Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 98583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
He gets into the car, and Luca drives him away.
Chapter 30
Adriano
It’s late when Luca reaches a quiet warehouse out in the middle of nowhere. The prefab structure was plopped on the edge of an old farm, and there’s nobody else around for miles. We’re well outside the city, deep in the darkness of suburbia.
“You’re a goddamn idiot,” Vittorio says as I climb out of the car.
Every inch of me hurts. I’m still recovering from the anesthesia they used to put me under. My head’s fuzzy, and my muscles don’t want to obey my commands, but I have to do this, and I have to do it now.
“Where is he?”
Vittorio shakes his head and looks at Luca. “I told you to come tomorrow.”
“Where is he?” I say again, sharper this time. “I’m your fucking Don.”
“I know who you are.” Vittorio glares at me and nods toward the building. “He’s in there. But wait—”
I walk past him. God, I’m a fucking mess. Dr. Chen did a good job patching me back up, but there’s no way in hell I should be out of bed right now. I’ll be fine in a few days, or at least good enough to go back to running the war, but I’m definitely not there yet.
This still can’t wait.
Vittorio and Luca trail after me, bickering at each other. Vittorio’s mad Luca let me come here tonight, and Luca’s making it clear that he doesn’t control what I do.
I ignore them as I step into a large open storage space. Old farm equipment is stacked against one wall. There are ancient tractors, half of which are broken down and stripped for parts. This was a supply company a few years back before it went out of business and my organization snatched it up. It still technically exists, but supplies don’t come through here anymore.
Only people who need to disappear.
Frank’s bound to a chair in the middle of the room. Beside him is his oldest son, a man named Enzo. We were never close, but I remember growing up with him over the years. He was always older than me. Stubborn and mean sometimes, but a good member of the Famiglia. His nose is broken, and his face is puffy.
I draw a gun from my waistband.
“Don Marino,” Frank says, his eyes widening. There’s real panic and mourning in his voice. “Please, Adriano, you have to understand—”
I shoot his son, Enzo, right in the head. The shot is loud in the echoing space. Enzo’s skull snaps back, and Frank screams in horror as his son is murdered before him. Bits of skull and blood splatter on the old man’s face.
“You tried to kill me,” I say, lowering my gun. “And now you will pay the price.”
Frank breaks. It happens fast. He slumps and begins to sob hard. He must realize what’s going to happen. The repercussions for this level of betrayal are enormous, vicious, and set in stone. There is no clemency. There is no forgiveness.
There is only retribution.
“Enzo, god, my boy,” he moans, struggling against his bonds. “Please, Adriano, let me hold him one more time. Please, that’s my boy.”
I stare at him, feeling not a single ounce of pity. “I trusted you, Frank. You were like an uncle to me. You were family. My father always said you were a man of impeccable morals and an incorruptible spirit, but you threw that all away when you turned your back on me and the Famiglia. I am your Don, and you tried to have me killed.” I lean down to stare into his face. I’m aware of Luca and Vittorio watching. More soldiers lurk in the shadows nearby. All of them are loyal men. “Why did you do it?”
Frank slowly calms down. Tears stream down his face, mixing with his son’s blood. He leans back, lifting his chin, lip quivering as he tries to regain some dignity.
“The second you knew about Gray Wolf, you should have given up on that girl.”
“That would have been weakness. What would the other families think if they knew I gave up my wife to a rival?”
“They wouldn’t have cared. Everyone knows the girl’s just a tool. But you held onto her for God knows what reason, and everything’s gotten so much worse. Gray Wolf is eating into our profits. They’re killing our men on the street. You are rapidly driving the Famiglia over a cliff, all for some fucking woman.” He spits on the ground, breathing hard, his face pink with rage. “That’s why I did it. You are too weak, Adriano. Your father was never a sentimental man. He would have cut the girl loose a long time ago and found himself a new bride. Instead, you’re burning everything down around you. That’s why you have to die, so the Famiglia can live.”