Page 44 of The Sting of Love
Although I don’t know what I’m looking for, and there’s probably nothing to find, searching around in his office is the only thing I can do to make me feel like I’m doing something.
It’s just gone seven, I’ve been in here for the last few hours. The last two days saw me bouncing between the streets to look for Mario, and the hospital to check on the girl who got shot.
She made it, barely, and had to have major surgery. The whole ordeal made me want to skin Mario alive.
Each time I went to the hospital, I thought of what I’d say to Willow. How I’d break up with her and what parts of the truth I should share. I felt like a bastard when she guessed it right.Mafia.I’m part of the Sicilian mafia and I knew better than to get involved with a woman outside my world who could discover shit on me I should keep quiet.
It didn’t sit well with me to make up some kind of lie to make breaking up easier so I allowed her to guess right by bringing up the gun. Like an elephant in the room, it was the only thing between us that we hadn’t talked about and I knew she saw it.
Today has been manic in the aftermath, mainly because of my mood. I started
the day feeling like shit because of Willow, then got a rude reminder of why she shouldn’t be with me by the time I got to my office and found Dushkin’s bloodied body waiting for me. That was obviously done on Xiou’s orders.
They left him sitting in my chair, dead with a bullet in his head, his brains blown out. There was a message taped on his chest telling me I couldn’t win.
I knew I didn’t have to kill him. In our world you’re dead if you talk to certain people, regardless of what was said.
To add to that, Lois and Saul found Jacki dead on the beach. Looked like he drowned but we know different.
Death.
It comes to us all. To some it comes naturally, others swiftly and planned. Timely executed and set up to either send a message or teach a lesson.
I wasn’t fazed by the deaths. Both alerted me to more spies. More foxes in my henhouse, so I fired everyone. Everyone who worked the club and travelled in the security team as soldiers.
Sometimes when you can’t fix a thing, you have to start from scratch. Some men would just kill them all. I’m not that evil. I’m dark, but not evil. So, I fired the whole lot of fuckers who were here, hired a bartender who was looking for a job at short notice, and closed off the restaurant while I look for more staff. The club can stay open while I’m recruiting. In terms of the hotels… well, I’ve got the boys questioning the staff there. It seemed to me that the two divisions keep themselves to themselves, but I’ll do the sensible thing and be sure. When I take over, if I get the chance, I’ll look into it more. Claudius was mad as fuck with me yesterday, so my future here doesn’t look good.
I wonder what he would say about my involvement with Willow. His wife is from our world, but they’re similar, her and Willow. They’re gentle women who look like they were pulled from heaven with their dainty features and gentle manners.
My girl is just… well… she’s notmy girl, and even if I don’t feel like I did the right thing letting her go, I did.
I won’t be like her asshole ex and string her along when I know there’s no future. Unlike her asshole of an ex, I’m sure my feelings for her run deeper than his ever did. That was after a little over a week. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I’d known her longer.
She really looked beautiful last night. She was just beautiful, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss her lips and devour her.
In frustration I smack the stack of paperwork on the desk. It scatters to the ground.
Gibbs walks in and looks at the mess.
“What’s happened?” he asks.
“Nothing. I’m just pissed.”
“Me too. I’ve come to a standstill. But I’ll keep looking.”
“Mario wasn’t finished when I came in here. He was stuffing his pockets with shit when I interrupted. He’d switched his computer on. That means he was setting up to get stuff, Gibbs.” That much I suspect.
Gibbs has been looking through the computer files and I’ve been on paperwork. I really don’t know where to go from here besides to continue what we’re doing and hope that something turns up.
“I hate shit being vague.” Gibbs frowns.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket, and I look at the display first to see who’s calling. There’s no ID. I don’t like calls like that. It’s either someone selling me shit, or the other kind. The type where the caller has reason to conceal themselves from a guy like me.
“Yes,” I say into the phone.
“Donny, fantastic. You bastard, good for you, you answered your phone,” a male voice says. It’s familiar, but I can’t place it.
“Who’s this?” I ask.
