I pull out the magazines from my gun to reload. The rhythmic click-snap of bullets becomes the only sound in the cabin apart from the little barks of the puppy.
“Who were they?” Julian asks.
“Looks like the politician’s men still, they’re wearing the same uniforms I saw this afternoon. Don’t worry, all of them are dead.” Gio answers, settling back in his seat.
Julian looks at me, a silent, expectant question in his eyes.
“You got something to say?” I ask, pulling the empty magazine from the other gun and thumbing fresh brass-cased rounds into a new one.
“How do you know how to shoot like that?” He asks finally, his voice tight.
I don’t look up.
“Didn’t Mateo discuss my background with you?” I ask as I finish slapping the full magazine into place. “I’m pretty sure you know I come from the Sicilian Mafia.”
“I know about the Mafia. Just didn’t realize Mafia princes can shoot like that.” The motherfucker actually calls me a prince. He’s got some balls, I tell you that.
“Most people can’t do it well, not really. But I was trained for one thing:to kill.” I state casually, pulling out my phone to email my brother, Lorenzo.
He needs a heads-up about our arrival.
“To kill?” Julian repeats as if not believing what he’s hearing.
“I’m my family’sEnforcer. Assassino. So don’t get it twisted, I’m noprince.” I say, meeting his stare with a look that brooks no argument.
Gio clears his throat, offering no words, as he’s aware my patience has worn thin. I start to rise, intending to leave, just as the stewardess arrives with drinks.
“I would like to be briefed about the situation in Italy,” Julian says.
That’s smart. But I doubt he’ll be ready even after days of briefing. Nothing prepares you for the violence in the Mafia.
“How much do you know about me?” I ask, tilting my head.
“I know your family is important. I know you have a lot of enemies, which will make it dangerous for Katarina to be there.”
Despite his disagreeable tone, I respond with composure.
“I overheard that politician friend of Katarina talking about selling her to an Italian man. If my suspicions are correct, that Italian man is none other than Nicolo Guidicelli. Mateo informed me about his arrival in Argentina this afternoon.”
Julian winces when he hears that Mateo had this intel.
“Why would he want her?”
“Beats the shit out of me,” I say. “But you need to decide if you want a part of that world. Because the moment we land and those men see you, you’ll be marked as one of ours. From that point on, you’ll be permanently in the game.”
“Where Katarina goes, I follow,” Julian says, and it makes me chuckle.
“Good. You will get paid five times what Mateo used to give you. Your only duty from now on is to protect her with your life.”
I stress the last part, making sure he knows that if anything happens to her, he will suffer.
“You don’t need to pay me. I’d do it for free if it’s the last thing I do.”
I pull my gun out and point it at his forehead.
Gio raises his arm between us to ease the tension, and the fucker glares at me.
“Whatever delusion you have about her will cease to exist today,” I warn. “You are nothing but her bodyguard on my payroll from now on. Not her friend. Not her brother’s friend.You will take the salary, or I’ll have you shipped back to Argentina in a box.”
