Page 73 of The Sting of Love
“You think this is over? That you can run your bosses operation in Italia. You fucker, you couldn’t be more wrong for the job. It’s out of your hands. You think it’s just me? That I’m the only loose chain in the link?” He laughs and gurgles out some blood. “There’s so much more of us in this alliance that are dirty. Are you going to get them all grunt?”
I’m listening. I’m fucking listening and hearing what this bastard is saying to me. His hands start to shake and the gun falls from his grasp. He falls back and stills.
I walk closer to look at him. As his eyes close and blood runs out of his mouth I
think of his words. I was right when I suspected there could be more people in the alliance as dirty as he was. It’s hard when you don’t know who to trust, worse when you don’t know who will screw you over.
I turn away to head back up the path but stop short when a gunshot sounds.
Ahead of me is Alex with his gun out. It was him who just fired the shot. I turn back and see a bullet hole in Amadeo’s forehead and him falling to the ground for a second time. His gun in his hand. The gun I saw him drop a few seconds ago. The bastard nearly got me.
Alex rushes up to me and frowns.
“Jesus Donny, you know you have to shoot them in the head to make sure they’re dead.” It’s a halfhearted joke.
“Fuck… thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I glance back at Amedeo. “Alex, he said there’s more. More dirty bastards in the alliance. Not just him.”
Alex looks worried on hearing that. “That all he said?”
“Yeah.”
“Well it looks like you’ll have your work cut out for you,boss.”
I nod. “Mario next. I’ll find out who the others are later.”
I have an idea to shake things up. I can’t work with men I don’t trust, no matter who I upset.
“Mario next. We get him, we can rest.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
One more glance at Amadeo and I know there’s one thing left for me to do. I have to make the call to Pa to release Willow. I don’t have to go back to the beach house tonight. They can go home. It’s still early so they can make it back in time and Willow can go back to her life.
Pa can bring her back, but…I won’t be the coward and back out of seeing her. I’ll go see her one last time.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Willow
“I thought I might not see you again,” I say to Donny as he walks into the house.
“No… I was gonna come and say goodbye properly,” he says with a small smile, but apprehension fills his eyes.
Goodbye… I wish it was as easy for me to even think the word as it is for him to say it.
I’ve been home since last night. Lurlene was here when I got in and left early this morning for her day out. So much happened over the last few days but it’s like nothing different happened here.
“You okay?” he asks.
I study his face and look at his cut. It looks better today. The swelling it had around the area is gone and the bruising less.
“I’m okay,” I answer and we hold each other’s gaze. “I made something for you.”
The painting I did yesterday was for him. At first when Armand and I went out to the beach I wanted to paint the sea but as I started I thought of the picture of Donny’s mother.
