Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
They’d gone out a couple more times, random dates in the park, or dinner. She no longer hugged up against his side, and when he took her hand, she didn’t hold on to him. He’d shattered that trust and it fucking enraged him.
Now, just thinking about it, he snapped the guy’s wrist and dropped him to the floor. Then he drew his foot back and slammed it into his stomach.
The man curled up. He wouldn’t live for too much longer anyway.
The rat had tried to make a deal with the cops. They wanted to bring some order to the Giavanni line. For the most part, Romeo Giavanni owned the cops. The law always turned a blind eye to the Family. However, in rare circumstances, some men and women believed making their career on the destruction of Giavanni was the only way to go.
This man had worked with Romeo, dealing with the accounting for nearly thirty years. His job hadn’t been across the entire of the Giavanni network. Romeo wouldn’t trust anyone with everything. This man had a piece of the big pie.
No one knew the whole pie.
“Now, you’re going to tell me everything you’ve told them. Not leaving out a single detail and maybe I’ll let you keep your other hand.” He dragged the man to the chair.
He was whimpering, crying, pissing himself again. “I’ve got a family.”
“I know.” Antonio had already taken care of them. A wife, two sons. They were now dead. Taking out the pictures that had been shot, he showed them to the man.
“No, no. Oh, God, no.”
“You were told the deal when you joined. Your family would pay for your sins.” He left them on the table for the man to see. “It was rather painless, apart from your oldest son. Eighteen. He wanted to be a lawyer. Smart kid as well. He wouldn’t put the gun in his mouth. Don’t worry, he’s going to go down as the crazy one who shot his family.”
The man sniffled. “I’ll … I’ll tell you everything.”
Three hours later, Antonio washed his hands as the body was left to burn in the incinerator, and the men came to clean up the mess.
“I think this is your most gruesome one yet,” Raphael said. “Is your dick not getting the ride it needs?”
He didn’t bite.
“You know, you not telling Ellie the truth is even more interesting.”
“You’ll keep her out of this,” he said. He didn’t want his life to touch her. She didn’t need to know what he did.
Raphael laughed. “Well, I’ll be damned. I never thought it was possible for you to fall, but you, haven’t you? You do know that to have her accepted as your wife, you need to bring her before Romeo.”
“She’s fun. That’s all she is.”
“Really, then tell me why you’re spending your nights at your cozy new apartment, and have even gotten cards made, and some bogus details of a company. Tell me that?”
Antonio stared at Raphael.
“I’m your friend.”
“Friends don’t question those kinds of decisions,” Antonio said.
“No, they don’t, but you also don’t fuck up either, or bring it into work. The men are noticing your lack of … finesse. I don’t like our enforcer being known as shoddy. You’ve got work to do, you do it. Simple as that.”
“I get the job done.”
“You get it done the right way. I’d be careful, Antonio, something bad could happen to Ellie. As you told him, a family always pays for their sins.”
He wanted to slit the bastard’s throat but he also knew Raphael, in his way, was also reminding him who he was. The warning was clear. The Giavanni Family always had to come first. If Ellie was ever considered a rat, a traitor, or a danger, it would be up to him to deal with it. He would have to kill her.
The game he was playing with her, keeping this life secret, was dangerous. If Raphael knew where he lived and Antonio hadn’t caught sight of someone watching him, it could mean others were doing the same, and he was fucked.
He didn’t have much longer before someone approached her.
Running his fingers through his hair, he left the basement, entering the night air.
It was warm and he knew Ellie’s place didn’t have any air conditioning. She’d be melting. Climbing into his car, he’d already checked to make sure he didn’t have any blood on his clothes or body.
After pulling up outside Ellie’s place, he took a few minutes to scan the area.
No one.
Leaving his parked car, he let himself into her unsecured building, pissed he hadn’t gotten her to get rid of the apartment.
He made his way up to her floor, and using the spare key he’d had made, let himself in. The apartment was dark, and he closed the door behind him.
Ellie’s scent filled the entire place, calming him.