Turning to look at Luca, I jerk my chin toward the stairs. He dips his head and without a word noiselessly makes his way up the staircase. There’s a noise at the front door. My head turns toward the door as the knob slowly turns.
Brando and I fade away into the shadow of the wall as we watch the teenage daughter slip inside, slowly locking the door behind her. I smirk, knowing that she’s probably missed curfew. She’s a pretty little thing, around seventeen or eighteen. Not quite a woman, but well on the way.
I take a step forward, Brando staying in the shadows. The girl senses me, freezing in her spot just as Luca appears at the top of the stairs.
Jerking my chin toward the chair, I clear my throat. “Sit,” I bark.
Her entire body trembles. “Who are you?”
Shaking my head once, I flick my gaze from her to the chair. “Sit.”
Thankfully, the second time I ask she does as she’s been told. I watch as she walks over to the chair and slowly lowers. Turning my attention to Gallo, I notice that he’s now awake, and alert, his eyes on me.
“Mr. Ferrucci,” he breathes. “What are you doing here?” he asks, his voice shaky and trembling.
He looks scared shitless. Luca and the wife make their way downstairs. “Next to your husband, bitch,” Luca growls.
She doesn’t even flinch. Instead, she slowly walks over to the sofa and sinks down, sitting on the edge. I watch her, knowing that without a doubt this was the woman who called Crime Stoppers and she thinks that she’s somehow untouchable, or at least that she’s smarter than we are.
“Wanna tell me why you called the cops?” I ask, purposely not directing the comment to either of them.
Gallo gasps, he shakes his head. “I didn’t, I swear to God, I didn’t. I wouldn’t,” he rambles. “You were fair. I agreed to our arrangement, I wouldn’t do that.”
Licking my lips, I tilt my head to the side, my eyes focused on the bitch. “Why did you call?” I ask, keeping my focus on her and nowhere else.
“She wouldn’t,” Gallo says, trying to defend her. Lifting my hand, I put my palm up to keep him from talking.
“She would and she did, she just thought that she wouldn’t get caught, am I right?” I ask.
The woman jerks her chin up, looking down her nose at me. I can’t help but snort at her cockiness. She’s a strong woman, there’s no doubt about it, she’s also a stupid fucking cunt. Reaching for my gun, I lift it and quickly deliver a shot to the center of her forehead.
The teenage girl screams while Gallo cries out with blood and brain matter covering his face. Tilting my head down, I look at Gallo and shake my head once. He snaps his lips closed, but the girl continues to scream.
Thankfully, Luca makes his way to the girl and sinks down to his haunches in front of her, lifting his hand to cover her mouth and muffle her cries of agony.
I have no doubt it’s traumatizing to see your mother’s brains cover your sofa and the wall behind her. I was traumatized that my mother was shot in the middle of the street while I was at school and I didn’t even see it happen.
“She was a liability,” I state. Gallo nods his head a couple of times. “This happens again and I will not hesitate to make another example out of someone else in your family. Honest to fuck, I like you, Gallo. I did not want it to come down to this, but I had no choice.”
“You didn’t,” he rasps as he nods his head a few times.
Crouching down in front of him on my own haunches, I look at him straight in the eye. “We good, Gallo?” I ask.
He nods his head quickly.
“We gonna have any more problems like this?”
He shakes his head, his eyes focused on mine and not moving.
“Good. I’ll be watching. Don’t worry about the body or the mess. I’ll have it all cleaned up. Her body will be delivered to the mortuary so that you can have a proper burial. Don’t make me come and do this again, next time, I think my message will be delivered in a completely different manner,” I state before I shift my gaze over to the girl, then back to him so that he knows exactly who my intentions will include next time.
Without another word, my point clearly made, I stand to my feet, cracking my knuckles. Jerking my chin toward Brando, I walk away from the house. “You got this?” I call out to Luca on my way out.
“Got you, Boss,” he replies.
Once we’re outside, I notice that there are already a couple of black cars parked down the street. Lifting my hand toward them, I wave them in. Clean-up crew. Best in the fucking business is what they are, because they’ve been trained to be. Fucking machines is what they are.
Brando and I walk together in silence. “You give me a ride back to my hotel?” I ask.
He nods his head, clearing his throat. “I’ll take you back to your wife,” he murmurs with a small laugh.
“Shit night to do all of this,” I say as I sink into the passenger seat of his car.
He groans as he sinks into his own seat before he starts the car. “No shit, man. Sorry it came down to this.”
“Knew I would have to teach some lessons when my boss raised the collection percentage. Hoped it could have waited until after my wedding weekend,” I admit with a sigh.
I give him the name of the hotel, then lean back and close
