Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“Fuck,” Anthony cries out. “I don’t know what happened!”
Matteo pushes the gun against Anthony’s temple, and he whimpers like a little bitch.
“I swear! I was with my dad when Andrey called for a meeting, so I went with him. We got there, and they argued about the arranged marriage. Giuseppe walked in and then shit went down. My dad shot yours and then we took off. We got to the house, and my dad said he needed to handle some shit and left. I stayed at the house with my mom until Matteo showed up and dragged me out. That’s all I know.”
I glance at Matteo, and we exchange a look. Something is missing from the story, but without the footage, we can’t prove shit. If we kill him now, with his dad and ours dead, we might never know what really happened in that meeting.
I nod at Matteo, silently telling him to let Anthony go, and he glares my way.
I give him another look, conveying that I’m not playing, and he sighs. Then, like the asshole he is, he punches Anthony in the stomach, making him double over in pain.
“Fuck!” Anthony groans. “Stop … please.”
“Well, since you asked so nicely”—Matteo pulls a knife out and cuts his binds—“you’re free to go … for now.”
Anthony widens his eyes, momentarily stunned, and then stands. “What about the marriage?” he says, looking at Matteo, then me.
“What about it?” I ask.
“It’s still happening, right?”
He juts out his chin, and I stifle a laugh because this is precisely why his father didn’t let him run the business. The guy could’ve been killed—hell, I wouldn’t put it past Matteo to still do it despite me making it clear he’s to let Anthony live—and instead of running, like a smart person would, he’s poking the beast.
“Is he fucking serious right now?” Matteo barks out a laugh, glancing from Anthony to me. “He’s clearly nuts. C’mon, Dominick. Let me kill him. I’ll even clean up the mess myself.”
“No,” I tell Anthony, ignoring my brother’s antics, “the deal is off.”
“That’s bullshit!” Anthony barks. “I want what’s owed to me.”
Before I can stop him, Matteo punches Anthony in the mouth, and he flies backward. I know Matteo went easy on him because if he had hit Anthony with his full strength, he’d have sent Anthony into a coma.
“Not my problem.” I shrug as he crawls toward the wall so he can use it to help himself stand. “A deal is only as good as the men who make it, and the men who made that deal are both dead.”
“You don’t understand,” he whines, standing and hobbling over to us.
He’s dripping blood all over the floor, and I’m almost positive a tooth is missing, but he isn’t giving up.
“Without her, I’m fucked,” he says. “My dad said the only way he’d consider letting me take over the business was if I married her.”
“Then, you’re fucked.” I step into his space and pull out my 9mm. “The deal is as dead as our fathers, and as far as I’m concerned, so is any business Antonov Enterprises had with Rothschild International. I’m going to give you two choices. You take the loss and walk away. Or I put a bullet in your chest and you go away permanently. The call is yours. Either way, this is over.”
“This is fucking bullshit,” he hisses.
I raise my gun, ready to kill him. But before I’m forced to do so, he puts his hands up and leaves.
“You know he’s going to be a problem,” Matteo says once Anthony is gone.
“There’s nothing he can do. You heard what he said. His dad didn’t even leave him the company. If he does cause problems, then we’ll put him down. But with our father’s and Joseph’s deaths, all eyes will be on us, and the last thing we need is more attention drawn to us if Anthony goes missing.”
We might have several cops in our pockets, but we also have a legitimate business to run, and with Andrey’s and Joseph’s deaths, people are going to talk. If Anthony comes up missing or dead, fingers will point straight at us, which will be bad for business.
Before Andrey’s, Giuseppe’s, and Joseph’s fathers got ahold of this city, it was filled with poverty that nobody wanted to touch. But they cleaned up the streets, secured employment, and helped protect businesses. And then Andrey, Giuseppe, and Joseph took over—taking what their father’s did to the next level.
The city might be corrupt, but it’s thriving, thanks to our families. When people see us, they both respect and fear us, but most importantly, they trust us. But trust can be taken away as easily as it is given. And if we start killing each other off, we’re going to lose their trust.
“This whole thing is a fucking mess,” Matteo mutters.