Page 4 of KingPin
“Hey, asshole!” Someone yells around me.
I look up around the street to see if anyone is around to even talk to me. There are a bunch of people walking around and no one is looking directly at me to have yelled that.
I guess I’m truly going crazy.
That’s when I hear someone yell again. This time it’s louder and closer to me. What the fuck is going on?
I look closely across the street and see the hooded feature of someone I didn’t think I would see again.
Raul.
What is he doing here?
I’m staring at the situation across the street cautiously. I don’t want him to recognize me and then try to suck me back in. I don’t need that shit.
He looks over his shoulder and he clocks me. Lucian’s trusted lieutenant is doing something that looks shadier than those alley drivebys I helped be the getaway car to.
I don’t want to deal with his psycho ass right now. Especially when I know I’m not going to get this job because of what happened at the hotel. I don’t want this fucker thinking he has something more over me.
He doesn’t say anything to me nor does he try to get my attention. I don’t expect him to at this point. I know he hated me and I didn’t like him very much. It is not as if I even want to be associated with him.
Are there more of Lucian’s clients milling around here? I’m looking at the faces of the people who walk past me. I don’t know why I feel the need to check to see who they are, but I do.
I shake my head to clear it. I have gone truly psychotic.
Chapter Three
Lucian
I have counted the piles of money in front of me four times and have come up with the same number. And that is over three hundred thousand less than I am supposed to have.
Jesus fucking Christ! I’m going to kill every single one of those bastards and I’m going to do it right now! Someone had to know Raul was stealing from me. Someone had to know and that someone didn’t tell me. By them not telling me, they might as well have stolen the money from the beginning.
There is a knock on the door and I cringe. I know who it is without even needing to go see. Ralf knew I was going to have this meeting today and he planned it to see how I’ve been running things. He wanted to make sure I’m not being a pussy.
I click the button on the side of my desk to have the door unlock.
“What’s good, Luca?” Ralf asks the minute he swings the door open.
This man has been a major asshole my whole life. I’m not stupid in thinking he’s here to be a big brother. No, he wants me to fuck up so he can own me even more than he already does.
He looks over the money and notices my stressed out face. I hate having to admit what we all know. Raul has been stealing from me.
I shrug and point to the money all out in front of me. I want to run my hand over it and send it flying in the air but I don’t want anyone to come in and steal even more money from me.
“Well, it’s what we expected.”
He leans against the doorjamb. “That mother fucker. I’m going to fucking kill him,” he grumbles.
It is no secret Raul and Ralf have never liked each other and this is what is going to drive the final wedge between the two of them.
A new form of anger floods through my body and I’m seething. “I don’t want to just kill his ass. We need to make it a message to not fuck with Lucian McGrace of the 3-1-3 Gang. I’m not gonna go through this again because people think I’m a woman and they can get one over me.”
Ralf is looking at the money and I see an evil thought roll around his mind. I have paid my dues to him. I have paid with my body and my money to keep him and Big Heavy happy. I don’t need for either of the shot callers thinking they can come collect from me again.
“No fucking way, Ralf!” I hiss at him and start bundling up the money. I want to keep the money away from him as much as I possibly can because he’s going to want to take money. He’s going to think it’s his dues for being my umbrella.
“Luca,” he purrs with his thick Colombian accent.
