Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 90618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Her eyes went wide. She didn’t speak for a moment, but her hands dropped down. She bit her lip and tilted her head to the side. “You want to… marry me.”
I smirked. “Maybe. Not yet though. I want to ask you something first.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you think I should spare your father?”
She hesitated and looked back at him. Roger’s eyes went wide. “Aida,” he hissed.
“Yes,” she said, though she didn’t sound convinced.
“And if I do, you’ll come with me? Live with me? Doesn’t seem like the sort of thing he should be able to do.”
“He’s a piece of shit,” she said. “But he’s still my father. I’ll do what I have to do to save his life.”
“Even if I make you work for me?”
She flinched. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Honest. I like that. But don’t worry, you’re not a working girl. I can see that in your eyes already.”
“So what do you want to do with me then?”
I smiled and let my eyes wander her body. I could think of a few things I wanted to do with her. I moved closer, leaned toward her, and she didn’t pull away. I let my lips brush against her cheek as I moved them close to her ear. “I’ll keep you safe,” I said.
“Boss,” Steven said before I could elaborate. I stepped back and she stared at me with surprise. “We should get moving. Wrap this up.”
I nodded once and tilted my head. “Well, Aida?”
“Are you going to spare him?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged.
She clenched her jaw again and glared back at her father. “You’re a piece of shit,” she said. “And you don’t deserve me.” But she turned back to me and took a step forward. “I’ll come.”
“Gino,” I said. “Take our new guest and get her in the car.”
“Yes, boss,” Gino said with a barely concealed smile. He walked over and gently took Aida by the arm, leading her away.
I caught Steven’s gaze and he rolled his eyes. “You finished?” he said.
“I’m finished.”
“Good.” He glanced back as Gino put Aida into the car and shut the door.
“All right,” Roger said. “Okay, boss. You’ve got the money. And my daughter. Boss, I’m so sorry, Dante. I swear, I’ll never fuck up again, I’ll never fuck up ever again.”
I slipped my hand under my nylon jacket and pulled the Glock from the back of my waistband in one smooth, practiced movement. I stepped up to Roger, held the gun out, and pressed the muzzle against his forehead.
He opened his mouth but nothing came out.
“Sorry,” I said.
And pulled the trigger.
The gunshot burst out as Roger’s skull shattered and his body slumped to the blacktop at my feet. The sound of the gunshot ricocheted off the brick front of the school and bounced down along the avenue.
Steven sighed. “You’re so dramatic.”
“Yeah, I know.” I grinned at him and wiped the muzzle of my gun on Roger’s shirt before slipping it back into my pants. I could hear screaming from the car and Gino came out, cursing. He slammed the door shut.
“Fuck, she’s flipping out,” he said.
I shrugged. “Get the plastic. Let’s wrap this up.”
He cursed and went around to the back of the car. He opened the trunk, pulled out a big roll of plastic, and carried it over. Together, we wrapped Roger’s body up, sealed it off with tape, then lugged it back to the car. Aida was curled up in the back seat, sobbing quietly on the floor. I helped shove Roger’s corpse into the trunk and slammed the door shut.
We got back in the car. Gino hesitated before climbing in, then looked at the girl on the floor. “Don’t flip out again,” he said. “Seriously. Fuck.”
She said nothing, just kept crying.
Steven gave me a look then turned the car around. We left Roger’s car where it was. The police would pick it up sooner or later and dispose of it, but it wasn’t like that mattered. Nobody would miss Roger, or at least nobody that mattered.
Only the girl on the floor of my SUV, crying her eyes out.
“Drop me off at the bakery,” I grunted at Steven. “I’ll handle the body. You and Gino take Aida back to my place in Mt. Airy.”
Steven frowned. “You sure about that?”
“Lock her up, make sure she’s safe.”
“Boss—”
“Do it,” I barked.
Steven just nodded and didn’t argue.
I turned around and looked at her. She was curled up on the floor, like a tiny butterfly broken and hiding. I felt bad for her, but I really had no other choice.
Vlas was the son of the Russian mafia’s boss. He was a Capo in his own right, and a powerful guy in the city. And we had a very deep and very mutual fucking hatred.
Things hadn’t been good between our families for some time. There hadn’t been all-out war, not yet at least. The Leone Family could handle a war with the Russians if that was what it came to, and I knew that my boss and fellow Capos would be up for the challenge, but everyone agreed that war wasn’t profitable. Things were good, we were making a lot of money, and nobody wanted to start the blood flooding the streets.