Chapter 124
Lucrezia
Outside The Hospital
Movement in front of us caught my eye.
A black Mercedes pulled up about fifty feet away…
And then the driver’s side rear window rolled down.
“What the fuck?” Ciro muttered in the front seat.
My eyes widened in shock.
A bearded blond man – probably the Swedish Enforcer that Amato mentioned – was by the window –
But I swear I saw Dario Rosolini behind him.
I only had a second to register his face when the Swede raised a pistol and aimed it right at us.
“GET DOWN!” Romeo screamed.
Too late.
The gun barrel flared yellow.
Blam blam blam blam blam blam blam!
We would have all been dead if it weren’t for the bulletproof glass.
Ciro and Romeo flinched in the front seat from reflex alone –
But neither of them screamed in pain.
Then the Mercedes roared away at top speed. I couldn’t see it out of the windshield, which had turned opaque with a spiderweb of white cracks. Instead, I slid over to the side window and watched the black car pull a hard left out of the parking lot.
“THAT WAS ROSOLINI!” Ciro screamed.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Romeo whispered – probably in relief that he wasn’t dead.
My mind was racing.
Why the fuck would they DO that?!
It looked like just a driver, the Swede, and Dario.
Why would they put him in danger?!
Then it clicked into place.
They want us to follow them…
Because they’re luring us away from the hospital.
I remembered the woman in the wheelchair everyone had accompanied into the building.
Rosolini’s wife.
Had to be.
Dario was willing to put his life on the line to pull us away from her.
Which meant Cesare was going to get up there and find…
Nothing.
A grin slowly spread over my face.
Cesare, you stupid fucking asshole!
You ruined ALL my plans…
And yet you STILL won’t get what you wanted!
This couldn’t GET any better!
My train of thought was interrupted by Ciro digging frantically in his jeans.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m calling Cesare!” he yelled as he pulled out his phone. “We gotta tell him that Rosolini’s not in the hospital!”
“No,” I snapped.
Romeo glanced back at me in shock as Ciro stared at me in the rearview mirror. “What?!”
“Do NOT call my brother,” I snarled.
Ciro kept staring at me for a second –
And then he sneered, “Fuck you, bitch.”
As Ciro looked down at his phone, I reached in my purse…
And grabbed my .38 revolver.
A second later, I pointed the gun between the driver’s seat and headrest and fired at the back of Ciro’s skull.
BANG!
.38s have an issue with recoil. They’re not nearly as accurate as semi-automatics like Glocks.
But at three inches away, they’re accurate enough –
And plenty powerful.
Ciro’s forehead exploded, and blood sprayed the inside of the windshield.
“SHIT!” Romeo yelled as he slammed back against the door, scrambling to get away from the gore.
Ciro’s body slumped forward. Thank God his head didn’t trigger the horn.
I turned the gun towards Romeo.
“We’re not calling Cesare,” I said coldly. “Do you have a problem with that?”
Romeo stared at the smoke curling out of the barrel of my .38 and said, “No. No, I do not.”
“Excellent,” I purred.
I had to admit, despite Ciro’s brains being splattered all over the windshield, Romeo was incredibly calm.
A good quality to have in a lieutenant.
“How are we going to explain this, though?” Romeo asked, gesturing towards Ciro.
I wanted to say, Hopefully Rosolini’s men will make sure I don’t have to –
But I wasn’t sure if I trusted Romeo that much.
“I’ll think of something,” I replied.
“Are you going to call Diciasette and Curtiello and let them know Rosolini’s heading their way?”
Romeo was talking about the two men Cicciobello had sent to lie in wait for Dario – just in case.
Well, ‘just in case’ had happened.
I grinned again.
If Cesare managed to survive the gunfight that would surely happen inside the hospital, he was going to find his precious quarry had fled…
And two low-level flunkies had bagged his coveted prize.
“You call them,” I told Romeo. “And be sure to tell them to kill Rosolini.”
“That’s going to infuriate Cesare,” he pointed out.
“I know.”
Romeo raised his eyebrows like Okay – whatever –
But he pulled out his phone and made the call.
“Diciasette – Rosolini’s headed your way. A black Mercedes sedan. Intercept the car and kill everyone inside.”
I was right:
Romeo would make a fine second-in-command.