Chapter Three #2
The door closed behind us and we fell silent. The elevator was a weakness and was constantly swept for bugs since guests rode in this alone. Eyes and ears could be anywhere, so we were always very aware of our words or actions.
I slid my hands into my pockets and stared straight ahead as the numbers lowered on the monitor.
The light above me flickered when we passed the third floor.
The hairs on the back of my neck rose when there were two floors left.
My right hand silently slid to the back of my belt.
Jake noticed my movement, and automatically moved slightly until his back was to the side panel, his hand slipping inside his jacket.
As the door pinged open at the ground level, we both took cover behind the side panel, our weapons drawn, and aimed at the outside world. Gunshots ricocheted from the lobby at the back of the building we tended to use as our own personal entrance.
Someone had a fucking death wish.
“Cover me!” I instructed, pulling down the security panel we had installed adjacent to the control panel. Inside were masks, smoke bombs, hand grenades, and additional weapons.
I threw a mask to Jake, and put the second one on myself, before pulling the pin on a smoke bomb and tossing it out the door. I dropped low to the ground, moving out of the elevator to take cover at the elaborate plant pot that was armour-plated with a hidden chamber at the back of it.
Gunshots sounded from behind me, Jake taking aim at whoever was out here. I stayed low, the mask saving me from the choking smoke, following the sounds of the coughs and gunfire.
Legs became visible as the smoke rose in the room.
I secured a garrotte around the throat of the first man I encountered, kicking his weapon from his hand.
Our cleaner was a saint, and I didn’t want her to be scrubbing blood from the expensive carpet.
We could replace the panels with bullet holes in them.
The second man stood behind the reception desk, using it for cover. I moved behind him, my arm wrapping around his neck to quickly snap it, lowering him to the ground in a fluid motion.
This was a test of my strength, one of the other families trying to seize ultimate power in this part of the world. I had no intention of handing my crown over to anyone, and would rather use it to choke them.
Another pair of legs were against the wall close to the entrance, in a position where he could see the entire entrance hall. I carefully navigated my way around the room until I stopped behind him, putting the muzzle of my gun against the back of his head.
The smoke had started to dissipate, so I pulled my mask off.
“On your knees,” I said in a low tone, kicking the back of his knee to make him lurch forward. “Who sent you?”
“Fuck off!”
I slammed my gun into the side of his head. “I don’t think so. You brought this shit into my home. You have until the count of three to tell me what I need to know, or you’ll be taken to my questioning room.”
His body went rigid.
My questioning room was well known in our society. A body could be kept alive as skin and organs were removed, bones broken beyond repair. Death in that place was as quick or slow as I instructed. No one ever wanted to visit that place.
“No!” He tried to crawl forward, but I dragged him back by the hair.
“Last chance,” I hissed against his ear. “No one is ever allowed to disrespect my family.” It was a lesson Dad taught me a long time ago when he killed a man in front of me when I was ten. He had been my first encounter with death, and a glimpse into the life that was waiting for me.
“Please.” He rolled onto his back, but this wasn’t my first fight. My foot slammed into his wrist, knocking the gun out of it before he even had the chance to aim at me.
“Wrong choice,” I said, grabbing the same wrist and twisting until a sickening crack echoed in the silence of the lobby. I ensured he was balanced by breaking his other wrist. There was no way he could wield a weapon if he had no control over his hands.
I pointed my gun at his head. “I’m not going to ask again,” I said.
He pursed his lips, shaking his head. Part of me admired his resilience, but the other part of me was an asshole who was pissed that they attacked me in my own home. Reassessing my no blood policy, I shot him in the right kneecap.
He howled, unable to grab his injury even though his arms reached for it.
“Name,” I demanded.
“They’ll kill my family.” He glanced away. “My silence is the only thing that will keep them alive.”
I rolled my eyes, blowing out his second kneecap. Jake was checking every corner of the room for anyone else lurking in convenient hiding places we had created.
Crouching low, I quickly searched his pockets until I found his phone while he rolled about on the floor. My phone needed a biometric and a code to get into it. He squealed when I grabbed his right hand, and used each of his fingers until I identified that he opened his phone with his thumb.
He silently shook his head, realising his time was up and there was nothing he could do to prevent the future.
I scanned through his contact list, recognising some of the names, eventually coming to the one I was looking for.
The lower members of our organisations who were sent to carry out our dirty work tended to call the heads of the family they worked for “boss”, and in my experience that seeped into their communication as well.
I dialled the number on the phone, mentally counting the rings.
Six.
“Is it done?” The person on the other side of the call asked.
Names were not my forte, but I never forgot a face or a voice.
“You’ll really need to try harder next time, Tobias. Your attack was sloppy and lacked any planning. I’ll have the bodies of your men returned to you as I refuse to clean up your shit.”
Silence reverberated from the mobile phone in my hand.
“I will also ensure the bill for the cleaning of my lobby is sent to you.” I paused, my eyes meeting Jake’s. “You should really train your men better as they seem to lack the ability to hit what they’re aiming at.”
“I’ll sort this out with Giovanni,” Tobias replied, insinuating that Dad was still in control of our organisation.
“The Rossi business is mine. You have a problem, you come to me,” I said. “But since you’ve already initiated dialogue, I’ll ensure it reaches a successful conclusion.”
“Max, now let’s take a moment—”
I cut him off. “Mr. Rossi or Maximus is fine, only friends call me Max.” The inference was clear that I didn’t consider him a friend. “Have a pleasant day, Tobias. I’ll see you soon.”
I terminated the call, throwing the phone on the ground, and stomping on it with my heel. The third man remained on the ground staring up at me, fear present in his eyes.
“Your family should be safe, but I can’t let you live,” I said. It would be a sign of weakness to allow anyone to walk away from an ambush like this.
He tried to lift his hand. “My rosary,” he muttered, his face pale from the pain and loss of blood.
I was a criminal with no prospect of ever reaching Heaven or whatever resided on the other side of life, but even a criminal could respect the wishes of the dying. It was located in his inside jacket pocket, his crucifix shining at his throat. I wrapped the beads around his hand.
“Safe journeys,” I said, straightening and pulling my gun from the belt holster at the back of my trousers.
His lips moved as he silently said a prayer in the hope that God was listening.
I pulled the trigger, my memories taking me back to the first time I killed a man. His death had haunted me ever since, a constant reminder of the loss of my innocence. His face appeared in my mind every time I sent another soul to join him.
“Tobias must have a fucking death wish,” Jake said, appearing beside me. “Could you not have left me one?” He pushed the dead man with his toe.
“Maggie will be pissed about the blood on the floor,” I replied. “She hates dealing with bloodstains.”
“I’ll phone our clean-up crew, and ask them to take care of it,” Jake said, pulling his phone out and typing rapidly. “I’ve called in some of our men to secure this place.”
“We need a team to mobilise now.” I slowly walked around the room, taking in every detail in my head.
“What for?” Jake asked.
“Our reception staff are missing.” There should have been at least three people in this lobby, and all that remained were the bodies of our enemies and us.
“Fuck!” Jake put his phone to his ear, moving toward the door. “Get here immediately, and bring the armoured car.”
That was code for we were about to walk into Hell.
There was no way I would let Tobias and his cronies walk into my sanctum and disrespect me. We would need more body bags by the end of the night.