Page 1 of Shot For Mercy

My hands shake in anticipation as Luca opens the front door of the dingy apartment, and my nose scrunches at the coppery smell of blood in the air. I can practically taste it, and I swallow hard. We’re here because we got a tip that Amanda, my soldier’s wife, was the rat who gave up one of our warehouses, and it was stormed by the police shortly after. We came here to kill her, but it seems that’s been taken care of.

I stand at the entrance, shutting the door behind me, and close my eyes. A million thoughts run through my head, mainly that there’s a child in this house, and I need to find him and get him out of here. Then I’ll deal with Elio. He can no longer be a part of us. Traitors don’t survive.

La Cosa Nostra.

I may not be in charge yet, but I’m my father’s right hand, and that counts for something. As the oldest of five, I know I’ll be Don one day, and I have to prove that I have what it takes. Papà would be proud right now if he knew what I was doing, but I don’t brag or talk about every job I do unless he’s the one who gives it to me.

“Elio is here,” Luca says, and I smile tightly. My soldier is loyal, and he goes everywhere with me.

“Where is the child?” I ask Elio with a sigh, hating that Elio made everything so fucking messy. He knows better than to do that, and now I’ll have to kill him. Murdering a mother in cold blood in front of her child—really? I thought he had more tact than that, but I’ve been mistaken about a lot of things lately. I thought he was one of the most loyal soldiers I’ve ever had, but if his wife was a rat, then so is he, in my book. His fate is now sealed.

No mercy.

Elio points down the hallway, and I follow Luca as we look in both bedrooms. The smell of blood gets stronger, and a whimper fills my ears.

“He’s here.” Luca points past the mangled body of the once-beautiful woman, and there, in the middle of blood and brains, sits a small child rocking back and forth. My heart squeezes in my chest at the sight, but I will my face to stay blank. I fucking hate when children get involved. They’re too innocent for this world.

I nod, making my way toward the kid. He’s shaking like a leaf, and with his black hair and big blue eyes, he reminds me of my child I left at home. There’s no way I can walk away right now. It would make me scum. None of this is his fault.

I sit down on my haunches in front of him, my suit suddenly making me feel cramped, and his blue eyes widen. They’re so light they look almost transparent, almost as if it’s a trick of the light that they look blue in the first place. Pasting a smile on my face for his sake, I stretch out my hand.

“You’re Cole, right?” I ask him in Italian, knowing he has learned to speak it. Elio taught him some; that much is obvious by the way he nods. I know his stepfather was hoping for him to follow in his footsteps, and if I’m being honest, after tonight he will have no choice. I’m not leaving him behind to open his mouth to anyone or go to the cops. But I can’t kill him. Children are off limits, and just thinking of him going into the system makes me sick.

“Yes.” He nods, looking at my outstretched hand with apprehension. “Elio taught me some Italian. He said he would make a man out of me, whatever that means.”

I grin and whisper, “I’m Emiliano.”I’m Emiliano.“You?—”

“I know,” he whispers back, and my hand almost falls to my side, but he takes it instead. “I know who you are.”

I nod slowly, hoping my slow movements will calm him down slightly. He needs to go in the car before I finish Elio once and for all. “I need to get you out of here.”

Cole’s eyes shift toward his mother, and I see his eyes widen once more at the view. She’s face down on the floor, a puddle of thick blood around her head. I can see her head has a hole in it.

He shudders, then turns to the side and throws up, letting go of my hand abruptly as his body heaves. He tenses, puking wave after wave on his hands and knees. I don’t look away; instead, I wait patiently for him to be done. If he’s going to be in this life, he’ll have to get used to the sight. Although it would be cruel, even for me, to expect that of him right now. Once he’s done, he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Look away,” he says, choked up, tears running down his cheeks.

“A man never looks away,” I reply, hoping it’ll be the one thing he learns today. A visible shiver wracks his body, and I sigh. “Come on, Cole. We need to get out of here.”

He nods, taking my hand, and I look at Luca expectantly. He meets my eyes and nods once, taking Cole from me and taking him to the SUV parked out back. I walk out of the small bedroom and down the hallway to where Elio sits on the couch. He’s not bound or forced, and for that I’ll make this quick.

He wears a mask of resignation.

“I’m not a rat.” He sighs, and I believe him. Doesn’t change what I have to do. “I didn’t know about her.”

I nod at him, taking my gun out of my side holster, and sliding a silencer in place. “You didn’t have to kill her in front of him.”

“He should see what happens when you open your mouth.”

“He’s just a child,” I growl. “Children are off limits.”

Elio’s eyes widen at my tone, and he nods once. “And for that, I’m sorry.”

“That kid is probably scarred for life.” I sigh, bringing my weapon to his forehead. He presses against it, and I’m grateful he’s making this easy. He’ll die with dignity. “Thank you for your service, Elio.”

He looks into my eyes until the very last moment, and I pull the trigger without an ounce of emotion.

A man never looks away.

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