Page 10 of Vanished in Vegas

"Silence him. He's giving me a fucking headache," I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose.

Eddie grabbed an oily rag off the floor and shoved it into Manny's mouth as Manny screamed again. Flint did a few more cuts until the ear was finally freed. He held out Manny's ear to me.

"I don't fucking want that," I frowned.

Flint and Eddie looked at each other and chuckled. Flint tossed the ear in the bucket of lye a few feet from him then looked at me for his next set of instructions.

“Manny, you did this to yourself,” I smirked. Manny’s eyebrow raised and he stared at me in confusion. “You thought I wouldn’t know what was going on in my city? I own this city. There isn’t a single thing that goes on in Vegas that I don’t know about!”

He continued looking at me like an idiot.

“He thinks I’m an idiot.” I gestured at myself. “Am I a fucking an idiot? Maybe I missed a memo or something?”

“No, Boss. You’re no idiot,” Eddie replied, smacking Manny in the back of the head hard.

“Yeah, you’re no idiot, Boss,” Flint nodded. “This piece of shit is the fucking idiot for underestimating you.”

“Manny. Manny. Manny,” I shook my head and tsked. “Did you really think I wouldn’t do anything to you once I learned of your sex trafficking ring?”

His eyes widened, dread and pure terror turning them glossy He shook his head wildly, yelling something against the rag.

“Is that an apology?” I sneered. “Are you sorry for bringing that garbage to my city?

Manny nodded frantically. Again, he uttered words but they were jumbled by the rag. Not that hearing them would get him out of this situation. He and his crew had kidnapped, abused, and hurt women.

“My rule was simple. Never harm women or children. That’s an easy one, right?”

“Too easy, Boss,” Flint nodded.

“Life could have been good for you, Manny,” I said standing up. “You could have lived a long life, snorting all the coke you wanted off strippers’ asses, but no. You had to fuck it all up. And, now you will die because of your decision.”

I walked over to the workbench. Slowly, I scanned the hand tools that were laid out on the table. Manny needed to be made an example of. He wasn’t worthy of a swift death. Fuckers like him deserved slow suffering.

“Take the rag out. I want to hear his excuse.” I glanced over my shoulder. Eddie pulled the rag free of Manny’s mouth.

“I– I– It’s not like that, Boss,” Manny stammered. “I swear.”

“You fucking swear?” I shouted, grabbing the first tool my hand touched– the hammer. With all my might, I threw the hammer at Manny, striking him in the chest. He yelled in pain. “That is just an inkling of what you’re going to feel when I am done with you.”

“Boss, I didn’t mean to,” Manny sobbed. His whininess only added to my anger.

“Who’d you order the women through?” I asked, turning my back to him to look over the tools once more.

“He’ll kill me if he finds out I told you.”

“He’ll kill you?” I chuckled. “You’re dead anyway. If you tell me who, I might make your death swifter.”

Not happening,I thought picking up the shaving knife.

“Tino. Tino Romano,” he blurted.

“Tino Romano,” I repeated.

Tino Romano was a name I was familiar with. His name popped up on my radar several times. He had connections on the east coast, keeping me from touching him. A brother who was a caporegime for the De Santis Family. Tino had used his brother’s name to get things out of life: money, drugs, cars, even shares in casinos.

It wasn’t that I was afraid of Tino Romano. It was that I respected the De Santis Family. Doing anything to Tino could cause a domino effect. One I preferred to avoid; however, if Tino thought for a second I would standby and allow sex trafficking, he had another thing coming. Vegas was my city. And no one fucked with my city.

“Looks like it is time to pay Tino a visit,” I looked at Eddie. “Tell Niccolai and the others, business meeting in thirty minutes. And no one better be late!”

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