I step in front of him, his eyes unfocused, his body slumped against the chair, as his head rests against the seat. His eyes closed as his head lolls with every pained breath. I lift my foot, slamming it into his face. The sole of my shoe embeds into the gnarled flesh, and the squelch oozes out from under the leather. The crunch as his neck breaks against the chair. I head upstairs. I don’t look back. I’m done here.
I head to the kitchen. I turn the gas on. I take a bottle of expensive whiskey and a tea-towel, making a Molotov cocktail. I close all the doors and step out onto the back veranda. I light the rag, crack the door, and toss it inside, walking away from the house as it explodes into a fiery ball. The kitchen is engulfed in flames as I stride away and around the front to my vehicle. Sliding behind the wheel, watching the flames lick at the windows. Once the house takes hold, I head out, making my way to the Regent.
I don’t pay attention to how I got here as I pull into their underground parking garage; the pole rises, and a car inches out slowly. I stare at the car and make eye contact with the driver. Enzo glares back at me. His eyes widen as I snarl. He accelerates, wheelspinning out of the garage.
I slam it into reverse, and the squeal of the wheels echoes around the buildings as I peel out after him. I lose him as he pulls around the corner, and I floor it, racing after him. He’s heading out of town, and as I round the bend, I see him in the distance. I speed up, weaving in and out of traffic, cars screeching at junctions and lights. Brakes squeal as I hyper-focus on his vehicle. He’s heading for the highway, and I follow as close as possible, not wanting to end this in the city. As he accelerates onto the highway, the traffic is quieter. He speeds off, and I rev the engine before pulling up behind him. He weaves across the lanes, dipping in and out of what traffic there is until we reach a quiet stretch. I try to pull up alongside him, but he swerves at me, so I slam the brakes on, smoke billowing out from the stripes of rubber streaked across the tarmac. I throttle it again as I try to catch him.
His driving is no match for mine, so pull on one side, and as he swerves to hit me, I pull back, then accelerate again, getting the front end alongside his rear wheel arch. I gently press the front end of my car into his, kissing the bumper beforeturning in, pushing all those extra horses into the floor as I turn in forcing the back end, there’s a wobble as I lean into the car before it starts to spin. I slam on my brakes as his car spins across all the lanes before it grips and flips side over side, rotating down the highway smashing each panel into the road.
I stomp on the accelerator. Watching until his vehicle comes to a grinding crunch of twisted metal and rubber smoking at the side of the road. I climb out of the car and stride towards him. The glass smashed all the way down the lanes. When I reach the smoking vehicle, he’s trying to climb out of the hole where the windscreen was. I lean down. I offer my hand. He reaches up and grabs for me. I tug him, pulling him out. He then looks at me; his eyes bug out of his head.
Dropping my hand away, he tries to crawl away from me. Reaching the barrier, he flops against it. I slowly stalk after him. When his gaze reaches mine, I smile. It’s not a nice smile. It’s an “I’m gonna finish this job” smile. I step up and bend down in front of him.
“You crossed a line when you went after him, Enzo. You’ve sealed your own fate.” I grab him around the throat. “Any last requests?”
“Fuck you,” he spits.
I nod at him, pull back and punch him straight in the face, over and over, my knuckles split, I’m covered in blood, splashes up and over my face, my shirt mostly red now, my trousers covered in blood as I slam my fist into Enzo’s face. I feel the red haze fade as the light seeps from his eyes. The more I pummel his features, the more I come back to myself, until he’s long dead.
I stand, looking around as the lights from the traffic in the distance start to encroach closer. Scrub my wrist across my face before turning and heading back to the car. I call Arianna.
“Are they dead?” her voice snaps.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“I’ll sort it with the commissioner—now get home, he needs you.”
“I’m on my way.” I take a breath before I slam the car in drive and scream down the road heading home, back to him. Whatever happens now, everything’s changed; I’ve murdered most of his family. I don’t know how he’ll feel about that, but I have no regrets.
People will start to take my marriage seriously, or they will pay the price.
Arianna
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The phone rings twice. I frown as I see the caller ID flick to life on the screen in the car. “Bellino?” Confusion fills the air, and my voice.
“Arianna…” His voice breaks. “I need…” There’s something there, something unsaid, but I know in that second, he needs me.
“Where are you?” I bark down the line.
“Enzo’s,” he gasps. I wheelspin, skidding around the corner as I change gear and direction in a split second. Screaming back down the road towards Enzo’s
“In the basement, through the kitchen.” He blows out a breath.
“I’m coming,” I clip out and drop the call. I drive as fast as humanly possible. He wouldn’t have called me unless it was anemergency, and how I deal with this will secure or destroy our union.
I skid into the driveway, screaming up to the house, as Bellino exits the building and makes his way down the stairs carrying a limp Leo in his arms, cradled to his chest. I screech to a halt, flinging my door open. I step out, guns raised on high alert, covering him as he carries Leo towards the car. Meeting him at the passenger side and opening the door. He slides Leonardo in, and he winces as Bellino leans in and clips his belt. He’s beaten and bloody, barely conscious. Stepping back, he closes the door.
“Take him home,” he grits out, tension etched in every feature, gritting his teeth like he’s trying to stop himself from going nuclear. I’m so close to losing my shit for him, but that’s not what he needs right now.
“Bellino, he needs you,” I try to reason.
“I can’t be the man he needs right now, Arianna. Take care of him.” His fists clench by his side as he wars with himself.
“I’m not a babysitter, Bellino. He needs you.” I emphasise once more trying to reach him through his barely contained rage.
He just stares at me, swallowing hard. “I can’t be what he needs right now.”
