They were clearly about to have a wonderful evening.
Then my mind conjured an image of Chloe's lush, curvy body. I even started fantasizing about fucking her in a tub until her eyes rolled back.
Damn it. In this tense moment when I should be ready to pull a gun, I was getting distracted by filthy thoughts. I shook the inappropriate images from my head and gripped the gun in my pocket tighter.
Either way, their plans for tonight were about to go to hell.
"Evening, little brother."
Julian's hand froze mid-air. He whipped his head around. The moment he saw me standing in the bathroom doorway, his expression went from blank to shocked. The blonde screamed and instinctively shrank to the far end of the tub, water splashing everywhere.
"How the fuck did you get in here!" Julian tried to stand, gripping the tub's edge, his wet body trembling under the lights. Whether from cold or fear, I couldn't tell.
I pulled the gun from behind my back. Julian's eyes went wide as dinner plates.
"Wait, Enzo, just calm down." His tone shifted from bluster to naked pleading. "We're brothers. We can sit down and talk about this."
I walked to the edge of the tub and pressed the gun barrel against his forehead.
Julian let out an undignified whimper. His lips trembled, his eyes fixed on the gun, not daring to move. The water in the tub rippled from his shaking.
I looked at him. Then I smiled.
I pulled the gun from his forehead and tossed it aside. The gun arced through the air and splashed into the bathwater.
Julian froze.
"You can play whatever games you want with me, Julian." I crouched down, resting one hand on the tub's edge, meeting his eyes. "Bribe my driver. Contact the Mexicans. Cause trouble on my turf. Try all the tricks you want. But the result will always be the same—you'll lose, and you'll pay for it."
Then I grabbed his wet hair and shoved his entire face underwater. Julian didn't even get a chance to scream.
I stayed crouched there, expressionless, watching him thrash underwater, water splashing all over my shirt. When he was almost out of strength, I yanked him up by the hair.
Julian vomited violently, soapy water pouring from his mouth. He coughed hard, face bright red, body limp against the tub's edge, gasping for air.
The blonde was completely terrified. She screamed, huddling naked behind the towel rack in the corner, arms wrapped around her knees, shaking.
"Frank was your doing, wasn't he, Julian?" That damned driver tried to plant explosives in my car. But he clearly overestimated his own intelligence. He left this world before those bombs could detonate.
Julian's face was a mess of humiliation, water streaming from hisnose and mouth. He raised a hand weakly, like he wanted to say something, but couldn't stop coughing.
"I asked you a question."
"Enzo, I can explain."
I pulled out my cigarette case, lit one up, took a deep drag, then crouched down and pressed the burning end into Julian's still-healing leg.
His scream echoed off the bathroom walls.
"Try again."
"Yes! Yes, it was me!" Julian's face twisted in agony, tears mixing with the bathwater running down his chin. "Frank was my man! But Enzo, I swear, it was just a test. I didn't actually want you dead."
"Of course you wanted me dead." I stood up, cigarette back between my lips. "And I want the same for you."
I kicked his leg. I'd been too merciful last time. This time, I used full force.
The sound of bone shifting was crystal clear in the bathroom. This leg was completely done for now. Julian let out an inhuman howl, his body convulsing in the tub, then his eyes rolled back, and he passed out cold. The blonde in the corner started sobbing quietly.
