Page 73 of Giovanni the Savage

“How about you tell me your side?” I ask, standing in front of him.

“What do you want to know?”

“Don’t reply to me with another question.”

I hit him on his temple with the butt of my gun.

“Fuckkkkk!”

“Now answer my question.”

“Is this about Luna?”

“Fuck, I’m sorry!” he yells when he realizes he asked a question.

“That’s a good question, so I’ll spare you.” I pull a pack of cigarettes from my pocket and hold it out for Ivan to light. He does, and I put it between my lips and take a satisfying drag.

“It’s a long story, man.”

“Cut it short, Victor.” I puff smoke in his face. “As short as your life is.”

His scared expression makes me laugh maniacally, and Ivan joins me.

“I loaned money to her father when he was alive.” I hum. “He couldn’t pay back before he died. So, I decided that his child was … going to have to pay the money.”

He pauses and wheezes.

“She couldn’t pay either so … I struck a deal with her.”

“Don’t make me ask what the deal was.”

I take another drag and puff it in his face, and the fucker has the nerve to cough.

“The deal was that she would get information from you that … would help me take you down.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes …”

I place the butt of my cigarette on his wrist, and he yells as the ashes pierce his body and burn his skin.

“I don’t do well with lies, Victor. You can ask Rocco when you meet him.”

“Fine, that’s not all.” I nod. “She didn’t want to do it at first, but when I threatened that I was going to kill her brother … it left her no choice.”

A small part of my heart softens a little for Luna, of course.

“She was forced to bring the information for me because I kept him hostage …”

“Where is he?” I ask.

He doesn’t hesitate. “In my basement.”

I shoot a look at Ivan, and he nods and dispatches some men to go straight there.

I tell myself I’m not doing it for Luna but for the innocent boy caught up in her father’s mess. Even though a part of me feels for what she has had to go through.

“Enough about Luna,” I decide. “Let’s talk about Aldo Matthieson.”

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