Chapter Fifteen #2
She turned her back to Bruno, and Halligan lifted her shirt high enough for the scars to be seen. Bruno sucked in a breath.
“Imbecille!” Bruno breathed out, walking closer. “I am sorry. I didn’t know.”
Loni nodded, then took the cheese grater. While she was getting ready, Bruno sent someone outside. Loni always seemed so sweet that Halligan worried she’d regret doing this later.
She leaned over and pressed it against Franco’s skin, dragging it down.
Although it barely broke the skin, Franco began sobbing and asking her to stop.
“Did you listen to me when I begged you to stop?” Loni asked.
Halligan slid his arm around Loni, “I want you to do whatever you need to feel closure for what he did to you, but I also don’t want anything to haunt you.”
Loni leaned against him. She nodded and turned to him. “I want him to suffer a little and never bother me again. I’m sure you and Icilio would both like to teach him a few lessons,” she said.
“I know I would, and I’m guessing you’re right about Icilio. Anything you’d like done?” Halligan asked.
“Break his fingers and hurt his back. The back is for me, but the fingers are for our maid when we were kids. He stepped on her fingers just because he could,” Loni said.
“I promise. Now, do you want to go back downstairs with Dad and the girls?” he asked.
“I do.” Loni kissed his cheek and walked over to Bruno. “I appreciate you coming. I’d love for you to stay if you can. I’m sure we can find rooms for you if you’d like to,” Loni said.
Bruno raised her hand to his lips again, dropping a kiss on it. “I would love to accept. And thank you for allowing me a glimpse of your grandmother and my brother. I could see their teaching coming out in you,” he said.
Loni leaned up and kissed his cheek. She turned back to Halligan. “You know, if anybody thinks his dick should be cut off, I bet Renae would be happy to help if you all are too squeamish,” she said, flicking her fingers at them and heading toward the kitchen.
Icilio chuckled. “I like her with you. She’s confident and very happy, but if you ever hurt her…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah… you’ll kill me. I’m sure we’ll have disagreements, but I plan on her having everything her heart desires.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, shut up about it. She’s just a bitch,” Franco said.
Halligan watched Icilio’s face harden and his neck turn red. Franco really didn’t have any sense of self-preservation with the way he was taunting them.
Icilio motioned to Franco. “You care if I take a turn?” he asked.
Halligan clasped him on the shoulder. “I think you deserve some payback. Just make sure there’s something for me to hit a little bit before we’re done,” Halligan said.
Icilio slipped his sling off, then removed his suit jacket. Sliding the sling back on, he stood in front of Franco.
“I’ve watched you for years and kept you away from her. If you think I didn’t know what you were thinking, you’re stupider than you look. I didn’t have the okay to make you pay for it. Any of you watch those slap championships?” Icilio asked the room.
“Oh, man. I can’t get enough of those,” Torrent said, walking over.
“Yeah, it’s the only time we see the old guy smile,” Maverick said.
“Well, I always wondered how it would feel if we added a, let’s say, Italian family twist,” Icilio said, holding up his hand and turning the large gold ring with studded diamonds across the top to the inside of his palm.
“Oh, man, that sucker is going to hurt and leave a scar,” Torrent said.
Halligan sat down at the table where Bruno had kicked back in a chair.
Halligan enjoyed watching Icilio let loose with a slap that knocked Franco over.
They’d sit him up again and Icilio would slap him again.
This slap seemed to knock something loose as Franco choked, then spit out two teeth.
Torrent cocked his eyebrow at Icilio and Icilio nodded.
Bruno chuckled when Torrent started slapping one of the men who had hurt Loni.
The other was cowering beside Franco, and if Halligan wasn’t mistaken, he’d just pissed himself.
“We’ll pay for any cleaning,” Bruno said.
“I appreciate the offer, but these floors are sealed and they’ll clean easily. Thank you for coming,” Halligan said.
“Thank Torrent and Maverick for recognizing Loni as one of my relatives. We do a little business with the Grave Prowlers MC, and Dragon, their President, gave me a heads-up. Luckily, I was already in Las Vegas because of rumors that had reached me about Franco,” Bruno said, reaching into his pocket for a cigar.
At his questioning look, Halligan nodded.
He pulled an extra unused plate from the adjacent table for Bruno to use as an ashtray.
“Loni didn’t mention you as an option to come help. Why is that?” Halligan asked. He wanted to know everything to guarantee he could keep Loni safe.
“Her Gigi and Papa kept the majority of the stuff from her since she wanted to only work for Rossellini Racing. Now, Franco here was going to dirty the whole company by running drugs in the cars. It’s why he wanted to be in charge.
Gigi and I had discussed what he wanted and denied him a year ago.
Rossellini Racing is legitimate and doesn’t even clean things, shall we say.
He wasn’t content with the car lots. Now, he’ll be content with nothing.
If Loni is amenable to it, I’d like you and her to be President and CEO of Rossellini Racing.
It will stay legitimate. You both can run it remotely with maybe two to four in-person trips per year.
Icilio has earned his choice of whatever he’d like.
He’ll be taking over the casino and a couple other things.
Loni is a strong woman, and I know you’ll need to talk it over with her,” Bruno said, pausing as Icilio walked over, wiping his hand, grinning from ear to ear.
“Feel better?” Bruno asked.
“Immensely. So many times over the years, I wanted to take him out, but Mr. Rossellini forbade it. I don’t know if you could understand over his blubbering, but he confirmed he killed their parents, and when Mr. and Mrs. Rossellini wouldn’t do what he wanted, he planned their deaths.
Halligan, would you like a couple swings? ” Icilio asked.
“I would,” Halligan said, sending a quick text before walking over to stand in front of Franco. Halligan looked behind him and then to the side.
“Could you untie his hands and stand him up?” Halligan asked.
Both men holding Franco glanced over at Bruno. At Bruno’s nod, they took the flexi-cuffs off and helped him up.
“Please step back from him,” Halligan said. Once again, they waited for Bruno’s nod before complying and dragging the other two men away.
“I have a proposition for you, Franco,” Halligan said.
“What?” he said. At least that’s what Halligan assumed. Icilio’s slaps had done a number on Franco’s face and mouth. A couple teeth were gone, and his face was beginning to swell.
“If you can get out of here into the parking lot before you end up on the floor again, I’ll let you go,” Halligan said.
“Boss,” both men beside him growled. Bruno waved his hand and the men melted away from Franco.
“But before you go, tell me what your plans were for Loni,” Halligan said.
Franco strutted closer, puffing his chest out. “I was going to sell her to someone to be their plaything since she wasn’t a virgin. If she was pregnant, then I’d let her have the baby, then watch me sell it.”
Halligan kept his emotions off his face. He wanted Franco to think he had a chance.
“Run,” Halligan said. Franco turned and started moving through the tables, but it wasn’t a large open area to get to the door. There were the tables and the chairs from the tables before it opened up. Halligan didn’t chase him because Franco would be going down long before he hit the door.
Franco broke into a run as he hit the open space. A shot rang out and Franco stumbled. Halligan nodded at Torrent, who had stepped in front of the door. Franco was now limping toward him. Halligan headed toward him. A second shot rang out, hitting his other ankle.
Franco dropped to one knee. Halligan nodded. Torrent kicked hard into Franco’s stomach, knocking him onto his back. Halligan stood above Franco, then straddled his chest.
“Pull me off before I kill him,” was the last thing Halligan said before he let loose with the punches.
He opened up that well he’d been shoving the anger down into since Loni had first told her story and the hatred he felt when he’d seen her back.
He let it all fly, knowing he’d be stopped before Franco died.
He came back to himself as Torrent and Quinton lifted him off Franco.
“Let’s get you cleaned up for Loni,” Quinton said.
Halligan paused, looking at Bruno. “You’ve got this?” he asked.
Bruno gave Halligan his nod. Bruno put a wealth of emotions in that nod. Halligan wouldn’t be ending Franco, but Halligan knew he and Loni would never need to worry about Franco again.
“Did you want to stay?” Halligan asked. His hands were soaked with Franco’s blood.
“I think we’ll leave tonight and get some things taken care of.
His crimes against Loni will be returned to him tenfold.
We’ll be letting him and his friends feel the kiss of the whip before he’s relocated to his final place.
If it’s okay with you, I would like to visit when things have calmed down, as I’m guessing Icilio will,” Bruno said.
“We would love that,” Halligan said.
Bruno nodded again and snapped his fingers. His men picked up Franco and took him out. Torrent and Maverick walked over.
“We’ll head out too but be back through. Thanks for letting us help,” Torrent said.
“Thank you for calling in reinforcements,” Halligan said.
Maverick placed his hand on Halligan’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s what we do for friends.”