back down.
Massio smiles a deranged smile and reminds me of Endo for a moment. I can see the similarities now.
“They told me the engagement is fake,” the man says.
I breathe deeply and try to recover from debilitating fear.
Endo chews his gum. Violently.
Massio nods. “Okay. Fine. I get it. I was the same way about my late wife.”
Not sure I know what he means. Minutes pass in silence before I say, “I’m sorry to hear about your wife.”
“Don’t be. I killed her.”
Endo shakes his head. “What’s with the small talk?”
I look out the window. “I was just trying to be polite.”
“What for?”
“No reason.”
The tension in the car suffocates me. I need to get out of here. I roll down the window for some fresh air.
“How is Cass?” Massio asks.
I whip my head around, wanting to slap some sense into this man. He’s smirking, happy that he’s provoking Endo. Does he want to die? Maybe he does and he wants Endo to end his miserable existence.
He’s trying hard to get under Endo’s skin, and if he doesn’t have a death wish, then I wonder why.
When men posture like this, I always think about animals in the wild, particularly predatory ones, but the thing about Endo is that he seems like the type of animal that’s best left alone.
This is why, during my dad’s birthday party, I went along with Endo’s theatrics.
I had a feeling that if I denied him the right to claim me as collateral, he would shoot up the place.
Unlike me, Massio pokes Endo’s bleeding wound.
“My brother is fine,” Endo says.
To think that Massio doesn’t know Cass is missing would be very stupid. If he’s aware of what’s going on, does he also know who my dad is? Wait, which man picked Selnoa for the exchange today? My dad or Endo?
I have a hard time believing it was Endo, so it must’ve been my dad. Since Massio showed up, this would mean my dad tricked Endo. He’s controlling Endo. Uh-oh. Endo doesn’t like being controlled. Not even a little bit.
The terrible feeling that my dad is in the trenches with the man who dresses like a clown and gives me major creeps won’t leave me. I’m full of questions and dying for answers I’m better off not knowing. I’ve heard my dad speak with Endo and lie. My dad can’t be trusted to provide truthful answers.
Is my father hoping Endo and Massio will lose their tempers and die in a shoot-out? Maybe. Or hey, maybe I should think about something else. It’s best for me to play the role of a nice “little woman” by Endo’s side and let these men forget I have a brain.
Except, it’s hard to pretend that the news of Endo’s arrival and thus Massio’s pickup came from someone other than my dad. He’s got a lot to gain if Endo dies, and Massio is the perfect executioner.
If there is a shoot-out, Endo is outnumbered. He’s in enemy territory, trading leverage (me) for information (Cass’s location). Now, he believes the man making the trade (my dad) set him up. But again, Endo’s outnumbered, so it’s too late for him to do anything about the betrayal.
The tall iron gates open to admit the eight cars.
The perfectly manicured bushes on either side of the twisted road block the view of our surroundings.
The drive takes almost ten minutes, but finally, we emerge into a paved clearing the size of an average town square.
It’s a front yard for Massio’s single-story ranch-style house.
Behind it are smaller identical homes with red roofs.
A little criminal village within a wall. The only part that’s not walled off is on my left. But that’s because it’s a steep cliff.
I can’t figure out if this place is meant to keep people inside or out. In our case, it’s to keep Endo and the rest of the crew Endo landed with inside.
Endo’s body is taut. It’s like I’m sitting next to a ticking bomb.
At best, I’d say he is intense. But really, he is radioactive.
It’s only a matter of time before it melts everything around him.
He already shoved a gun down his half brother’s throat.
It’ll get worse if he’s pushed more, and I want to survive the carnage.
We exit the car.
The view from the cliff is breathtaking. I walk the few steps and stop just before the edge, my toes brushing dirt. Pebbles slide down the mountainside and toward the city. The Mediterranean takes my breath away.
Massio joins me.
“It must be lovely to live here,” I say.
“The city is at my feet.”
I was thinking of waking up and looking at the sea, not of the city at his feet, but to each his own. I turn to see Endo speaking with Slada and his nephews, who make no effort to acknowledge their father. The father seems uninterested in his sons.
I would love to know what Endo and his crew are saying, but once I find out there’s no going back.
I can’t claim I didn’t know. Ignorance will save me.
But I can make an educated guess that Massio’s wealth was acquired by means of taking, probably by force.
Theft, prostitution, illegal gambling, all guarded by an army of men in combat clothes and flying drones.
I smile at Massio. My survival instincts are stronger than my curiosity. “Thank you for having us.”