Page 41 of Empire of Carnage
“That’s the problem about thinking you’ve got friends in high places isn’t it brother? They can’t seem to see you from where they’re perched.”
I could nearly taste his fear, it was delectable, but this place was too full. We needed to get him out of here and we needed to do it without making a scene.
“Zerkos, let's talk this out like men,” he slurred, trying to make peace far too late in the game.
“Where’s Hughes?” I asked him, wondering if we needed to be on the lookout.
A few of our men were lurking in the corners trying to prevent some sort of surprise or sneak attack.
“Waiting for me to give the signal to report the Diablos Locos compound for some serious illegal activity to the FBI. The raid would go down within the next twenty-four hours, maybe just enough time for you all to scatter the fuck out of here and leave Cove City to the people who really own it.” He sneered and I couldn’t contain my laughter.
“You think you fucking own Cove City?” I asked, my amusement irritating him further.
“You thinkyoudo?” he asked, a bitter tone to his voice.
“No, Cove City is a goddess. She can’t be tamed by men like us. The sooner you learn that, the better off you’ll be, rat.”
“I thought you came here to kill me,” he snarled.
“Theywould love that.” I nodded to my brothers who didn’t hide the bloodthirsty look from their faces. “So give me a fucking reason you dirty fucking traitor.” I picked the gun up and slid it under the table, switching the safety off.
His eyes widened further than I thought possible.
“Berserk, you don’t wanna do this. We’re in public. They’ll put you in prison for life.” He raised his hands up defensively, his face glistened with sweat as he tried to reason with me by tossing out some legal bullshit that definitely didn’t apply to me.
You either lived within the boundaries of the law or you didn’t.
I didn’t.
He’d somehow forgotten that.
“Then make it easy on me,brother.” My nostrils flared. “Get the fuck up.” I moved the gun under the table, pressing the barrel to his thigh as Santos slid out of the booth.
In a dark alley behind the club we each took turns letting our fists pay back all the pain he’d brought the Crows. Blow after blow of our hands and feet, crunching his bones felt better than I had expected. He didn’t fight it, he knew he was a prisoner to the game. He thrashed and fought back even as we stuffed him into the trunk. Then we drove back to the Diablos Locos compound. There was a special entrance we were supposed to use so that the lower tiered members didn’t see us dragging someone off to their untimely death.
Best not to have witnesses we couldn’t fully trust.
“Zerkos I’m telling you, if there’s a single drop of blood stained on my nice oak floors when I get home you’re gonna be paying for the remodel from your own pocket. Not my sister’s pocket…yours,” César declared from the phone as I tried to get instructions on how to get inside his goddamn torture cellar.
This motorcycle compound was a labyrinth and apparently the guy was set on putting up a few more buildings like some sort of fucking commune.
“This seems like a lot of fucking work just to get a prisoner locked up, you need a better system, Villalobos.” I’m pretty sure he growled into the phone but then turned to someone near him to bark out an order before returning to the line.
“Why is Ladrón not helping you with this shit?” he asked.
“He’sindisposed.” I cleared my throat, not mentioning the Bratva heir shacking up with one of his officers.
César sighed like he knew his men well enough to not need an explanation.
“I’m gonna need you to leave my wine cellar as you found it, Entendiste?”
“Yeah, yeah.” I answered before hanging up the phone and tucking it back into my pockets.
I wasn’t dressed for this.
But were you ever dressed for slow and painful murder?
The image of my girl, dirty and covered in blood in that leather dress climbing out of that basement flashed through my mind.
