“For these betrayals,” my father intones, pompously, “...it’s your Capo’s order that-”
“Down!”I shout at Caterina as I kneel to grab my second gun and pull my primary. She doesn’t hesitate to comply. With both hands occupied, I open fire, killing the two men closest to me. They fall as Caterina and Frankie are diving behind a large armchair. Smart girls. Two more shots, two more dead men. The next man fires, grazing my shoulder. I hear Caterina scream, but I don’t even flinch. Disgusted by his horrible aim, I kill him, too. “You worthless piece of shit,” I mutter, sparing my wound one quick glance.
Another guard raises his gun to fire, and I’m not sure I’ll be fast enough. But Caterina is. Like a wild cat, she leaps from the floor and sinks her little knife into his shoulder, making him jerk his gun up as he fires. My job is simple after that.
“Where the fuck were you hiding the knife?” I ask her, more amused than I should be. She flushes, her eyes dipping down to her bikini bottoms. If things weren’t still so dire…
Enzo falls to his knees, his hands raised. “Don’t shoot me, Alessio! We can work this out!” I always knew my uncle was a fucking coward at heart. Just like Rocco.
The two guards remaining haven’t drawn their weapons. They’re younger than the others and they’re confused, their eyes pinging between my father and me. I know them well and have spent more hours working with them than my father ever has. They went on the Bratva raid with me. It doesn’t change the fact he’s their Capo, the man they swore themselves to, but perhapsthey’re trying to decide where their true loyalty lies. The risk is too great for me to wait long for a decision.
“Choose now. Hesitancy won’t save you,” I warn them, aiming their way.
“Alessio!”my father roars. While I was preoccupied with these two, my father took his opportunity to grab Caterina. His beefy hand is wrapped around her slender throat. Her little knife lies on the floor at her feet. One powerful squeeze could do a lot of damage and the thought of her suffering even a moment’s pain is unbearable. “You traitorous, ungrateful rat-fuck piece of shit! Led around by pussy, betraying your own blood! I should’ve fucking drowned you as a child and strangled your mother after!”
“But you didn’t,” I say, a twisted smile on my face.
“It’s a good thing Nico didn’t kill you in New York for the message I sent him. Gives me the satisfaction of crushing this bitch’s throat in front of you. I’ll do it if you don’t drop your gun.”
“Don’t do it, Alessio,” Caterina cries, still full of that spark I adore. “Shoot him before he can kill you.”
With a snarl, my father’s hand tightens around her throat, and her eyes bulge frighteningly. “Drop your guns.”
“Did you really think I’d go along with what you had planned?” I ask, hoping to distract him while gauging the situation. As long as I hold these guns, I have the advantage. Oh, I’d throw down my weapons and surrender this instant if I could guarantee Caterina’s safety, but I know that’s a fucking joke. As soon as I’m unarmed, we’ll both die.
“I’ll break her fucking neck.”
He's strong enough to do so, just not as fast as he was. "Let her go, old man, and I'll drop my guns. Hurt her, and I'll skin you, nice and slow.”
The taunt fuels his rage, clashing with the mad delight dancing in his eyes, the same look he has when he tortures, the sameone I saw many times as a boy, including the day when he reintroduced me to my mother. His mouth has started to form another curse when I fire, catching him right between the eyes.Dead. I don’t even feel a flicker of remorse.
His body has barely hit the floor when I rush to Caterina’s side, pulling her to me to check her neck and kissing her sweet brow.
“You killed the Capo,” one of the undecided guards whispers, plainly shocked.
I turn my guns on him and the other. “I killed who?” I ask them with the cold smile of the Reaper.
“Our Capo killed a dead man. It was none of our business,” the wiser of the pair answers at once. “We are your men, Alessio. Now and always.”
“Swear it.”
They do, touching the tattoos at their throats and bowing their heads.
Enzo hasn’t said a word since he knelt. I hate him, and I know he will cause me trouble in the coming days, but my uncle has been around for many years. He has allies. He’s spent more time golfing and whoring with the politicians and officials we bribe than I’ve ever even thought about, too.
“Your father’s actions forced your hand, but it will look more like ambition than protecting your wife if you kill your uncle now,” Caterina whispers in my ear. I shouldn’t take such pride in her cleverness when that’s all hers, but I do.
“I’ll be the youngest Capo the Trio has ever known. They’ll test me at every turn.”
“They will, but you’ll be the best Capo Vegas has ever seen. You’ll need allies though for a peaceful transition of power.”
She’s right, of course. I’ve already killed my Capo, an unforgivable sin in the Trio. I must play a longer game with Enzo if I’m to have a solid grasp on the reins of Las Vegas in the end.“You are quiet, Uncle. Is Rocco’s death so unforgivable that you wish to join him now?”
He slowly shakes his head. “He was my only son, but we all knew he was weak and stupid. I can still have another son.”
“Did my father think the same when he told you to kill me in New York?”
“No, that was Rocco’s idea. His pride was wounded by the beating you gave him. He was older than you. He was Sil’s friend and couldn’t understand why you weren’t hurting her. I swear, I wasn’t going to let him go through with his plans in New York.”
