Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Enzo
Julian's mansion sat in the New York suburbs—three stories of white stone, two Porsches and a modified Range Rover parked out front. The porch light was on, but every window in the house was dark.
One in the morning. The Falcone family's number two was probably already in bed with some woman.
Too bad he wasn't getting any sleep tonight.
Two guards in the front yard—one leaning against the garage pillar smoking, the other sitting on the porch steps scrolling his phone. This was Julian's idea of security.
If these two worked for me, I'd fire them on the spot. Then break their kneecaps as punishment for incompetence.
They didn't even get up when Luca approached.
Two muffled sounds, one after the other.
Clean. The first guy's cigarette was still pinched between his fingers.
The second guy's phone was still lit up with some half-finished Candy Crush game.
That Julian could call this crew his security detail—the man never disappointed in his mediocrity.
Luca dragged both bodies into the shadows behind the garage, then nodded at me.
I pushed open the front door.
The decorative carved door was showy but not secure—a simple twist of the lock and it popped right open. Julian probably thought his security was good enough. In his world, nobody was stupid enough to directly attack a Falcone.
Clearly, his sense of safety rested on a flawed assumption. This would be one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
I climbed the spiral staircase to the second floor. The master bedroom door was ajar, but empty inside. The bed was rumpled, lipstick marks on the pillow. Water sounds and a woman's soft laughter came from the bathroom.
I pushed the bathroom door open.
Julian sat in the whirlpool tub, steam rising around him, a blonde woman pressed against his side. Both naked. A bottle of champagne and a plate of strawberries sat on the edge of the tub. Julian's hand rested on the woman's waist, the other reaching for the champagne.
They were clearly about to have a wonderful evening.
Then my mind conjured an image of Chloe's lush, curvy body. I even started fantasizing about fucking her in a tub until her eyes rolled back.
Damn it. In this tense moment when I should be ready to pull a gun, I was getting distracted by filthy thoughts. I shook the inappropriate images from my head and gripped the gun in my pocket tighter.
Either way, their plans for tonight were about to go to hell.
"Evening, little brother."
Julian's hand froze mid-air. He whipped his head around. The moment he saw me standing in the bathroom doorway, his expression went from blank to shocked. The blonde screamed and instinctively shrank to the far end of the tub, water splashing everywhere.
"How the fuck did you get in here!" Julian tried to stand, gripping the tub's edge, his wet body trembling under the lights. Whether from cold or fear, I couldn't tell.
I pulled the gun from behind my back. Julian's eyes went wide as dinner plates.
"Wait, Enzo, just calm down." His tone shifted from bluster to naked pleading. "We're brothers. We can sit down and talk about this."
I walked to the edge of the tub and pressed the gun barrel against his forehead.
Julian let out an undignified whimper. His lips trembled, his eyes fixed on the gun, not daring to move. The water in the tub rippled from his shaking.
I looked at him. Then I smiled.
I pulled the gun from his forehead and tossed it aside. The gun arced through the air and splashed into the bathwater.
Julian froze.
"You can play whatever games you want with me, Julian." I crouched down, resting one hand on the tub's edge, meeting his eyes. "Bribe my driver. Contact the Mexicans. Cause trouble on my turf. Try all the tricks you want. But the result will always be the same—you'll lose, and you'll pay for it."
Then I grabbed his wet hair and shoved his entire face underwater. Julian didn't even get a chance to scream.
I stayed crouched there, expressionless, watching him thrash underwater, water splashing all over my shirt. When he was almost out of strength, I yanked him up by the hair.
Julian vomited violently, soapy water pouring from his mouth. He coughed hard, face bright red, body limp against the tub's edge, gasping for air.
The blonde was completely terrified. She screamed, huddling naked behind the towel rack in the corner, arms wrapped around her knees, shaking.
"Frank was your doing, wasn't he, Julian?" That damned driver tried to plant explosives in my car. But he clearly overestimated his own intelligence. He left this world before those bombs could detonate.
Julian's face was a mess of humiliation, water streaming from his nose and mouth. He raised a hand weakly, like he wanted to say something, but couldn't stop coughing.
"I asked you a question."
"Enzo, I can explain."
I pulled out my cigarette case, lit one up, took a deep drag, then crouched down and pressed the burning end into Julian's still-healing leg.
His scream echoed off the bathroom walls.
"Try again."
"Yes! Yes, it was me!" Julian's face twisted in agony, tears mixing with the bathwater running down his chin. "Frank was my man! But Enzo, I swear, it was just a test. I didn't actually want you dead."
"Of course you wanted me dead." I stood up, cigarette back between my lips. "And I want the same for you."
I kicked his leg. I'd been too merciful last time. This time, I used full force.
The sound of bone shifting was crystal clear in the bathroom. This leg was completely done for now. Julian let out an inhuman howl, his body convulsing in the tub, then his eyes rolled back, and he passed out cold. The blonde in the corner started sobbing quietly.
Luca walked in from the doorway, scanning the room, his eyes landing on me.
"Why not just finish him?"
I flicked ash from my cigarette. "Julian was never my real opponent. Carmine still has influence in the family. The old guard still listens to him. If I kill Julian now, it'll only make things messier."
Luca didn't comment. He glanced at the blonde. She shrank back further. Luca gave her a polite smile and gestured.
"Miss, when he wakes up, you two can continue."
I didn't bother with any of this. I turned and left the mansion, got back in the driver's seat, finally able to breathe in the enclosed space.
I rubbed my eyes. My temples were throbbing.
This past week had been a nightmare.
First Frank's assassination attempt, then two moles in the organization.
Julian's ambitions were growing. That's why I had to teach him a lesson tonight.
Crisis averted. Evidence of Julian's attempt to murder his own brother was solid. Even with his leg completely shattered, the old guard couldn't say anything now.
No matter how unhappy Carmine was, the Don's position would never go to a crippled idiot.
But I was still restless.
I'd handled everything, killed who needed killing, beat who needed beating. The calm that should follow violence never came. My chest felt tight, like something was lodged there, couldn't go up or down.
I checked my watch. 10:46 PM. Drew had reported that during my absence this week, Chloe had switched to day shifts.
So in about ten minutes, it would be Chloe's quitting time.
I don't know why I thought of that. I'd been deliberately not thinking about her all week. Every time her face appeared in my mind, I buried it with work. But it was like a spring—the harder you pressed, the higher it bounced back.
I started the car, told myself to go home. But the steering wheel didn't listen. The car headed in a familiar direction. I drove aimlessly through the New York night for twenty minutes before finally surrendering—parking in the shadows of the alley behind the club.
I was furious with myself for this lack of control. Hadn't I already decided to stay away from that woman? Hesitation was unforgivable in my world.
I lit a cigarette, told myself I'd leave after finishing it. Then, before I was halfway through, the back door of the club opened.
Chloe walked out. She wore that old jacket, hair in a simple ponytail, makeup mostly gone, face bare. Liam walked behind her.
My hand clenched the steering wheel, knuckles white.
I stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, told myself to start the car and leave. But instead, the car slowly slid out of its spot, keeping a safe distance, following them.
They walked side by side under the streetlights. Liam walked on the side closer to the road. When cars passed, he unconsciously moved closer to Chloe.
What a considerate gentleman. I wanted to floor it and run the bastard over. But I didn't. I'd already decided to give up on Chloe, so it didn't matter who she walked with. None of my business.
But my body refused to obey. I killed the headlights and coasted along, half a block back, like a shadow. Until they stopped in front of a run-down apartment building.
From this distance, I couldn't hear what that lowlife was saying to her. But I watched them move closer and closer. Until Liam suddenly reached out and pulled Chloe into his arms.
Fuck. How dare he?
What drove me crazier was that Chloe didn't push him away. She actually leaned into the bastard's shoulder.
This was definitely a heartfelt confession.
Rage consumed me. Even if I'd given up on Chloe, no other man had the right to touch her.
My hand shot to the door handle, my mind racing through possibilities.
If she said yes, what would I do? Killing Liam was the simplest option, but Chloe would never forgive me. Throw Liam in the Hudson and lock Chloe up? Or just watch her take another man's hand and walk into that crappy apartment, shut the door, and shut me out?
I realized I'd completely lost any shred of rationality. I stared at Chloe's profile, watching for any tiny expression on her face. My knuckles went white on the door handle, ready to snap it off. I was even prepared to rush out and start killing, if she dared nod her head.
Then Chloe stepped back from his embrace. Even from this distance, I clearly saw her slowly shake her head.
Liam stood there, silent for a few seconds, then smiled. He said something, waved at Chloe, and turned away. His steps were slower than before, shoulders slightly slumped.
The posture of a rejected man was the same everywhere in the world.
My hand dropped from the handle. All the strength drained from my body. I sank back into the driver's seat. Those few dozen suffocating seconds had completely shredded the last bit of self-deception in my heart.
I couldn't let her go. Just the thought of her smiling at another man made the rage inside me scream to destroy everything.
Chloe stood at the door watching Liam leave, then turned around and pulled out her keys.
I finally snapped out of it, shoved the car door open, and strode toward her porch.