They know how to cause maximum pain and damage and keep the victim alive until it's no longer deemed necessary.
Sadistic fucks. The lot of them.
They learned from the best.
My father.
Maybe it's best Dad decided, since I was seventeen or so, not to do any of his dirty work unless he had to.
Dirty work is respected, but a good leader of a powerful family is deemed even more powerful if he only steps in when it comes to special cases.
This is more personal than special.
Luke's nothing.
Him getting his hands bloodied won't be viewed as powerful. It won't be viewed as weak, but...
He's absorbed a couple of families and allies to elevate him.
And elevated men such as my father stay out of the dirty work.
I give him shit for it, but it is in moments like this that I get it.
Personal feelings might get in the way.
It's best to leave it to professionals.
"Absolute fucking shit," I add.
Luke shrivels back a little.
Good.
What I need is to think.
Dad's affiliates and allies are mine, now I'm in charge.
So, who can I use?
Gino... My uncle is a different beast. Gino is affiliated but his own man, as are different factions of the family.
But, and this is a big but, if you're in the fold and not just family, they all come together.
And if I ask, they will.
But consequences always abound with that.
I'll ask when and if I need to, but I don't want to owe favors. I don't want to rule the Marino family.
Luke could be the answer.
Because this kid here, man, really, as his beard shows him to be, is just an employee. One who stepped outside his station. One who is so scared he might blurt out the truth.
Ifhe knows anything.
I'm not going to kill him.
He's fucking lucky I believe Lyndall that nothing happened, or I'd finish the job myself.
