Target on Our Backs
Page 75
A smile lights his face as he holds his hand out. He's reaching toward me, extending his hand, like it's an olive branch, like a simple shake is going to erase all of the hostility in the past. I look at it for a moment. I look at his stubby little sausage fingers wedged into all those gold rings. He's got no callouses, no scars, no marks… he's got blood on those hands in the figurative sense, but literally? He's probably never even shed any blood.
Reaching across the table, I take his hand. His grip is firm, forceful, like he's trying to intimidate me, like he's reminding me of exactly who here is boss. I tolerate it, tolerating his show of force, until he goes to pull away.
And that's when I'm done.
I'm done with the lies, the games, and the backstabbing. I'm done with the petty bickering, the egos, and the cowardice. I'm done with men who demand you honor family but in the next breath order the death of the ones you love. I'm done with it all, every bit of it.
I'm done with this life.
I'm ready for another.
I move fast. I don't give him a chance to react. The second he tries to let go of my hand, I squeeze it tightly, yanking his hand and twisting his arm. My free hand snatches up the pen, and I fist it. Swinging with all my might, all the force I can muster, I shove it right into his neck, stabbing him with it.
It knocks him off kilter, as I let go and instead grab the back of his head. I slam his face into the table, as blood spurts from the hole in his neck.
BAM
Reaching over, I snatch up Lorenzo's gun. The others I'm not so sure about, but his? It's loaded. He knows it needs to be when you're outnumbered.
BANG
BANG
BANG
It's like fireworks going off. The dim room lights up with the gunfire, and the three other heads of the families drop. A single shot right to the forehead, close enough blow their brains out the back of their skulls. They barely have time to even know what hit them.
Because men like them, with their cushy jobs and positions of power? They never expect anyone to be brave enough to actually take them out. Because there are rules, rules we all must follow.
You never kill a boss without permission from the others.
Genova lifts his head up, trying to react, but he's dazed from the blow, blood still pouring from the wound. He scrambles for his gun, his eyes meeting mine. Terror like no other shines from him.
He knows he's fucked.
"You owe my father ten-thousand dollars," I tell him, "but I'll take payment in the form of your life instead."
BANG
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Lorenzo shouts, his voice tinged with a sick sort of excitement as he drops his legs to the floor and sits up. "I knew you still had it in you, Ignazio!"
I turn to him as soon as he says that, as soon as the man starts to stand up. I grab him by the collar of his shirt and throw him right back down so hard the chair tips over. I shove him backward, onto the floor on his back, and hover over him. I point his own gun right at his face, my finger on the trigger, lightly pressing against it.
He goes deathly quiet, not even breathing, as he stares me right in the eyes.
In his face, I see nothing. No emotion at all. There's no fear to be found. No worry. No alarm.
It isn't because he doesn't think I'll do it.
He knows I will.
He knows I won't lose a moment of sleep over taking his life.
It's just he's empty.
He always has been.
He's a shell of a man. There's no soul left inside of him. I'm not saying he's unredeemable, that he isn't capable of love… that's not my place to judge. But darkness long ago consumed him, a familiar darkness, one that I used to know. I know what it's like to be ravished by that kind of hunger, to have a one-track mind for bloodshed. There's no room left inside of him for him to see the light, not when he's so overrun by the dark.
There's a banging on the locked doors then. Chaos is erupting in the house. None of the men have any idea what is happening, but they've been trained to always protect their boss. They're shouting, and shoving, trying to break inside. The world is crumbling all around them.
Unlike Lorenzo, they aren't calm.
"I'm out," I tell him. "You wanted New York? You wanted the power? It's yours. But I'm done, Lorenzo. I'm walking away from it all. And so help me God, if you ever try to follow me, if you ever try to stop me, if you ever try to pull me back in, I'll kill you… I will… and I'll take away everything you love before I do it. Do you hear me?"
"Loud and clear," he says.
I stand up and set his gun down on the table before extending my hand toward him. He doesn't hesitate to take it. I pull him to his feet, and Lorenzo reaches over, snatching up his gun right away. My muscles stiffen from alarm. I don't trust Lorenzo. I can't. I can't trust anybody.
But I need him, and that makes him the closest thing to a friend as I've got.
I need him to keep people off my trail. I need him to do exactly what it is that comes natural to him… create havoc. I need him to be such a nuisance that I play second fiddle to the hell he causes. I saved his ass once… now it's his turn to help save mine.
I may have taken out the heads of four families, but I did nothing to bring this to an end. The callous hunter simply killed more lions.
It won't be long before more Kings, new Kings, come in.
Lorenzo slips his gun back in his waistband as he looks around the room, his gaze trailing along the four bodies. I don't look at them, my focus at the door. It's bucking from the force of someone banging against it.
"You know this will never really be over, right?" Lorenzo asks, strolling over to stand beside me. "These things don't ever end. Nobody's going to just forget about you and what you've done, especially after this."
"I know," I say, looking at him, "but I'm banking on the fact that they'll be so busy with you that by the time they come for me, I'll have lived my life."
"And your wife? Your baby?"
My eyes narrow. "How do you know about that?"
"Got it from my brother. Guess your wife told his girlfriend." He cuts his eyes at me. "For real this time."
Huh.
"They'll be fine," I say. "I'm not worried about them."
"Why not?"
"Because I seem to remember us having a deal, Lorenzo… you said you'd make sure my wife didn't get hurt, and I'm holding you to that."
"Touché."
"Besides, I was one of the worst out there… I was out for blood, and it was personal… but when it came down to it, even I couldn't do it. Even I couldn't take out my enemy's kid. So they'll come for me, someday, sure, and when they do, they'll probably get me. But Karissa, she's under your protection, and that's the only reason I'm letting you live."
"Not the only reason."
"Yes, the only reason."
"Come on." He steps around me, to stand in front of me. "After all this, you still can't admit we're friends?"
"I'll tell you what, Lorenzo," I say, looking around him, at the door. "You get me out of here unscathed, and then I'll consider telling you how I really feel about you."
Reaching across the table, I take his hand. His grip is firm, forceful, like he's trying to intimidate me, like he's reminding me of exactly who here is boss. I tolerate it, tolerating his show of force, until he goes to pull away.
And that's when I'm done.
I'm done with the lies, the games, and the backstabbing. I'm done with the petty bickering, the egos, and the cowardice. I'm done with men who demand you honor family but in the next breath order the death of the ones you love. I'm done with it all, every bit of it.
I'm done with this life.
I'm ready for another.
I move fast. I don't give him a chance to react. The second he tries to let go of my hand, I squeeze it tightly, yanking his hand and twisting his arm. My free hand snatches up the pen, and I fist it. Swinging with all my might, all the force I can muster, I shove it right into his neck, stabbing him with it.
It knocks him off kilter, as I let go and instead grab the back of his head. I slam his face into the table, as blood spurts from the hole in his neck.
BAM
Reaching over, I snatch up Lorenzo's gun. The others I'm not so sure about, but his? It's loaded. He knows it needs to be when you're outnumbered.
BANG
BANG
BANG
It's like fireworks going off. The dim room lights up with the gunfire, and the three other heads of the families drop. A single shot right to the forehead, close enough blow their brains out the back of their skulls. They barely have time to even know what hit them.
Because men like them, with their cushy jobs and positions of power? They never expect anyone to be brave enough to actually take them out. Because there are rules, rules we all must follow.
You never kill a boss without permission from the others.
Genova lifts his head up, trying to react, but he's dazed from the blow, blood still pouring from the wound. He scrambles for his gun, his eyes meeting mine. Terror like no other shines from him.
He knows he's fucked.
"You owe my father ten-thousand dollars," I tell him, "but I'll take payment in the form of your life instead."
BANG
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Lorenzo shouts, his voice tinged with a sick sort of excitement as he drops his legs to the floor and sits up. "I knew you still had it in you, Ignazio!"
I turn to him as soon as he says that, as soon as the man starts to stand up. I grab him by the collar of his shirt and throw him right back down so hard the chair tips over. I shove him backward, onto the floor on his back, and hover over him. I point his own gun right at his face, my finger on the trigger, lightly pressing against it.
He goes deathly quiet, not even breathing, as he stares me right in the eyes.
In his face, I see nothing. No emotion at all. There's no fear to be found. No worry. No alarm.
It isn't because he doesn't think I'll do it.
He knows I will.
He knows I won't lose a moment of sleep over taking his life.
It's just he's empty.
He always has been.
He's a shell of a man. There's no soul left inside of him. I'm not saying he's unredeemable, that he isn't capable of love… that's not my place to judge. But darkness long ago consumed him, a familiar darkness, one that I used to know. I know what it's like to be ravished by that kind of hunger, to have a one-track mind for bloodshed. There's no room left inside of him for him to see the light, not when he's so overrun by the dark.
There's a banging on the locked doors then. Chaos is erupting in the house. None of the men have any idea what is happening, but they've been trained to always protect their boss. They're shouting, and shoving, trying to break inside. The world is crumbling all around them.
Unlike Lorenzo, they aren't calm.
"I'm out," I tell him. "You wanted New York? You wanted the power? It's yours. But I'm done, Lorenzo. I'm walking away from it all. And so help me God, if you ever try to follow me, if you ever try to stop me, if you ever try to pull me back in, I'll kill you… I will… and I'll take away everything you love before I do it. Do you hear me?"
"Loud and clear," he says.
I stand up and set his gun down on the table before extending my hand toward him. He doesn't hesitate to take it. I pull him to his feet, and Lorenzo reaches over, snatching up his gun right away. My muscles stiffen from alarm. I don't trust Lorenzo. I can't. I can't trust anybody.
But I need him, and that makes him the closest thing to a friend as I've got.
I need him to keep people off my trail. I need him to do exactly what it is that comes natural to him… create havoc. I need him to be such a nuisance that I play second fiddle to the hell he causes. I saved his ass once… now it's his turn to help save mine.
I may have taken out the heads of four families, but I did nothing to bring this to an end. The callous hunter simply killed more lions.
It won't be long before more Kings, new Kings, come in.
Lorenzo slips his gun back in his waistband as he looks around the room, his gaze trailing along the four bodies. I don't look at them, my focus at the door. It's bucking from the force of someone banging against it.
"You know this will never really be over, right?" Lorenzo asks, strolling over to stand beside me. "These things don't ever end. Nobody's going to just forget about you and what you've done, especially after this."
"I know," I say, looking at him, "but I'm banking on the fact that they'll be so busy with you that by the time they come for me, I'll have lived my life."
"And your wife? Your baby?"
My eyes narrow. "How do you know about that?"
"Got it from my brother. Guess your wife told his girlfriend." He cuts his eyes at me. "For real this time."
Huh.
"They'll be fine," I say. "I'm not worried about them."
"Why not?"
"Because I seem to remember us having a deal, Lorenzo… you said you'd make sure my wife didn't get hurt, and I'm holding you to that."
"Touché."
"Besides, I was one of the worst out there… I was out for blood, and it was personal… but when it came down to it, even I couldn't do it. Even I couldn't take out my enemy's kid. So they'll come for me, someday, sure, and when they do, they'll probably get me. But Karissa, she's under your protection, and that's the only reason I'm letting you live."
"Not the only reason."
"Yes, the only reason."
"Come on." He steps around me, to stand in front of me. "After all this, you still can't admit we're friends?"
"I'll tell you what, Lorenzo," I say, looking around him, at the door. "You get me out of here unscathed, and then I'll consider telling you how I really feel about you."
