Epilogue
Chapter Nineteen
Luca
I head to the isolated location where my special guest is waiting for me.
After I listened to her recording earlier, I paid attention to the name of the saved video file so I can easily pull it up when it’s time.
I drive my vehicle into the empty, large warehouse garage, closing the steel doors behind me.
Then I head to the secret spot where that piece of shit lies on a table ready for me.
Inside are Matteo and my cousin Raul. “Perfect, gentleman, thank you.”
“Cousin, it’s good to see you again.” He smiles widely.
“I felt it was my duty to come and see you after our last encounter was a bit dicey.” I didn’t realize how possessive I would be over Angel. It’s out of control the way I feel about her.
“Water under the bridge.” We hug, and then I look back at the asshole on the table.
“Why, hello, fuckhead.” Cochran turns his head slightly, eyes wide and full of fear just like I love. “It seems you and I have a problem.”
“Mr. D’Antonio, I swear I didn’t do anything wrong.”
I unsheathe a knife from the little table to the side and then tap his cheek with it. “Why are you lying? You wouldn’t be strapped to my table if you hadn’t.”
Pulling out my cell phone, I set it near him, and then I press the play button and let it begin. Every word he utters, every insult to my wife is said for everyone to hear.
“Close the door,” Cochran orders my wife. I’m already pissed at his tone.
“You know why you’re in here.”
“No, I don’t.” Her defiance isn’t only reserved for me. I smirk, silently chuckling because I love how strong she is.
“I just learned that you don’t have a boyfriend, Ms. Scott.”
“Yes, and what does that have to do with anything?”
“You’re a liar.” I stare at Cochran, wanting to break his jaw right now, but now isn’t the time.
“No, I’m just a woman who doesn’t want men hitting on her.”
“You can call it what you want, but we know it’s not your only infraction. You have a bad attitude, and you can’t come to work on time.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“You’re fired.”
“Are you serious?” Angel shouts.
“Yes.”
“I can’t believe this. You have been looking for a reason to fire me since the first day.
Your excuses are weak. Six months, and you pick that I didn’t tell you the truth about my personal life, which is none of your business.
A minute late isn’t a big deal when I stay late almost every single day, but have it your way. You’re a terrible boss and a pervert.”
“A pervert? You haven’t seen a pervert, little princess.
I could have you on your knees right now.
You have no idea what I could make you do, but I guess you’re too damn stuck up to want to keep this job.
Or I could give you a second chance.” The offer is enough for me to kill him, but I take a calming breath.
I have to be patient. I need to savor this kill.
“Not in your wildest dreams. If you have to resort to threatening your employees for sex, you’re probably terrible at it. I’ve already suffered enough losses.” A muffled chuckle comes from Raul and Matteo, who clears it with a cough.
I hear her chair move and then the door slam so wide open it hits the wall. Footsteps are loud and then a clatter of what I assume is her setting her phone down.
There are more rustling sounds and footsteps. “Don’t try to steal anything.” There’s a slight pause as things are being moved around. “Your things will be searched before you go.”
“You will not touch my private property. I’m leaving now, and I’m not taking a damn thing other than what I brought with me. There’s nothing I want except my paycheck. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and look for a job where my boss isn’t a complete piece of shit.”
“See, it’s not what it seems like,” Cochran tries to explain. “She’s just a former employee. Is she trying to sue?”
“This isn’t about you harassing an employee.
This is about you harassing my wife.” His eyes widen comically, and yet I find nothing funny about this.
His harassment forced my wife into the arms of a dangerous man.
“You weren’t hired to chase trim at work and to use the office as your personal dating pool, you piece of shit.
What you did to my girl is unacceptable. ”
I grab his hair to the scalp and slam his head against the table just to hear him yelp.
It’s only a little nibble. He hasn’t even gotten a taste of what I’m going to do to him.
“Please don’t do this.” I take the blade and slice the seam of his pants, just missing his junk.
I want him to fear every single moment before I kill him.
Blood trickles out of the tiny cuts. If he’d been brave and didn’t flinch, he wouldn’t have bled at all, but he’s a pussy.
“Oh, so you don’t like being at the mercy of someone else, Cochran?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter how sorry you are, and I’m sure you are, but not for the reason that you should be. You’re only sorry because of what I’m going to do to you.”
“Please don’t.”
“You can beg all you want, but the only begging that I accept comes from the lips of my pretty wife. And that’s when she’s begging for more.
See, I don’t know how anyone could harm her.
She’s sweet, caring, and someone in need.
You allowed her to be in so much danger and worse, you made her feel terrible every day that she came in to work in my company. ”
“She lied.”
“Are you fucking stupid?” Raul utters first before I can even fathom what this fuck said. He accuses my wife of lying not only when we have proof, but after I already started my torture. Does he think I’ll believe his bullshit?
“Have you lost your mind?”
“She was sleeping with Colombo.”
“Enough. The tongue has to go. I’ve heard enough.”
“No, no.” He screams and screams, but those words don’t last long because the guys grab the grips and hold him down and force his mouth open. I swiftly swipe my blade across his tongue, severing it clean off.
“Can’t talk to women with no tongue now, can you?” I ask. He shivers, unable to respond because he’s already choking on his blood. “Sorry, I can’t hear you,” I say.
“Maybe we should sit him up.”
“I suppose. I can’t have him die too soon.” Methodically, I continue with my torture of cuts to his body until he’s weakened and then I finally give him one good jab to the heart.
“Burn him.” They take him to the crematorium furnace that’s waiting for him and let it run. We have three cremations set for the day, so it works perfectly for the schedule. It’s amazing the things we get done.
I head off back to the condo and find a big fucking problem. Someone’s pulled the fire alarm.
“Where the fuck is she?” I arrive at the condo to see several of my men receiving oxygen from the paramedics. Nico drops his mask and shakes his head.
“I don’t know, sir. She was in the condo and then the alarm went off; we exited via the stairwell like we practiced. We got to the third floor when we were ambushed with some fucking gas. The entire hall was filled with tenants. Everyone was dropping around us, and then they came in and nabbed her.
“Did you get a look at the guys?” He shakes his head.
“No, they were wearing some heavy-duty gas masks.” I open up her phone and check what she was scrolling. All the searches were on: how to know if someone loves you. Is jealousy a sign of love? How fast can someone fall in love?
Baby, I love you so damn much, and I’m going to find you and kill all those that took you.
A text pops up on my phone, but then I find it’s from her cell phone.
I’ve got a late Christmas gift for you, D’Antonio. — Fields
My woman is tied to a chair, gagged, with tears in her eyes. This can’t be happening. I can’t see who has her, but I get a glimpse of the other man’s hand in the picture. I can’t forget the tattoo on the hand, and I trusted him.
I want my wife back to me unharmed.
Well, I want to get away with my life and two million dollars.
Done. Where do you want to meet?
That was too simple. You’re lying.
No, I want my wife back to me and I want her back now.
Fine. Meet me at the warehouse at ten pm with my money.
You better have her, and she better not be harmed.
I put in a call for all my people that I trust to be ready. There can be no fuck-ups. I just want Angel back safely. The fucking piece of shit can keep the money.
I get to the warehouse, but I’m not alone. I spot three of Torcello’s family members a block away. Before I go in, I stop. “Can I help you, gentlemen?”
“You have something of ours inside,” Carmine Torcello says.
“Would it be a tall blonde, white male with balls of brass and brains for mush?”
“They will be soon,” he says.
“You can have him as soon as I get my woman back. I have no need for him.”
I leave them and enter the warehouse. My men are on the lookout and spot him.
Angel’s in danger, tied to one of the presses that has hot glue ready to be pressed together with the textile.
What the fuck doesn’t know is that’s the one that’s broken and it’s not going to work.
Still, she could get shot if we shoot it out.
“I’ve got your money. You should take it and get the fuck out of my warehouse.”
“How did you get in here in the first place, Amos?” I ask, turning around to see the security guard who was here earlier and heard our conversation. He pretended to be a good man, but I saw that fucking gang tat. He isn’t on the straight and narrow.
“You got me. I needed money, and Fields explained that you could give me a good chunk for the proper leverage.”
“Sorry, Angel. It’s Christmas.” He walks over and snatches the bag I have ready for Fields and takes it over to the crooked cop. It’s a foolish move because Amos doesn’t get more than two feet from him when Fields blasts him in the chest.
“Gullible.” The dock doors open up, and Torcello and my men line the area.
“Whose gullible now.”
“You can take your prize.” They toss a bag over his head and zip-tie his hands, leading the fucker out of the building.
“By the way, my boss said no hard feelings, but he’d like to settle up. Call Fields a fair trade. I don’t want to see you guys sniffing around my family again.”
“I’ll let the boss know.”
“Happy New Year,” his other man says as they drag out their captive.
I run over to Angel and pull her off the conveyor belt and untie her. “Fucking hell, I really hate this place. I’m putting it up for sale next month,” I snarl, slamming my lips onto hers.
When I wrench my mouth away from hers, she asks, “Is it not profitable?”
“Oh, it’s extremely profitable.”
“Then there’s no reason to get rid of it, but I won’t show up here again unless it’s to do the hiring.” I burst out laughing, even though I still might sell this fucker.
“I love you, Angel, and that’s reason enough to get rid of it. It’s reason enough to make peace with my enemies. I don’t want a war if it means you’re in danger. Fuck, I spent the last few hours thinking I almost lost you. I’ll do anything and everything to keep you.”
“You love me?”
“So damn much. From the moment you turned around and gasped in the middle of the police station in your tiny stripper dress.”
“I love you too.”
“You do?”
“Despite everything, I can’t understand it myself, but I do. You’re my hero and my heart, Luca. Can you take me home?”
“Yes, Amore. Yes.”