6
Lucca
Going to see Claire was probably the worst idea I’ve had in a long time. But I had to make sure they would leave right away, and with Mike missing, I really don’t have anyone else I trust with this. When Felix told me that Petro Volocove is behind the threatening emails, I needed to make a move.
Never take Petro lightly. He is a ruthless monster and unfortunately, holds a lot of power. I should have known it was him. The Volocoves’ are desperately trying to get to Julian, and I guess they think getting me on their side is the way to go.
The worst part is that he isn’t wrong. I’m close enough to Julian that I could inflict some serious damage if I wanted. I don’t want to, but to protect Claire, I’d do anything.
Claire’s disappointment over seeing me earlier hit me harder than I thought it would. The betrayal in her eyes only added to it. I thought she would have realized by now that what I did was necessary, that killing her father was the right thing to do—the only thing to do.
I wonder if she will ever forgive me for it?
“That’s him.” Carter’s voice drags me from my inner monologue. I look up and across the street where Benny Marone is parking his delivery truck. A moment later, he jumps out and opens the back to unload crates of fruits and vegetables.
“Let’s go!” I signal to Carter.
Together, we step out of the shadows of the alleyway and head toward Benny.
Our heavy footsteps echo across the street, causing Benny to look up. As soon as he sees us, his expression becomes somber. He doesn’t know who we are, but he recognizes trouble when it stares him in the face.
He pauses and watches us approach carefully.
“Hey, fellas, can I help you with something?” he asks when we are only a few feet away.
“Hey, Benny.”
His body stiffens as the realization sets in that we are here for him. “Matter of fact, you can help us with something.”
I stop right in front of him, so close that it’s clear I don’t care about his personal space. He takes a step back, but I eat up the space, crowding him more.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble.” Benny throws his hands up, showing us his palms in the universal sign of surrender. This is my favorite part. When they beg and plead and claim they had no part in anything. I smile, but it’s anything but joyful.
“Then you’re going to tell us exactly what we want to know, huh?”
“Yes, yes, anything.” He nods, his eyes wild.
Fucking pussy.
“You deliver fresh produce to the Moretti Compound?”
“Yes, twice a week,” he confirms.
“One of the papayas you delivered last week contained poison. One person almost died, and another did die. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
“What? No, no! I know nothing!” Benny shakes his head profusely, but the terror in his eyes tells me he knows exactly what I’m talking about.
I nod toward Carter. “Carter, what do you think? Is Benny here telling the truth?”
Carter rubs at his jaw with two fingers, his eyes narrow as he stares at Benny. “Nope. I’m thinking he’s lying.”
“Yeah, I agree.” Without warning, I grab Benny by the throat. He immediately cowers, and from the way he shakes like a terrified dog, I’m pretty sure he is about to piss his pants too.
“Please,” he whimpers, right before I throw the first punch. My fist collides with his jaw, and his head snaps to the side with the impact.
“Tell us what you know,” I demand, following up with another punch to his face.
Benny sways on his feet. Carter grabs him by his upper arm and holds him up.
“I didn’t know.” Benny cries. “I didn’t know!”
“You didn’t know, what?”
“I didn’t know about the poison,” he admits.
“But you knew something? Who messed with the shipment?” For good measure, I throw another punch. This one lands on his stomach. I don’t want him to pass out, after all.
“I don’t know who they are, I swear!” Benny gasps for breath and curls in on himself. “They said all they wanted to do was check the shipment. I thought Moretti sent them. I was going to call to confirm, but the guy said not to. He threatened to hurt my wife if I did.”
I shake my head. Idiot. I can’t blame him for wanting to protect his wife, but in the end, he’s now put both of them in danger.
“You should have known better—”
A high-pitched scream behind me cuts off my words. “Nooo!”
I turn to look over my shoulder and stare down the barrel of a gun. Instinctively, I reach for my gun, but a shot rings through the air before my fingers touch the metal. A second shot fires, the bullet whizzing past my head.
Benny lets out a roar that echoes through the back of the alley. He shrugs out of my hold with newfound strength and runs toward his wife, who slinks toward the ground. Blood seeps from the wound in her chest. Benny scoops her up in his arms and cradles her to his chest.
“She was gonna kill you.” Distress fills Carter’s voice, and I glance over to see him with gun still raised, pointing at Benny’s wife. “She was gonna kill you,” he repeats, shocked by what he just did.
“I know. You did the right thing,” I assure him. Even though this is a major fuck up, I feel sorry for the kid. Killing women is never easy.
“No, no, no…” Benny sobs as his wife takes her last breath.
I see the moment when Benny’s fear, sadness, and grief turn into something else.
Blinding Rage.
He pries the gun from his dead wife’s hand. But this time, I’m faster. I pull out my gun, aim it at Benny’s head, and pull the trigger.
The bullet hits him between the eyes, putting him out of his misery within a blink of an eye. He sags down to the ground, joining his wife on the ground.
“Fuck,” Carter murmurs beside me.
“Yeah, fuck.” I sigh, placing my gun back in the holster. “This didn’t go as planned at all. We’ve got two people dead and are no closer to finding out who poisoned Elena.”
Carter shakes his head. “Julian is not going to like this.”
I turn and look over at him. He’s just a kid, the same age I was when I started out.
Tonight was only the second time he’s ever killed someone, and it was a woman at that. He did good, but I guarantee he won’t forget about what he did tonight. The wonderful thing about this job is that it becomes easier with every kill.
“Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault,” I assure Carter, slapping a hand on his shoulder. “You had my back, and I’ve got yours. Julian will be upset, but we’ll figure it out.”
“I’m… I’m sorry.” Carter’s expression becomes anxious.
“Don’t.” I growl and grab him by the shirt, pulling him into my face. “Do not fucking apologize. This is your job. Dealing out death is what you signed up for. Pull yourself together and move the fuck on. Call for a fucking clean-up crew,” I grit through my teeth.
I know the moment I break through his mournful walls because his gaze turns dark once more, and he nods his head. Stepping back, he pulls out his phone and does as I instruct.