Page 53 of The Lieutenant

“Don’t you dare touch my wife! Don’t you dare touch her.”

He had enough strength left in him that he was able to swing his body violently. In doing so, his elbows had already become hyperextended. If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up torturing himself.

“It’s simple. I’ll allow her to remain untouched and alive if you answer the question. It’s a simple one really.” Hearing a sound, I looked over my shoulder. Christos was standing with his arms folded, leaning against the back wall with a smile on his face. He was learning something.

Come to think of it, he’d never been with me while I’d handled this type of business before. The man needed to get his hands dirty for a change.

“Did Don Bernardi order the hit on my brother?”

He struggled again, the slight popping sound coming from his shoulder indicating I’d been right. “Oh, that must hurt like hell,” I told him.

His scream was high pitched. I’d often heard a dislocated shoulder was one of the most painful experiences in the world. Now I knew it to be true.

“Please. Don’t touch her. She’s innocent.”

“Not so innocent if she agreed to marry a thug like you.” I lifted my arm, tapping my watch. “You have thirty seconds to decide. If the thirty seconds pass, I’ll start with your tongue first, your other shoulder next. Then I’ll release the beasts. You can lie inyour own pool of blood wondering how much your lovely bride suffered.”

I purposely walked toward the window and away from him. While the panes of glass were old and fogged over, the space was a welcome respite.

I was getting too old for this shit… Why hadn’t I brought Tylenol with me? Between the noise and the leftover odor of blood, my eyes were pounding from pain.

“Your time is up. Are you going to answer the question?” I walked around him, slowly turning so we could lock eyes.

He started to blubber and I was taken aback by the level of control being in love had on the man. Jesus Christ. He’d gone from a bloodthirsty killer to a slobbering lovesick puppy dog in a matter of weeks.

“Alright. I’ll make certain she’s conscious when I tell her how her husband died. Tobias, I’ll allow you to enjoy the removal of his tongue.”

My soldier knew to wait, although he stormed closer, removing his favorite tool, a special knife that was used for gutting fish.

When Tobias grabbed Aldo’s jaw, Aldo finally gave in.

“Wait. Please. Maria has nothing to do with this. She has no idea about my former life.”

“Your former life? You have blood on your shoes, Aldo.”

He tried to wrench his face away from Tobias’ hold, but the man’s hand was large and strong. “I have to put food on the table.”

I frankly didn’t give a shit who he’d killed, although Theo’s untimely death would bring the police sniffing around. We’d handle it.

“Fine, Aldo. We all do. Did Bernardi order the killing of my baby brother?”

Tears were streaming down his face. I rubbed my eyes, trying desperately to remove the headache. No such luck. I definitely needed a vacation.

“Yes. He did. Are you happy now?”

“So I gathered. Thank you for your honesty, Aldo. I told you that this would be nice and easy.” I headed toward the table, returning the items to the bag then removing the gloves.

“I heard he squealed like a fucking pig before he died.”

There was no rational explanation for his outburst other than he was pissed I’d gotten the upper hand.

I spun around, immediately jerking my gun from my pocket and in a knee-jerk reaction, I fired off three shots, killing him instantly.

What the fuck was wrong with the man? Unless he’d been told if caught he would not survive. Maybe he didn’t adore Maria as much as he’d insisted. Whatever the case, the near point-blank range and the number of bullets had all but destroyed his face.

Well, fuck, I’d ruined my jacket.

“I think you went a little easy on him, bro. Don’t you?” Christos’ voice was filled with agitation.

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