Page 98 of Dominance

“You Diamantes, you are always pigheaded. Foolish.” Giuliano chuckles, taking a step closer, his stance relaxed, his hands empty. “Don’t know how to keep noses out of other people’s, eh you know,fatti gli affari tuo.”

“Business, yeah. Which is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, but you bolted. You know, I remember the Carcosas used to be hospitable.”

“You remember wrong, Diamond Dog.”

“Yeah, well I remember right that you used to know how to stay in your territory. It’s the only reason my brother ever let you keep breathing.”

“Your brother, yes. I like him, before. Then he goes,vigliacco, coward. Territories change. Bosses change too.”

“Sometimes those things are connected,” I posit, taking a chance that my hunch is correct.

Giuliano smirks, raising his eyebrows. “Sometimes things also get you killed. You always were smart one, Adriano. Seems to me you should have been the one making the calls. Now, you work for a two-faced, no, a three-faced snake.”

“You’d know better than anyone what it’s like to be in his pocket, wouldn’t you? What’s the matter, Giuli? Dom did you dirty? What did he promise you if you helped him take over, had his back?”

“You said it. Territory. Makes my line of work a lot easier.” He’s candid. Honest. Not trying to play me at all. Which means he’s either confident that none of this matters, or he’s confident I won’t walk out of here for it to matter.

“All the same, he sent me to kill you.”

“Of course he did. But not to renege on our deal.” Carcosa flicks the spent butt of his cigarette to the side, a signal. Ten heavies armed to the teeth step from the other doorways, fanning out around me.

Well. That answers that question.

“Care to fill me in before you fill me full of lead?” Ciro is never going to let me live that line down if he can hear me.

What can I say?

I like a little old-school movie drama.

Giuliano laughs, sliding his hands into his pockets. Smug bastard.

“This is like movie villain, right? You make me spill plan to you, keep me talking while partners close in, yes?”

“Sure, if I had any partners to call in.”

“Hm. You don’t lie so good. Him, he don’t hide so good,” he snickers, pointing behind me.

Glancing back I spot Ero grimacing, his hands tucked behind his head as he steps into the dim light with two more thugs at his back.

He’s supposed to be the sneaky one. Well.

Anytime now, Ciro …

Shoving both of us to our knees, Carcosa’s men disarm us, pat us down.

“Now is time when you offer me deal, try to negotiate, yes?’

“Qual è il punto?” I shrug. “You don’t want anything we have to offer. If anything, you’ve got one up on him. His consigliere, one of his favorite hitmen. Both at your mercy.”

“Really?” Ero growls under his breath, flicking an angry glance at me.

“But you have no value to Domenico. Or to me. Unless you want to be like him, turn, join my crew, eh?” The heavy-set, pig-faced flesh dealer grins mockingly, his shoulders shaking with mirth.

“I’d rather die, thanks,” Ero spits on his shoe.

Now it’s my turn to glare at my brother.

I was trying to drag this out. Not antagonize him.

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