CHAPTER TEN #2
And every hour, the guard inside contacted them to check in. I stared at the clock. It wasn’t nine pm yet. By the time I made it to his estate, it would be after nine, and they would’ve already done their check-in.
At ten, they would switch positions, with the guy at the front of the house moving to the back, the guy in the east moving to the west. I had until ten pm to get the job done and get off the property before they switched positions.
My fingers flew across the keyboard as I set his cameras to play on a loop. Anyone monitoring the feeds would see exactly what they expected to see... Nothing unusual. I disabled the motion detectors.
I couldn’t have them notifying the guards of my presence. By the time anyone realized I was there, it would already be too late. Once I was done, I closed my laptop, my plan and route already mapped out.
I'd park well away from the property and approach through the woods. The trees would provide enough cover to keep me hidden from the few guards Pasquale had. Taking out the west guard and the one at the back door shouldn’t be much of a challenge.
Once I was inside, I’d finish off the guard in there and go after Pasquale. I’d never gone up against my cousin before. I didn’t know his fighting style. Didn’t know his strengths or weaknesses. I wouldn’t underestimate him.
Standing, I crossed the room and opened the closet. Weapons lined the shelves. I selected what I needed and dropped them into a duffel bag. Then I added extra magazines. A silencer. Commercial-grade tear gas. A dagger. Zip ties. Lock-picking tools.
Anything that might prove useful.
Once I was satisfied, I zipped the bag shut and carried it downstairs. I stared at my clothing, wondering if I should change. They were only going to get dirty again anyway. So, I decided against it.
A few minutes later, everything was loaded into the trunk of my car. I slid inside and rested my hands on the steering wheel for a moment. The plan was simple. Go to his estate. Kill everything in my way.
I would get in, find Pasquale, and end this. Then get out before the guards switched positions. No more delays. No more sabotage. No more games. Tonight would end in one of two ways.
Either Pasquale died.
Or I did.
And I had far too much to live for. I still had to be a best man at my brother’s wedding. I still had to find my Juliet and see if this thing between us was real or make-believe. I still had to finish avenging Marcel. I was needed by those I loved.
I wouldn't be the one dying tonight.
Gripping the steering wheel, I backed out of the driveway and headed toward the countryside. The roads gradually became emptier. Houses grew farther apart. Businesses disappeared altogether.
Before long, darkness and trees surrounded me. My thoughts remained fixed on Pasquale. The bastard had spent months pretending he was acting in the family's best interest. Months pretending his objections to the casino were about protecting the Cattaneo name.
All the while, he'd been working for the Corradinis. Every delay, every inspection, every legal challenge, every headache he'd caused me had been for that family, not ours. The farther I drove, the angrier I became.
Eventually, I turned onto a narrow road that cut through the woods. A few minutes later, I pulled off onto a dirt road and killed the engine. The estate was within sight now. I would continue the rest of the way on foot.
I grabbed my duffel bag from the trunk and slung it over my shoulder. After locking up the car, I slid my keys into my pants pocket. I pulled my gun out of the bag, attaching the silencer before starting toward the house.
The pain pill had fully kicked in now. My side no longer ached. I moved through the trees without feeling much of anything at all. Branches brushed against my clothing, scratching my arms.
I felt nothing.
Leaves crunched beneath my shoes. The forest grew quieter the deeper I went. When the trees finally began to thin, I slowed my pace and moved toward the edge of the tree line. There was Pasquale’s estate. Even from here, the place looked impressive.
Large. Expensive. Isolated.
Pasquale had built the perfect hideaway. It would also make the perfect place for him to die. I lowered the duffel bag to the ground and studied the property. On this side of the house, there was only one guard patrolling the area.
I crouched near the edge of the forest, right in front of the side gate, and continued watching the guard, waiting to make sure the motion detectors hadn’t been reactivated, and the camera’s loop hadn’t been caught and fixed by his men.
I waited there for five minutes. No one sounded the alarm. No one came looking for me, guns drawn. Everything was still working as it should be. Nobody knew I was there. My gaze drifted to an upstairs window.
Pasquale’s bedroom was on the other side of the house. My cam on that side had caught him standing in the window once, looking out while sipping coffee. Was he upstairs waiting for confirmation that I was dead?
Was he in there, feeling safe and secure, thinking this would be the night he ended Rome Cattaneo?
Probably.
Tonight, I would teach my cousin a valuable lesson. Being family didn’t make him untouchable. I had no problem killing family members who betrayed me or those close to me. After all, I was the Cattaneo who’d killed his own father.