Page 3 of Reign Of Triumph
My plan is coming together.
Several hours later…
A needle of Midazolam to the bodyguard in the hallway puts him out quickly. I drag his body into the janitor’s closet. I could have killed him, but I want to keep the mess to a minimum. Next, I need to gain access to Wan’s suite. I called in a favor and had the hotel blueprints sent to me. As luck would have it, the air vent directly links into Wan’s room, and based on the layout of the suites, it’s right over his bed. The vent also allows me to hear what’s being said in his room.
When Wan says he’s taking a nap and to wake him in a couple of hours, I know this is the time to strike. I wait until I hear Wan snoring, then pump gas into the vent to incapacitate him. It’s odorless and undetectable. Even if he wakes up, he’ll be too disoriented to do any damage. If I wait long enough, the gas will waft through the suite and take care of his bodyguard too, but I’m not willing to wait that long. This leaves me to deal with his other bodyguard.
I casually walk to Wan’s room and knock on the door. His second henchman cracks the door open, and before he can slam it shut, I push my way through and slam my hand into his face. It’s meant to stun him, and it does, long enough for me to pull out my stun gun and knock him out.
The rest is a piece of cake. I roll a large laundry hamper from the hotel and dump Wan into it, covering him with the sheets from his bed. My car is parked right outside the side door. I knocked out the video camera earlier, and this gives me time to pile Wan into the trunk. He’ll be out for at least a couple of hours.
I climb into the driver’s seat, turn on the engine, and make my call.
“Hey, where are you?” Nero answers quickly.
I answer with a question of my own. “Where do you want him? I can deliver him dead or alive.”
“Fuck me, you got him!” Nero exclaims. “Jesus! You really are a secret weapon.” Then he lets out a laugh.
“Wan is a means to an end. Choice is yours. Do I deliver him dead or alive?” I ask again.
“Hold up,” he replies, and I can hear him walking across a tile floor. “Dad, Eros has Wan. He wants to know if you want him dead or alive.”
“Alive. I want to be there when the final blow is delivered,” I hear Marco say.
I want confirmation. “My reward doesn’t change. The prize is the same. Serafina and my new job as Giusto’s underboss.”
“We keep our word, Eros. La Famiglia always keeps their word,” Nero insists.
“The deal was I kill him,” I remind him.
“This is better. All the capos get to see his end.” I know that Nero put me on speaker, because Marco’s voice comes through loud and clear.
“La Famiglia is looking forward to welcoming its newest underboss, and a wedding celebration is always a festive event,” Marco says, and it sounds like he’s got a smile on his face.
“Where do you want him delivered?” I ask.
Nero rattles out an address. I recognize the place and tell him I’ll be there in forty minutes. I’ve done my part, and I’m going to reap the rewards. The capture is complete, and I didn’t even have to get my hands bloody. Not that I’d shy away from the killing. God knows I’ve killed plenty of men.
Two
We Have Business to Finish
Nero
Eros is one of a kind. He was the guy who never gave a shit what anyone thought of him, and he’s still that man. Eros was a made man at a young age. Not by choice, but because our gym, owned and operated by our Mafia family, was attacked by the Bratva. My father was visiting the gym to see me fight, and the Russians thought it would be an opportunity they couldn’t pass up to get rid of La Famiglia’s capo.
Our family is always prepared for the worst, especially when the capo is present. However, one Russian soldier thought to take out all the future soldiers of the family, and he would have killed many of the young boys training that day if it weren’t for Eros.
Some would call it stupid, but I call it fearless. Eros climbed the rope in the center of the gym, swung off to the edge of a platform, then dove head-on into the Russian, knocking him to the ground, then he plunged a knife he had sheathed at his ankle into the Russian’s femoral artery, killing him. Eros herded the rest of the boys into the back room, where the guns and ammo were kept, and he led us back out to defend our territory.
My father and his men had it all under control, and there was nothing left for us to do. But he saw Eros kill the Russian and called Eros over to him.
I remember it as clearly as the day it happened: Dad put his hand on the back of Eros’s neck and pulled him close, bending to meet Eros at his level. “You’re a born leader, Eros. Your father will be very proud of you. Tell your father to come to the house tonight with your family.”
That meant something to Eros. But then, in one fell swoop, the passion for La Famiglia died the day Miranda committed suicide. He blames my father for letting Giusto get away with what he did. Giusto sullied Miranda’s name, and that sent her into a deep depression that ultimately took her from this world.
There are very few secrets I’ve kept from my father, but there’s one that Luciano and I share that we’ve never told a soul. Giusto is not a man who is faithful to his wife. Everyone is aware of his infidelities. He’s always maintained that sex with Miranda was consensual, but I don’t believe him. One night, Giusto drank far too much at the club in town, where Luciano and I happened to also be. Giusto was too far gone and told us how Miranda begged him to stop and how he held her down by the neck until he got off. That’s rape!
