Ben steps forward and shoots the guy in the leather jacket in the skull before turning to his buddy and shooting him too.
Lorenzo starts crying, and I hurt for the little guy. I wish we didn’t have to do that in front of him.
Ben whispers to the little guy, and he runs off toward his uncle, stumbling and crying. Calabro grabs the kid and hands him off to another man, and they take off running to the far right.
“Put the gun down, Joshua.” Marino has his gun pressed to my temple as every single man on both sides now raises their weapons.
“What the hell are you doing?” I continue to play a part, staring at my underboss with fake shock.
Marino gestures behind me to his men, calling them forward. “What you don’t have the balls to do. Drop it, Accardi.” I toss the gun away behind me so he can’t reach it. He scowls, but it’s quickly replaced with a smug grin I long to wipe off his connivingface. Racing footfalls approach and Accardisoldatiline up beside our underboss, pointing their weapons at us.
Our other men, the ones visible from this vantage point, back on the road, race toward us with weapons out and primed, no doubt thoroughly confused because we couldn’t let them know about this part of the plan.
“Stop or I’ll shoot him,” Marino hollers, turning us around to face the advancing men.
“McDermott is approaching from oceanside,” Caleb says in my ear. “I have a clean shot.”
I subtly shake my head. That kill belongs to Gia, and we can’t give away the ace up our sleeve. Not yet. We need to draw the remaining men out first.
“Your leadership is weak,” Marino shouts to the men as they slow down in front of us. “The Accardi twins don’t run theirfamiglia, I do.” He puffs out his chest as he presses the muzzle deeper. “I am the one who calls the shots, not them.”
“Fucking delusional prick,” Caleb hisses in my ear.
“These men know where their loyalties lie,” he says, gesturing to the group at his side.
“Yeah, they do, jackass.” Caleb chuckles, and I work hard to smother a smirk.
“Join us. Join the winning side before it’s too late. By morning, we will have a brand-new Commission, a new president, and competent new leaders will restore order to our great city. Don’t find yourself on the losing side because that is guaranteed death.”
Calabro laughs, lowering his weapon as he saunters toward us like he hasn’t got a care in the world. “You’re outmaneuvered,” he says as McDermott arrives with a few hundred men.
“Hand the prick to me,” Liam says, stalking toward me.
“Your brother is out there somewhere,” Marino warns, keeping a grip on my arm as he turns us around, keeping me tucked to his front like a shield, with his men at the rear.
“Get ready, brother,” Caleb whispers in my ear.
I subtly slide the knife out from my sleeve, maneuvering it into position.
“Three, two, one. Go!”
I lunge at Liam just as he reaches me, slashing at his hand, and he drops his weapon automatically, yelping with pain. I slam the knife down into his thigh, careful to avoid the artery because Gia deserves torture time with the raping bastard. He crumples to the ground as Marino pulls the trigger. Men swarm past me, forming a shield around us as fighting breaks out and gunshots are traded.
O’Hara charges forward from the left with a team of one hundred, and they quickly join the melee. I grin as I turn around and shove Marino back athis men. “The chamber’s empty, and you’re a lying, cheating piece of shit who deserves to die with no honor.”
“Shoot him!” Marino yells at his men, and I nod at Capo DiNardo.
The men grab his arms and restrain Marino as shots whizz over our heads and the sounds of battle surround us.
“What the hell are you doing?” Marino roars, panic splayed across his weathered face.
“We had a better offer,” DiNardo says as I walk up and slowly drive my knife straight through my underboss’s heart.
“You don’t know what you’ve done,” he garbles. Blood pours down his chest and bubbles in his mouth.
“Burn in hell where you belong, Benedito,” I say, slashing his throat repeatedly. Blood sprays over my face and my clothes as I loom over the man who betrayed ourfamiglia, oursoldati, and The Commission. His body jerks for a couple of seconds beforehe dies. “Toss him and join the fight,” I tell the men who have returned to the fold.
We built dossiers on all of them, and we’re holding their loved ones over their heads to force them to toe the line. What they don’t know is when this is all over, they’ll be slaughtered for breakingomerta.
