Page 21

“Yes, Boss.”
“The Americans are on their own turf. I don’t want any fuckups. You get me?”
“Yes, Sir.”
I keep a gun on me at all times. I’ve learned the hard way that it pays to be prepared. Never bring a knife to a gunfight, they say. Well, whoever they are, they’re right. I’ll hide my Sig Sauer P365 in my boot. She’s small, but she gets the job done.
In fact, she makes quite a mess if used correctly, as Billy back in Rome will testify. I left that wanker with a permanent hole in his face. He’ll never fuck with me again. I should have killed him, but, honestly, Billy is worth more to me alive. He serves as a living reminder to those who would think to fuck with me.
“We’ll be landing soon, Mr. De Luca,” the pilot announces over the intercom, once I wake up from my nap.
I check my watch. It’s midday in LA, so the boys and I will book into our hotel for the afternoon and meet with Kyle and his men at 10 p.m. tonight.
* * *
It’s 21:15, and I’m raring to go. Gino and the boys are armed to the teeth. Fat load of good it will do them, as I’m sure Kyle will insist that we leave our firearms at the door once we get to his place. But it’s worth a shot.
Our driver punches the warehouse coordinates into the GPS, and we’re off. My muscles are well rested, and I’m switched on. It’s time to make a deal and expand my operation into LA.
There are four men, armed with automatic weapons, outside the location as we drive up.
“I don’t like this, Boss,” Gino says, unconsciously resting his hand on his firearm under his jacket.
“It’s okay, Gino. Kyle isn’t stupid enough to try anything. He’ll have the full force of Italy raining down on him if he tries. He knows that.”
“Even so, Boss. Are you wearing your vest, Sir?”
“Yeah. It’s bloody uncomfortable, but it beats the alternative hands down.”
“Stay by my side, please, Boss. Just to be safe.”
I nod. The car comes to a stop.
“Okay, boys. We’re up,” Gino says to the three men with him.
He gets out of the car, goes around to the passenger side, and opens the door for me. I look around the minute I get out of the car. No sudden movements on either side. No one can afford to get antsy' not with the ample firepower around.
I walk behind Gino. One of my bodyguards walks next to me, and two more follow closely behind. We get about halfway across the parking area when, out of nowhere, the sound of a gunshot shatters the calm.
“What the fuck!” Gino screams before he turns around and throws his body onto mine.
The next few minutes are chaotic, with men scrambling in all directions, gunfire blasting away, and the sound of tires screeching on tar as my driver mows men down in his path.
“Mr. De Luca!” he shouts as he stops next to me and flings open the passenger door.
Gino’s dead weight keeps me from leaping up. I can feel a hot, sticky liquid running down my neck. It must be Gino’s. I use all my strength to push his two-hundred-and-sixty pound frame off me. He doesn’t show any signs of life. His eyes are open and vacant.
“Fuck! Gino!” I yell through the noise of gunfire before I slip into the passenger side of the car.
“Leave him, Boss. He’s dead,” the driver shouts at me.
The other three men aren’t any better off. One of them is on his haunches, firing at will. A bullet to the head puts paid to his efforts. He slumps over and stops moving. Gino saved my life with his quick thinking. I’m the only one still alive.
“Drive!” I scream.
I jump over the seat into the back of the car and scootch down so that I’m out of the line of fire. My driver is throwing the car so violently around corners that I nearly knock myself out of the door. Thank God I decided to bring him along on the trip. He’s the best driver I’ve ever seen. If anyone can get me out of this mess, it’s the man currently at the wheel.
We get about half a mile away when the car suddenly comes to a stop with the horn blaring.