Page 79 of His Captive
“Massimo!” the first guy calls out, stepping forward. “We heard—there was trouble.”
Dante De Luca. My cousin, by way of my father’s younger sister. He doesn’t sit at the table, but he’s a Capo. He should be the highest-ranking member of the Morandi family here except for my brother—well, now that I’m here, I outrank everyone.
“Stand down,” I growl. “The trouble is over. I handled it. Pull all your guys and leave. I need to meet with Emilio, and it’s a private matter.”
Dante gives me a curious look and scratches the back of his head. “Your father asked us to lock this place down. First Leo goes missing, then someone takes a shot at you? Something big is happening.”
“Like I said, I handled it,” I bark, reaching for my phone and watching them closely. Their guns don’t budge. They haven’t been flipped. “Do you want me to call my father so he can give you the order, or are you going to do what I said?”
Dante and the guy next to him exchange nervous glances, then they both nod. Dante reaches for his walkie-talkie, and I hold up my hand.
“No, don’t use that. It may have been compromised,” I caution. “Just pull your guys and go.”
Emilio will see this, but if I’m going to have a fighting chance, I have to thin the herd. Emilio’s bodyguard is no problem. Johnny Price is a weasel and has always been scared of me, even when we were kids. I’ll do what I have to. I’m getting answers today.
As soon as Dante begins pulling his guys, I march straight for the house. Johnny meets me at the door, and I ball my fists.
“Out of the way, Johnny,” I say. “I need to see Emilio.”
Johnny stiffens for a moment then he nods and opens the door. “Yes, sir, Mr. Morandi.”
That was easy. Too fucking easy. The hair sticks up on my neck as I walk into Emilio’s residence. As soon as my brother turns the corner, I see red. I can’t hold my emotions back. He looks surprised to see me. Probably because he thinks I should be dead right now.
“I’m going to ask you one fucking question, and you damn sure better tell me the truth,” I snarl, stomping toward him and catching him by the throat before he can react. I lift him off the floor and he gasps for air.
“What the fuck, Mo?” Emilio shrieks. “Johnny!”
I have my gun out and pointed behind me before Johnny can reach for a weapon. My shoulder screams with pain, but I try to ignore it.
“Don’t fucking move, motherfucker.” I keep the gun leveled at Johnny and turn my attention back to my brother. “Answer my question, Emilio. Did you have anything to do with Layla’s murder?”
“Mo, I’d never!” Emilio shakes his head. “It was the Bratva! I was right there with you when we took them out! I killed as many as you did!”
“No, you didn’t!” I snarl, but that actually sounds like something my brother would say.
I stare into Emilio’s eyes, trying to read him—trying to get the answer that will decide if he lives or dies. This doesn’t make any sense. Emilio looks scared to death. He didn’t scream for anyone except Johnny.
“Of course he didn’t have anything to do with it,” a shrill voice calls out. It’s Erica. She walks into the room with a guy named Paulie right behind her. “My husband is too much of a coward to make sure his family is taken care of.”
I glare at Emilio, but don’t let go of him. Johnny has his hands up, but Paulie has an M16. He’s clearly on her side. If it was Big Boyd, I’d be fucked, but since it’s Paulie, I may still have a fighting chance. I move the barrel back and forth between the three of them as Erica walks closer. The look on her face reflects pure hatred, but I don’t understand why.
“Maybe less of a coward than you think,” I growl, glancing at my brother who is still struggling to breathe. “He hired a hitman to kill me.”
Emilio starts shaking his head and Erica laughs.
“You really think your worthless brother has the balls for that?” Erica asks.
“Erica, what the fuck did you do?” Emilio gasps.
“What you wouldn’t!” she snarls. “I took care of our family! I made sureourson will sit at the head of the table—or I will. Paulie…”
Paulie raises the M16, and I shoot first. The pain radiates into my shoulder and pulls the shot, so he still gets off a round. Except it’s not a bullet. A dart lodges in my chest. I try to squeeze the trigger again, but the room starts to spin. I lose my grip on Emilio. Another dart hits. Then another. They’re hitting Emilio too.
“Fuck!” I growl, then Johnny staggers back, trying to pull his gun.
Johnny doesn’t get hit with a dart. Paulie switches to his Glock and ends Johnny’s life before he can pull his weapon. The last thing I see is the front door flying open and more guys storming in.
Then everything goes black.
