Page 28

I close the folder in front of me, “He’s going to go against my orders in broad daylight, knowing I can find out easily what he’s up to?”

“He’s not exactly known for his smarts, boss,” Luca points out.

“Right. He’s known for his brutality.” I push back from the desk, feeling the chair creak under me. “Unfortunately, that’s not going to save him this night.”

The warehouse looms like a skeleton in the dark, rusted metal, shattered windows, the scent of salt and gun oil thick in the ai. The sound of my footsteps echo on the concrete as we approach. My men fan out behind me, following without hesitation.

Inside, the Santori crew is already unloading crates. Twelve of them. Laughing, unaware. Cocky. They think they’re untouchable. I’m about to prove them wrong.

I step into the light and the talking stops. One of them, broad-shouldered, neck tattooed with the Santori mark recognizes me instantly. He stumbles backward like he’s seen a ghost.

“Luciano,” he breathes.

“You’re all in the wrong place,” I say, my voice calm, steady.

He opens his mouth to speak. I raise my hand and Luca shoots him clean through the skull. The sound echoes like a thunderclap. The rest panic. I love that moment. The precise moment when fear blooms like rot in their eyes. It’s beautiful. Honest. In fear, a man shows his true self.

They scatter, but my men are quicker. Shots ring out. Screams. One makes it to the stairs before I catch him by the collar and slam his face into the railing. Bone cracks. He whimpers something in Spanish.

“I’m only going to ask you one question,” I start, dragging his broken face up to meet my eyes. “Where’s Santori?”

“H-He’s not here,” he stammers. “He only told us there was a job to do and we came.”

“A job on Luciano territory. My territory!”

“I didn’t know,” he cries.

I drive a knife into his stomach. Twist.

“You should have.”

He slumps to the floor, bleeding out, eyes wide and glassy. I stand over him until he stops twitching. The rest are dead or on their knees, hands behind their heads. One of them is sobbing. Pathetic.

“Line them up,” I tell Luca.

“No survivors?”

“Not tonight.”

He nods and without hesitation bullets go off. One by one. Neat. Efficient. Bodies upon bodies hitting concrete. It’s done in minutes. I exhale a breath and walk back out into the night like I didn’t just bathe the floor in blood. I glance at the blood on the edge of my sleeve with a small frown.

“Sir,” Luca says following me. “Do we leave the bodies to be found? Send a message?”

“I think their presence here today was meant to send a message to me actually,” I state. “Santori’s absence means he willingly sent those men to their deaths and I plan to figure out why.”

He nods in understanding.

“As for the bodies. Just burn the whole place to the ground,” I tell him

Then I get into the car and head home for dinner with a woman who hates my guts. When I arrive inside the mansion I find Cassandra heading to the dining room as well. We run into each other and she falls to a complete stop at the sight of me. Lila’s standing beside her, no doubt guiding her through the house.

“Hello, beautiful,” I greet. “Did you sleep well?”

Her eyes narrow, slowly perusing my face before lowering to the rest of my body. She gasps when she spots the blood on my sleeve.

“What happened?” she questions, eyes wide.

I look down at my sleeve with a shrug. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”