I fingered my weapon, sliding my skin along the smooth barrel of the silencer. The Barone compound had an enormous and well-stocked armory, and I had even been able to borrow a damn car. I’d gotten myself geared up, gone back to my apartment to clean my wounds and change the bandage, gotten changed, and then I had hit the streets.
I’d been staking out the deli for a few hours, ever since sunset. My wounds ached, and I briefly wondered how Emma was doing, but I had to put that shit out of my mind. I had a job to do, a very difficult job. I didn’t have a partner to rely on this time. Whatever happened from here was all on me.
That was how I wanted it. I was sick of taking orders, sick of playing by the fucking rules. I was doing this my way or nothing.
I checked my watch. It was just after three in the morning, and I was betting that they were almost finished in there. The guys would have broken out the whisky by this point, drinking and smoking to celebrate their successful evening.
I pushed off the wall, not waiting a second longer. My whole body was on edge, buzzing with electricity and anticipation. This was going to be it, the final person who could bring harm to Emma, the last obstacle before I could finally fucking breathe again.
I made my way across the street, sticking to the shadows and keeping low. I moved down along the sidewalk, using the cars as cover, before cutting down the alley that lead to the deli’s back door.
Once there, I stopped and listened. It was empty, completely abandoned. That wasn’t unusual, especially if there weren’t many guys left with Dante. I didn’t know how many men would be in there, but I didn’t care.
I was willing to kill however many it took for this to be over. Gian wanted Dante out of the way, but he never specifically said anything about the men who were loyal to Dante. Maybe they were collateral damage, but they knew the fucking risks.
I pressed my ear against the door and listened. I could hear the dull thud of music coming through the wood and smiled to myself. Sounded like they were fully in party mode.
It took me a few tense seconds to pick the lock, but once it was open, I turned the handle and waited. When I heard nothing, I cracked the door and looked inside.
Boxes blocked most of my view, but the lights were still on in there. The music come through louder, plus some talking and laughing.
The sound of women giggling came through, loud and clear.
I clenched my jaw. This could be bad, but I wasn’t turning back. I slipped through the door and shut it softly behind me.
There were boxes stacked in the short hallway that led to the back room. The door was open, and I knew Dante and his guys would be in there.
I raised my weapon. This was it, the final straw, the last thing I needed to do. There was no more turning back.
I was a killer. I was good at this. I took a deep, steadying breath and then moved forward.
I looked inside the room. I spotted three men plus Dante, though I didn’t recognize them. They were all seated around a table that was littered with money.
And in each lap was a girl. They looked young, way too fucking young, and it hit me hard when I realized that these were probably some of the girls Dante bought and sold.
They had their own fucking hookers in there. I studied the girls for a second, trying to get a sense of the room. I could easily kill the two men closest to me, but the third would be difficult. The girl kept moving around, clearly the drunkest of the group.
The other girls looked more scared, more cautious. The men were pawing at them, laughing, and pouring drinks. The girls were clearly trying to loosen up and have fun, but I was guessing it was hard to have a party when you were terrified for your life at all times.
I had to make this fast. The men were definitely armed, though I could tell they were also drunk. There wasn’t much cover between me and them, so I couldn’t waste a single second.
I stepped out into the doorway. The man facing me glanced up and had half a second of surprise before I put a bullet in his skull.
The girl in his lap started screaming as she was covered in blood. The other men began to push back from the table, but they were just too slow.
I aimed and fired at the next man, killing him instantly, spraying his girl with blood. The girls had gotten up and were trying to run away as the men stood, whirling to face me.
I shot the next man in the chest twice. He dropped back onto the table, blood pooling around him, turning the green money red.
The girls were screaming and had all huddled at the back of the room. Dante had his weapon out as I calmly turned toward him.
“Drop it,” I said simply.
“What the fuck are you doing, Brooks?” he asked.
“Ask yourself this, Dante. You’re drunk and it looks like you’re fucking scared. Do you think you can put a bullet in my head before I put one in yours? Which of us is the killer here?”