Page 9 of Die for You (Kiss or Kill #2)

“Thinking you can control everyone around you.”

“Excuse me? If only you knew the shit I’ve been through to find you!”

“I was fine where I was!” he yells, unsnapping his seat belt and getting into my personal space.

I don’t waver because this is good. His passion shows that he isn’t completely lost to me.

“Fine? You call turning tricks for gear fine? Because me, I call that pretty fucked up!”

“I never asked you to come find me.”

“You ungrateful brat,” I spit, our faces inches apart. “You want to go back out there, then? You want to be a slave to some vile predator who would sell you for five bucks? Is that what you want? You want to be an addict to the junk you inject into your veins? Is that it?”

Lewis’s eyes fill with tears, but fuck him. This is the real world, and it’s time he stop being a little pussy and remember who the fuck he is.

“Because I’m giving you one chance and one chance only. If you don’t want to be here, then leave. I won’t stop you. But there are no second chances—so choose wisely because I swear to God, blood or not, I will fucking kill you myself if you betray me.”

I press the button to unlock the car doors.

Lewis mulls over what I just said, and once he realizes this is no joke, he backs down.

I wait for him to jump out of the car, fleeing into the night.

But he doesn’t.

“Good. Now, let’s get to work.”

We get out of the car and keep to the shadows as we walk toward the docks. The sky is pitch black. It seems even the moon has gone into hiding, not wishing to witness what’s about to transpire. I know Gianna is here.

I can feel it.

But like the coward that she is, she’ll wait and hope that I destroy myself, saving her the trouble.

It’ll be a cold day in hell when I let her outsmart me again.

The red hue from the cigarette Donkey is smoking alerts me to where he is waiting behind a cargo container. The five men wait with him, Alfonso being one of them.

When they see me, they nod. No words are spoken.

No one engages in small talk.

Tensions are high.

Alfonso peers down at his gold watch.

“Got somewhere better to be?” I question, lighting a cigarette.

Alfonso rolls down his sleeve. He doesn’t reply. But his anger is apparent.

I’ll give him something to be angry about in ten or so minutes.

But for now, I focus on the task at hand when three men walk down the docks toward us.

These are Aldo’s men and have been for quite some time.

They’re a small, loyal group, and Aldo’s notes have stated that they haven’t fallen victim to Gianna’s charm.

She’s tried to undercut Aldo many times, but they’ve always kept their business with Aldo.

They’re smart businessmen, which is why I need them to remain loyal.

This shady scene is out of every gangster movie—men hidden in the shadows, wishing to exert their power and proving who has the biggest cock. Which is why I am certain Gianna is here watching, hoping I fail so she can swoop in.

She’s nothing but a scavenger.

The men approach me. It’s clear I’m the leader, as I’m flanked in protection.

“I’m Lennon.” I extend my hand, introducing myself.

“Tian.”

“Kong.”

“Matias.”

They’re wary, which has me trusting them because it’s obvious they know nothing about me.

“We heard about Aldo,” says Tian. “We are happy to continue the arrangement if you are.”

I nod.

I don’t trust anyone, and bringing new people into the mix leaves me open to defeat. Even dead, I trust Aldo’s judgment more than most people.

Kong’s dark eyes narrow. He’s sizing me up. As he should because, for all he knows, I’m the one who ended Aldo’s life.

Matias is the muscle. He is built like a brick shithouse. He steps forward and passes Donkey a black duffel, and in return, Donkey offers him a Nike gym bag.

The exchange is quick.

The three men nod in a sign of respect, which is as anticlimactic as it comes, but that was just the appetizer. Now, it’s time for the main course.

They turn to leave, and when I see Alfonso’s shoulders depress with a sigh of relief, I know now is the time for me to reveal what sort of leader I am.

“Aldo was a man of honor,” I commence, which has the men stopping dead in their tracks. “He kept his circle small because in this world, who can we really trust?”

Lewis shifts beside me because, brother or not, I sure as shit do not trust him.

The three men turn around to face me, and their body language divulges they’re ready to fight if need be.

“You can’t trust anyone,” says Tian, looking me dead in the eye.

“No, you can’t, which is why those untrustworthy need to be made an example of.”

The air is thick because of whom I stand among. We’re all sinners. This couldapply to anyone, and it does. No man is more worthy than the other because here is where the wicked thrive.

But it’s time I make an example of those who challenge me.

“I don’t believe in delaying gratification, which is why—” I turn to look at Alfonso. “I am going to cut out your spleen and fucking feed it to you.”

It takes him a moment to realize I’m serious.

He frantically looks at a building to his left, which is such a rookie move, as he just confirmed my hunch as fact.

“Gianna!” he screams, running to the warehouse.

Donkey doesn’t hesitate and pulls out his gun, shooting him in the thigh.

He drops to the ground, howling in pain.

If I were capable of liking anyone, Donkey may be an all right guy.

Alfonso drags his body along the ground, and a zigzagged trail of blood follows him. His legs are useless, which is why I stroll without haste to where he is desperately lugging his body to safety.

He peers up at me when I stand in front of him, arms folded.

“Please, I’m sorry,” he splutters, and I have secondhand embarrassment for his cowardice. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“We all have a choice,” I calmly state, tossing my cigarette to the ground, inches from his face. “You just made the wrong one.”

I butt out my cigarette, only to kick Alfonso in the face seconds later, instantly breaking his nose and sending three teeth somersaulting through the air.

His anguished screams don’t make a lick of difference. He was a dead man walking the minute he sided with Gianna.

Yanking his head back by his hair, I look him dead in the eye. “What does she want?”

“Please,” he sobs hysterically, begging I show mercy.

But I am done being played. “You have three seconds.”

“I have a family.”

“One.”

“Please! I’ll do anything!”

“Two.”

“All right! She wanted me to steal Aldo’s laptop!”

“Why?”

“I-I don’t know. I swear it! All I know is that she wants to destroy you.”

“How?”

“She said…she said, in the end, you’ll destroy yourself with the people you love.”

Exhaling slowly, I compose myself because this reminds me of all the fucking lessons she “taught” us when we were kids.

“Where is she?”

Seeing as her house burned down, I need to know where she is and what she has planned.

Alfonso tries to shake his head, but I hold him tight. “I won’t ask again.”

His breaths are stunted, and the fear is reflected in his eyes. He knows this is the end in one way or another. “She’s at—”

But his sentence will remain forever unfinished because although I am still holding his head, it’s no longer attached to his body. It’s been blown to bits by a high-powered rifle. The bottom half of his face is no more.

Peering down, I see I am merely holding the top of his skull. His eyes are wide open, forever frozen in this macabre moment in time. Blood gushes from the open wound.

Lifting what’s remaining of Alfonso’s head, I present it for all to see. “Nice to see some things haven’t changed, Gianna. You’re still nothing but a coward.”

She destroys anyone who gets in her way. I wonder why I’m still standing.

Tossing Alfonso’s head into the river, I nod at the three men.

They return the gesture, a sign of respect which I earned tonight. I wanted them to see that I am not someone to be fucked with. And by Gianna’s actions, they were able to see she is far from honorable.

I’m about to leave when I notice Lewis is gone.

I don’t bother with formalities as I take the bag from Donkey and quickly go in search of my brother.

I instantly regret my decision to bring him along as I now see that, regardless of our blood tie, he will never be loyal to me. Too much has happened. Therefore, I need to be smart because I know Lewis will betray me if given a better offer.

And my suspicions are confirmed when I turn the corner and see him talking to Gianna.

He averts his gaze guiltily when he sees me, while Gianna merely smiles a cat-who-got-the-cream grin.

It takes all my willpower not to shoot her where she stands. All this would be a lot easier if I did, but I can’t, and that’s because she’s the only person who knows where Valentina is.

Alfonso’s words hit harder now because this is a prime example of me being held hostage by Gianna.

“I wish I could say this was a pleasant surprise, but that would be a fucking lie. You’re so obsessed with me,” I quip while lighting a cigarette.

“Perhaps you need to get yourself a hobby? I hear Australia is nice this time of year. Maybe you can get in touch with your spirit animal and wrestle a crocodile or two.”

Sending her away to the farthest country from here sounds divine. Too bad it’s just a pipe dream.

“Sarcasm? I taught you better than that.”

I can’t help but scoff. “You taught me to be a heartless killer. Come to think of it, it’s probably the only valuable lesson you ever taught. And now you think you can do the same to my brother?”

Lewis takes a step away from Gianna.

But the damage is done.

Gianna won’t be happy until she destroys everything I love. She knows she can’t break me, so she will let me do the job for her.

“I’ll go wait in the car.” Lewis excuses himself, understanding my patience for him is wearing thin.

Gianna wears her usual attire of all black. From afar, she is a beauty, but up close, she is far from beautiful.

“How about you stop playing grown-ups and give up? It’s embarrassing,” she says, examining her red nails.

“Well, I wish you’d fuck off and die, but we can’t have it all.”

I can do this all day.

“We need to come to some agreement, Lenny. You cannot win.”

My cheeks billow as I blow out a cloud of smoke. “Watch me. You forget who raised me, Mother .”

Her back straightens when I drop the term of endearment. But in this case, it’s anything but. “If you’re so eager to see me dead, then do it. I’m giving you a free pass.”

It’s tempting, but she knows that I can’t.

Until I know where Valentina is, I need Gianna alive. Once I convince Valentina of the truth, I will then exact my sweet revenge.

This is the reason Gianna is giving me this “free pass.”

“You’re nothing but a liar,” I spit, unable to look at her smug face a second longer. “I will find Valentina. And when I do—”

“You’ll what?” Gianna challenges with a smirk.

It’s apparent she is unaware that I know the truth. And I prefer to keep it that way as it gives me the upper hand.

So for now, I have to suck it up and remember the bigger picture—no matter how badly I want to toss Gianna into the river and hold her head under the water, only to bring her back up and repeat.

“Just as I thought,” she concludes. “I think you’ve forgotten she left because she wanted to. She stays away because she wants to .”

“She stays away because she’s afraid,” I counter, refusing to play these games.

Gianna levels me with those cold eyes. “If that’s true, then go ask her yourself.”

A cold shiver passes over me because I know she’s serious.

But what’s the catch?

“Go ask her, and you’ll see the person you’re so intent on saving does not want to be saved. Then perhaps you’ll give this up and allow the adults to do their job.”

It takes all my willpower not to slap her. But insults reveal I am getting under her skin. If I wasn’t, I would be a headless corpse like Alfonso. But she needs me alive for some reason, and I can only guess that reason is that she is nothing without me.

She needs my men on her side, and that won’t happen, even if she kills me. This fucked-up world has some sense of respect and honor, and Gianna knows that I am respected because of Aldo. She is still seen as his enemy. Therefore, her empire will crumble without mine.

Ironic, isn’t it?

We both need the other to get what we want.

“What’s the catch?” I ask.

Gianna steps closer to me while I remain perfectly still. “No catch. I will tell you where Valentina is. All I ask is that you consider my offer.”

“What offer?” This suddenly feels like I’m shaking hands with the devil.

“I never wanted to work against you, Lennon. I raised you to work with you. Imagine how powerful we could be if we were on the same team. We would be unstoppable. Nothing but royalty.”

I didn’t think she could shock me anymore, but I was wrong.

What in the ever-living fuck is going on?

“We will never be on the same team.”

Gianna’s ruby lips curl into a sinister grin. “We’ll see.”

Before I can push her aside, she places her lips to mine and kisses me chastely. There is no love or passion to the gesture—this is the kiss of death.

I watch helplessly as she turns to leave because when my phone chimes, and I see it’s an address in Italy, it seems that no matter how many steps I think I’m ahead, Gianna will always be at the forefront, taunting me.