Igrinned so fucking much my face hurt. We had Johnny Z strung up by his ankles, shirtless, and his hands tied behind his back. A handkerchief covered his mouth. Tears streamed down his reddened cheeks.
The more he tried to kick and shake free from his shackles, the more energy he wasted.
I laughed.
At least he wasn’t a fucking pussy.
I had to give him that.
Most men would have crumbled in this situation. Some even begged for mercy.
But not Johnny Zabatino.
He thought he was invincible.
Standing before him, with a wicked smirk plastered on my face, I tugged the fabric away from his mouth.
“Let me down, you piece of shit,” he yelled.
I crossed my arms over my chest and laughed.
Angelo stood at my side, a sharpened blade in his hand and the same evil grin crossing his lips. We had used this tactic dozens of times. With the blood rushing to Johnny Z’s head, it wouldn’t be long after Angelo sliced him open before he lost consciousness. So even though I wanted my vengeance, I let Angelo do the honors.
Angelo dragged the knife along Johnny’s chest. A trail of blood ran down his body, over his right shoulder, and onto the floor. I wanted to cut into his flesh until every last drop of his blood pooled on the floor at my feet.
“You sick fucks,” Johnny growled. “You will pay for this. Mark my words.”
He closed his eyes for a second and breathed through his nose.
“Don’t waste your breath, Zabatino,” I shot back. “Dead men don’t talk.”
Glancing at Angelo, I tilted my head to instruct him to keep going. This time, Angelo stuck the knife into his neck, slicing deeper than before. Blood dripped onto the cement floor, right in front of my Ferragamo oxfords. I took a step back, careful not to ruin my dress shoes.
“Paulie betrayed you.” Johnny could barely get out the words. “And you welcomed him back into the family. Some boss you are.”
I kicked him in the face, and his body rocked from side to side. “What did I tell you about opening your fucking mouth?”
He spoke with one eye open, kicking his feet to try to shake free. “You have no power over me. Do your worst, Luciano. My men will come for you. You’re too stupid to see the cracks within your ranks.”
“For someone tied up and bleeding to death, you still think you hold all the cards.” I hunched down next to him and gripped his black hair. “You killed my father. And I’m going to kill you and everyone who helped you.”
Angelo had a greedy look in his eyes. Stefan stood off to the side with Ava on his arm. Nico was on her other side, stroking his fingers through her hair. A terrified expression tugged at her pretty face.
But I insisted she watch.
She was about to become our queen. It was only right she stood at our sides and witnessed the demise of our enemies.
I pushed myself up from the floor and brushed my hands down the front of my slacks. “See you in the afterlife,pompinaro.”
Johnny sucked in a sharp breath. “Just kill me and get it over with already.”
“We’re not going to kill you tonight.” I smirked as his eyes widened. “It will take days for you to bleed out. The slow and painful death you deserve.”
I’d always enjoyed killing people.
When I was a teenager, my father brought me to this room and explained the importance of protecting our legacy. He showed me how to maim and torture men until they begged for death. Over the next few days, Johnny would do just that. And I would love every second of it.
He closed his eyes and kept them shut. Blood ran down his chest and neck, still dripping onto the floor. As expected, he lost consciousness.
