Chapter 21 A Day In A Mafia's World
LORENZO
Earlier In The Day
“Boss, they found him,” Fabio announced, sticking his head in the private office. I raise my head from the piles of delivery notes and logbooks I've been looking through for the past fourteen hours.
I gritted my teeth even as a sliver of anticipation made my pulse quicken.
“Tell them to take him to the basement. I'll be there shortly, and Fabio asks Luca to meet me down there when he's back.” He nodded and shut the door. I rise from behind my table, stretch my joints, and pop in answer.
Striding to the mini bar, I pour two fingers of bourbon in the glass and chug it down, then I head out to the basement to the fucker who thinks it is okay to mess with me. I could hear groans, screams, and curses as I assumed Emilio was fighting his captors.
I know he wouldn't make it easy for them; he's a big man, even taller than me, 6 feet 6 inches, and broad like a tank. The fact that they brought him to me was quite admirable. The fucker was strong, admittedly one of my best soldiers.
“Cazzo di idiota,” Emilio groan. (Fucking idiot). Struggling on the bed he's now bound to.
“Enough,” I said after Ezekiel slammed his gun into his temple. He quickly turned and bowed his head.
“Capo.” They greeted him and the two others.
“Is everything ready?” I asked, folding my sleeves.
“Yes, sir,” he replied and pointedly nodded towards the blood bags, injections, surgical gloves, and the custom-made surgical knife kit I'd had particularly made for me.
All eighty pieces of steel spread on the table, glinting, soon they wouldn't be. They'd been soaked with blood. Though I called them surgical knives, these were much bigger and sharper; they were just right and perfect to grip.
“Am I late?” Luca said, stepping down from the stairs. The fucker might not be as bloodthirsty as me, but he enjoys torturing men as much as I do, and he rarely misses any chance to get blood on his hands.
“No, I'm just about to get started,” I said, grinning. He grins back.
“I just finished talking with Romero over the phone.”
“Yeah, what does he want?” I asked nonchalantly, though I was curious.
Carmello had called me days ago to say he'd accepted my terms for marrying Sancia, which I already knew he would.
But I wonder if he'd change his mind if Romero called to tell me that. I know he doesn't want me to marry his little princess, and he only agreed out of desperation.
“For you to meet up with Carmelo and polish out some final details of the alliance.”
“I will see him tomorrow.”
“You can leave Ezekiel, I'll take it from here.”
That was a dismissal now that his job was done. And Ezekiel was glad for it. I know most of my men don't like getting involved when I'm punishing or, more precisely, torturing anyone. I don't blame them; things tend to get a little messy.
“Yes, Capo,” he answered and was on his way with the other two soldiers.
“Lorenzo, capo, per favore. Listen to me; whatever it is that you think I did, it is not true. You know me, I'm a loyal soldier; I've always been loyal to you; I've been with you since the beginning,” Emilio pleaded desperately.
For the first time, staring at me with blatant fear. As we both stood over him. It's always the same with fuckers like him; they never know when to confess and beg for mercy, not that I have any for him until it is too late.
“Then you should have kept being loyal to me for the rest of your life, Emilio. I gave you everything, did I not?” I gritted darkly.
“You did, Capo, and I swear to you I'm innocent.”
“That, right there, is a lie,” I said, pointing a finger at him.
“None of us is innocent in this life; some of us are just too good at hiding our crimes. We're all monsters, and in your case right now, you're about to get eaten by a much bigger monster than you.” I nodded at Luca, who was busy putting on a surgical gown.
I shake my head at his absurdity and yank the white gloves one after the other over my hands. Luca pushed the IV pole closer and hung the 450ml blood bag; it wouldn't do for him to bleed out before the climax.
I selected a thin knife from the bunch on the table and flipped it in my hand like a well-seasoned surgeon as I circled Emilio. His eyes were big and wide as he babbled some more lies about how utterly loyal he was to me.
He could keep his truth; I don't need it. By the time I'm done with him, he'd be begging me to listen to every single detail of his miserable life, and it would be too late. It's already too late; he just didn't know it.
“There's much to say about a man who thinks he's smart enough to not only betray me but also steal from me, Emilio. It takes great confidence and balls of iron to do just that and think you can get away with it.
But at the same time, it's great stupidity to stick around and think I wouldn't find out that my own money is being siphoned away.”
“There's much to say about a man who thinks he's smart enough to betray me and steal from me,” I said coldly, plunging the knife into his shoulder, hitting his brachial artery. Blood spurts and streams down, and Emilio screams in agony, aiming to evoke a visceral, dark reaction from the audience.
I left the knife in place and grabbed another while Luca began the blood infusion. Emilio was still screaming, which was disappointing. We hadn't even begun yet, and he's screaming this much?
That's a huge letdown for a man as big as him. I expected him to have much more pain tolerance. I pressed the tip of my new blade at the base of his cock.
That gets his attention better than yelling at him, because he instantly clamps his mouth shut.
Luca chuckles with amusement, snickering. “Fucker.”
“Shut the fuck up before I pluck your tongue out, Emilio,” I warned
“It would be a waste and ruin my plans for you because the fun has barely begun; there's much to scream for just yet. When the time comes, I give you free rein to scream as much as you want,” I said, grinning at him. Dragging my knife over the length of his body, I leave a trail of blood.
“You see, to me, if you can be bold enough to steal from me and straight up lie to my face, then you will be capable of betraying and stabbing a knife in my back. You also did; you're the only one whose whereabouts were unknown, and when I had Savio investigate you, it turns out you are the mole.”
My voice dropped to a dangerous degree. “A fucking rat. You were giving out information to your cop girlfriend, betraying your brothers, your family, because of pussy. What did she promise you?”
“Mi dispiace tanto, Lorenzo. Per favore, non ucciderla: è innocente." (I'm so sorry, Lorenzo. Please don't kill her; she's innocent.)
“Ah, so it's love.” I tsk. “The greatest curse and undoing of men.” I almost pity him.
Almost!