“One person in a long line of people who wouldn’t mind seeing you dead, but first we’re gonna have fun torturing you.”
“You’re crazy,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
“You know what’s crazy?” she shrieked angrily. “You thinking you’re entitled to whatever and whoever you want without caring about the consequences. You take and take and take.” She stabbed the knife to punctuate her words. “And you only care about yourself.” She paused for a painful beat, exhaling loudly, then pointed the knife at me. “Get up. It’s time to meet my friends.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE
Konstantin
Anatolyi stepped out of the shadows, dressed head to toe in black. The darkness disguised the direction of his gaze.
“What’s going on now?” I said out loud, fixing my eyes on the white house with black shutters midblock. All the curtains were drawn, blocking my view. The crickets chirping competed with the distant hum of traffic.
Anatolyi’s head swung to Gian and two of his guys. “What are they doing here? You didn’t tell me we were working with the guidos.”
One of Gian’s men stepped forward, whipping his gun from his waistband. “Watch your fucking mouth.”
Gian planted his hand in the middle of the man’s chest. “Not now, Sal.”
“Did you hear what he said? I’m sick of these Russian pricks. We don’t need them.”
Anatolyi pushed forward. “Yeah? Cover your ears and run back to your mama for another meatball, you little pansy.”
“Shut the fuck up, both of you.” I dragged Anatolyi behind me before we ended up in a street brawl rather than concentrating on finding Carmela. “We don’t have time for this. You can meet up later to trade insults. Right now, we have shit to do. Anatolyi, tell us what you know.”
“Not much. Renzo has been holed up in his mom’s home for the past two weeks and—”
“He lives with his mom?” I interrupted.
“Not normally, but after Alesio cut him off, he moved into her house. She lives in Florida pretty much all year and only comes home for the holidays. Other than a woman visitor, he keeps to himself. Her car’s in the driveway tonight.”
“What’s her name?”
He smirked, sliding his hand down the side of his neck. “Well, ya see, that’s exactly why I don’t get why you brought them here.”
“Spit it out, Anatolyi,” I snarled, my patience dwindling with every passing second.
“Gemma DeAngelo.” He cocked a brow. “Does her name ring any bells?”
Gian stepped forward. “Gemma DeAngelo? As in Nico’s sister?”
Anatolyi snickered. “Ding. Ding. We have a winner.”
“Fuck.” Gian tugged at his collar. “This is not good.”
“What’s the deal with Gemma?” I demanded.
Gian snorted. “There’s a lot wrong with that chick. For starters, she’s the one who started the war between the Trassatos and the DiTonnos.”
“Wait, so Renzo was telling the truth?”
“I don’t know everything, but apparently, Gemma gave Marco DiTonno an ultimatum to marry her. When he didn’t bite, she pulled some bullshit with Rocco, trying to make Marco jealous. She ended up pregnant, and Rocco and Marco both ended up dead.”
“Does Carmela know this?”
“Some. I didn’t want to go into the details. There wasn’t any point.”
“Why the fuck not?” I roared. “Your sister spent years pining after a man who cheated on her. Maybe you should’ve released her from the guilt years ago.”
Gian rubbed the back of his neck and stared down the tree-lined street. “I don’t know. Initially, I didn’t want to dump another bomb on her. As time passed, I decided it was better to bury whatever happened right along with Rocco. He adored my sister, but I think the pressure of the situation got to him. The guys teased him about his inexperience and being pussy whipped. His need for respect got the better of him.”
What a weak son of a bitch. I never cheated on Laney. She was my first, and for years, I thought she’d be my last. Her betrayal put me in a dark place. I made up for lost time and opportunities, screwing women like it was my job, not caring who I hurt in the process. I got it in my head that I could fuck away the memory of her because everything about our relationship turned my stomach.
“Is the kid Rocco’s?”
Gian shrugged, his eyes glittering with a thinly disguised rage. “Don’t know, and it doesn’t change a damn thing. Either way, I don’t want her anywhere near my sister. She’s a vindictive bitch, and if she’s teamed up with Renzo, I will end her. I don’t care who her brother is.”