Page 62 of Devil's Deal

I passed a screaming Tad as Rocco pulled a gun out of the back of his pants. “Hey, don’t?—”

“I know, I know. But I really need this guy to shut the fuck up.”

“Hm. That’s fair.” The one bedroom contained nothing but a stained mattress with a dirty blanket and a couple of pillows on it. “You’re a real class act, Tad,” I muttered to myself. No doubt this is where he made his girls provide him with their services—for free. Like the bedroom, the bathroom didn’t have any personal items.

“So you let the girls live down here in squalor, sharing an apartment, but this is just what? Where you hole up to keep an eye on them?”

He kept his gaze trained on Rocco’s gun. “This is my place of business.”

“Is that legal? What do you think, Rocco? Are these places zoned to run businesses out of?”

He shrugged. “Hell if I know. But I’m pretty sure the Buccelli Family isn’t okay with prostitution on their streets. They got some respectable houses set up for this type of entertainment.”

Tad sneered. “I got permission to run this street.”

Planting my hands on my hips, I stared down at him where he kneeled on the floor. “Permission from who?”

Smirking, he said, “Don Buccelli himself.”

“Huh. Was that the old Don or the new one?” I asked.

Tad’s smile faltered, and Rocco huffed. “Mistreating his girls, lying about the Don…I don’t know, Romeo. I think you should let me put a hole in his head.”

Ignoring him, I kept my gaze fixed on Tad. “So, here’s what’s gonna happen. He”—I nodded at Rocco—“is gonna beat the shit out of you. More than likely put you in the hospital. We’re gonna make sure that everyone hears about it so any other enterprising individuals such as yourself know to get outta here. Then once you’re on your feet, you’re gonna find a new career or get outta Takoda.”

“Fuck you. I don’t have to do?—”

Rocco stepped forward, kicking up under Tad’s chin with a solid thwack, which bent the man’s body in half backward.

“Ouch.”

Rocco grinned. “That’s one of my favorite moves. Sure I can’t kill him?”

Tad startled, then began crying.

“Geez. We barely touched him. What a little bitch.”

He wasn’t wrong. “No. We want people to know how benevolent Don Buccelli is. Things got a little lax with the changing of the guard, but now we’re cleaning up. Did you hear that, Tad? Don Nico Buccelli has Romeo Caputo and Rocco Buccelli putting his house in order. If anyone asks, you be sure and tell them.”

He spit blood on the floor. “I’m calling the police,” he blubbered.

Rocco snorted. “Tell my Uncle Stan I said hi while you’re at it.”

“That’s the chief of police, in case you didn’t know,” I added.

Tad started shaking. All signs of his bravado were gone. “Let me give you one of the girls. You can have her for free.”

Rocco’s dark brown eyes went black with anger. My hand twitched wanting to reach for my knife. “I don’t know, Romeo. Can I at least chop off his dick? What’s that saying, an eye for an eye and all that shit, am I right?”

Damn, it was so tempting to say yes. “No.”

He rubbed his hands together slowly. “Maybe feed him his balls? What do you say? That’s still benevolent.”

Tad started begging for his life, promising he’d leave town, that he’d do anything, anything if we’d let him go. Sure, he would.

“Still no. We gotta get the ladies. Just—” I waved a hand at Rocco to proceed.

As I opened the door, I heard the solid thunk of Rocco’s fist connecting with flesh and Tad’s scream. Over it, Rocco asked, “Can I scar him, at least?”

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