“I’ll see you soon,” I tell her. “I promise, I’m okay.”
I hang up, and Tony shoots again, misses me by a mile.
I shoot him in the left kneecap. He falls with a wailing cry. I approach him from the side, gun aimed. He’s lying on theground, aiming in the opposite direction. I stalk up behind him, take aim, and blow his hand apart.
He squeals and drops the gun. I grab him by the scruff of his shirt and haul him up. He cradles his ruined hand, whimpering when his foot hits the ground and tweaks his wrecked knee.
I drag him to the front of the burning barn and toss him down.
Dante stands in front of me, my other men ranged out behind him. Riccardo grimaces and stares solidly at me.
On the ground, Tony is whimpering. Behind me, the fire crackles and something falls. Tony flinches and tries to crawl away.
“I want you all to remember this,” I tell my men. “And I want you to spread this moment far and fucking wide.Thisis what happens when you try to cross me.Thisis what fuckinghappenswhen you think you can cut through what I’ve built. What I’ve bled and killed for. If you’ve got a disagreement about dealings, or morals, or any of it, I want you to remember this.”
I shoot Tony in the other knee, making him scream. A couple of my men take an involuntary step back.
Tony moans and tries to crawl away. He’s crying, begging, and I feel a twist in my gut. I feel a brief moment of love for my cousin. Perhaps I could let him live, give him a chance to repent. But then other men might think they can make a move.
And, and…
He was going to hurt Theo.
“Remember this,” I growl, aiming the barrel of my gun at his head.
His blood spatters the grass. His cries stop. I tuck my gun away and nod to Dante. “Clean this mess up.”
“Will do.”
“And good work.”
He nods. “Thanks, boss.”
I walk away from the crackling barn, toward my car. Behind the wheel, I just sit for a few moments, watching the fire consume the barn.
My cellphone rings. It’s Ava. The last she heard, there were bullets being fired at me. Then I hung up. I feel like a selfish ass for just sitting here while she’s probably worried out of her mind.
“Ava,” I say, answering.
“Rafe,” she snaps.
“I know, I’m sorry. But it’s over now. For real.”
“You left me one hell of a cliffhanger there.”
“I guess that’s my specialty,” I say sadly.
“Are you okay?” she asks, her voice soft.
A beam crumbles in the barn, then the entire roof caves in. Dante is carrying a body slung over his shoulder. The man’s head bobs up and down on his back as though he’s responding to a conversation.
“I’m fine,” I say.
“Things won’t be complicated forever,” Ava murmurs.
“I just need to come home, to see you and Theo.”
“Come to us, then,” she says. “What are you waiting for?”
