Page 35 of Reign Of Triumph
Bianca offers to help clear the table, but I know that the girls have playdates scheduled, and I don’t want them to be late. The school situation has improved exponentially, and I’ve never seen the girls so excited to get ready in the morning. Even when Giusto was alive, the girls were rarely allowed to play at other children’s homes. This is all new for them and Bianca.
“They’ll have a great time. Stop worrying,” I tell Bianca.
“I think I’m more scared that I’ll say something out of turn than the girls,” she admits. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been around other moms from the school.”
“What are you saying? Felicia and Grazia have kids at that school, and they adore you. Quit putting yourself down. Chin up and get out of here,” I say, giving her a little nudge toward the door. “You’ve been monopolizing my mother, and we’re going to spend the day lolling about,” I tease.
Bianca is still unsure, but puts a smile on her lips and gets into the waiting car, where her bodyguard is waiting for her. The girls wave wildly from the back seat, and I blow them kisses as they drive off.
Eros
Nero decided to get the party started before I arrived. He’s in a vicious mood. The room is splattered with blood, and with all I see, I’m not sure if he’s gotten very much in the way of information. That’s when I see his tactic. He’s making an example out of one prisoner to loosen the tongues of the others. The man hanging on the meat hook literally has his innards hanging out, and gasps, moments away from certain death.
Nero’s shirtsleeves are rolled up to his elbows and his hands are covered in blood, but he turns to me and, in the sickest, most sadistically eerie tone, says, “Ah, Eros. I see you’ve arrived.” This is followed by a mischievous grin. He holds out a dart, like one from a dartboard game. “Want a turn?”
I see that he’s made the man on the meat hook into a human dartboard. And let me tell you, Nero has excellent aim. It’s a gruesome sight, and a lesser man would become violently ill to see it.
“Hmm, I’d hate to interrupt your perfect score,” I reply. “Besides, it’s no fun when the man’s about to breathe his last breath.” I shrug.
Nero tosses the last dart, hitting the man directly in his left eye. Not that it matters because he’s no longer breathing. He then looks at the remaining two men chained to their chairs. “Who wants to play next?” he asks in a slithering, maniacal voice.
“Why don’t you sit this one out?” I suggest. “After all, I think since it was me they attacked, I should have the pleasure of dismembering them.” My gaze shifts from one man to the other. They are both scared shitless, as they should be. They’re going to die today. The only question that remains is if it will be a quick death or an excruciatingly slow and painful one.
Interrogating the enemy is an art. If I were a good man and followed ethical protocols, I would start with direct confrontation, then move on to creating dominance and deflecting any excuses or objections. I might even try to be empathetic to gain their trust. However, I’m not a good man, and I’m tired of the bullshit. They attacked me, my wife, my friends, and my men. Alessandro shed blood for me and deserves retribution on the attackers. I need answers, because this game needs to be over.
The mental torture that Nero just put them through has set them up for my plan. I stare first at the man sitting on the left. He can’t be more than twenty-five. His head is shaved, and the suit he’s wearing doesn’t even fit him properly. He doesn’t belong to the Russians. No soldier from the Russian mob would be caught dead looking as haggard as this guy. The other man is even younger and still has a baby face. I doubt if he even has enough whiskers to shave.
Based on the appearance of the two men, the older one probably knows who was behind the attack. The room is silent. Silence can be both good and bad. When the world is spinning, silence can calm the mind. Silence can also be a place where the mind wanders into the worst scenarios, playing havoc with your thoughts.
I take a step toward the bench at the far end of the room, where a variety of torture devices are strewn about. I take my time choosing, but even with my back turned, I can hear the intake of breath from one of the men in chains, bracing for what comes next. I pick up a very sharply pointed dagger with a black handle. As I turn, I play with the dagger, not making eye contact with either man.
“Nero likes the color red, as you can see.” I motion to the sea of red covering the floor and dripping from their friend’s corpse. “I’m partial to it myself, but I prefer to keep the mess to a minimum.” I pause and let the words sink in. “So, this is what I’m proposing.” I glance up and meet the eyes of the older soldier. “I’m going to ask the questions, and if you answer them honestly, you’ll earn yourself a much less painful death than your friend there.” I point at the body hanging from the hook. “If I think you’re lying, I choose a place on your body where I will stick you with my dagger. It will hurt like a motherfucker. You’ll feel pain like you’ve never felt before, but you’ll live, and I’ll keep asking the same question over and over with the same result until I hear the truth.”
Syd Randall took two stabs, one to the thigh and the other to the gut. After the second, he sang his heart out. The orders came from Livio Sergente. He’s one of mine, and prior to my takeover, he was Giusto’s right-hand man. Livio’s not alone in this and is working with one of the politicians we have on payroll. It appears that Giusto had a deal going with Mayor Campbell that was lining Giusto’s pockets rather well. With me out of the way, Livio and Campbell believed they could continue fleecing La Famiglia.
“He’s not going to stop. Livio said that he’ll take down everyone who means anything to you, just like Giusto was going to,” Syd says, moaning in pain. “If he couldn’t get to you, then he swore he’d get to your wife. I swear, that’s all I know.”
I know he’s telling the truth. These men are too weak to hold back information. They could have been good soldiers one day with the right tutelage, but now, that will never be. I look to Nero, and he gives me the nod I need to do what’s necessary.
It’s quick. A bullet for each of them, and it’s over. In some ways, the end could mean peace.
Nineteen
Breach
Eros
The next step is to bring Livio in without causing a stir. If word gets out that these men have talked, he’ll make a run for it. It won’t stop me from tracking the fucker down, but it would be much easier if we could do this quietly.
I’m just washing up and changing my shirt when there’s a pounding on the door. “Eros, hurry! It’s an emergency!” I wrench open the door to see Luciano standing there with a murderous expression. “Your house has been breached. Danilo and Vincenzo aren’t answering. We gotta go!”
I blast past him, grabbing my gun off the counter. Luciano is right behind me, hopping into the passenger side. I race out of the parking lot. My only thought is to get to Serafina before Livio does.
“Nero’s en route and bringing backup.” I can barely hear him with my heart thudding in my ears.
“If he touches her—” I growl.
“He won’t,” Luciano says defiantly.
