7. Massimo
Chapter 7
Massimo
V iolent tension instantly gripped my muscles when Gian and I stepped into Salerno’s study. It wasn’t hatred of our sadistic boss that put me on edge; it was the man who was seated in one of the black leather armchairs as though he belonged there.
Rocco Abate leered at me, a vicious baring of teeth rather than a true smile. The expression twisted his scarred features, the ruined left side of his face puckering into a nightmarish mask.
I barely suppressed a snarl of soul-deep hatred as I stared down the man who’d killed my parents. The sight of his horrific face didn’t quell my murderous loathing—I’d inflicted that damage with the broken bottle I’d used to defend my family. His blood had dripped from the jagged glass as I watched the light leave my mother’s eyes.
“What is he doing here?” I demanded of Salerno, the question little more than a growl.
Rocco was a member of the Nardone clan, our rivals who controlled the territory to the north of our own turf. We’d established a tenuous truce over the years, neither clan willing to incite a war. That would be bad for business.
But now that my friends and I had forged an alliance with Duarte and Rodríguez, we would be powerful enough to take on this motherfucker. Gian would overthrow Salerno in his long-awaited coup, and then I would be free to finally exact my revenge on Rocco. Gian would support me in the violence against the Nardone clan, but it would be over quickly now that we were responsible for the lucrative new trafficking route into Europe.
Gian had aspirations that extended beyond Naples, even past the Italian border. Soon, he planned to reach out to our Irish and Dutch counterparts. More alliances would be formed, and power would be consolidated. We would be kings, and the piece of shit who’d murdered my parents would be in the ground.
“Rocco has a proposition for us,” Salerno drawled, a small smile ghosting around his thin lips; cruel pleasure at my expense. The sadistic bastard relished the fact that I barely harnessed my rage out of deference to him.
Gian placed a restraining hand on my shoulder, a firm reminder of all that was at stake if I defied Salerno and attacked Rocco now.
Soon. I would kill him as soon as Gian came to power. My fingers already itched with the need to wrap around his throat.
“He wants in on our new deal with the cartels,” Salerno continued. “He’s willing to betray his boss and pledge his loyalty to me. The Nardone clan’s territory will be ours, and Rocco will be rewarded for his part in our victory.”
Gian didn’t bother to hide his disdain, his upper lip curling in a sneer. “Any man who would betray his brothers isn’t trustworthy. We should send him back to his boss and force him to confess his traitorous plan. Massimo can make sure to leave his tongue intact so that he can tell his brothers exactly what he tried to do.”
I wasn’t certain if I was capable of the restraint required to make him bleed without taking his life. But the prospect of hearing my enemy’s screams elevated my pulse, adrenaline flooding my system in anticipation of the violence.
“And what about you, Massimo?” Rocco challenged, his beady eyes glinting with delight. “I heard a rumor that your new woman was fucking a DEA agent back in America. Is she trustworthy? Are you? Or are you letting your dick rule your decisions?”
Gian’s fingers bit into my shoulder, barely restraining me. Red clouded the edges of my vision, and my body practically vibrated with the need to kill. He knew about Evelyn. He was trying to turn Salerno against her, so that my boss would target her as a potential threat.
“Anyone who touches Evelyn will die screaming.” I kept my glower on Rocco but included Salerno in the threat.
“Surely, you’re not going to allow this son of a bitch to come into your home and threaten us,” Gian demanded of Salerno. His tone was cool and calm, but the words were a challenge. “Send him back to his boss in pieces. He can still breathe without his limbs intact.”
“I want the Nardone territory,” our boss replied coldly. “Rocco will deliver.”
Gian lifted his chin. “We don’t need this traitor to take their territory. We have the connections to cut off their business now. They won’t be able to compete with us for much longer. They’ll be broke within a year, and they’ll turn on each other.”
Salerno cocked his head at my friend, his dark eyes calculating. After a long, tense minute, he nodded.
“I won’t make our people bleed to eliminate the entire Nardone clan. If you can guarantee their downfall within a year, that’s the prudent move. But I would prefer that they don’t know what we’re planning.” His glacial gaze fixed on Rocco. “You won’t breathe a word about this meeting to your boss, and I will allow you to leave here in one piece.”
“No,” I snarled, taking a step toward my enemy. “He’s mine.”
I couldn’t let him walk out of here. Not when he’d made it clear that his attention was on Evelyn.
“If we send him back bloody but he doesn’t confess, his boss will think we’re going to war,” Gian told me quietly. “Not yet, Massimo.”
Rocco got to his feet and spared a shrug in Salerno’s direction. “Your loss.”
Salerno scowled at him, his grim expression promising a slow death. “I’ll let Massimo have you when the time comes.”
My blood burned in my veins, a toxic mix of resentment and vicious anticipation. Rocco would die by my hand, but not at Salerno’s command. The cruel old bastard wouldn’t control me for much longer.
I sucked in a breath and leashed my darkest impulses. Allowing my most hated enemy to stroll away unscathed took every shred of my willpower.