by Naomi West
Slithering through the bushes, I eliminated him. The only sound was the gentle whump he made as he hit the grass; Piero’s silencer was a good one. I hated to use his pistol, but he had taken my best one. The irony wasn’t lost on me, either.
I had an advantage in that I had been in this house so much over the last ten years. I knew better than to go straight for the back door or the living room window. Instead, I crawled down into a window well, brushing aside the spiders that had made their home there. I picked the latch on the window and shimmied inside, dropping to the concrete.
Calzoni had used his basement as a strip club, and Moretti had made his into a recreation room complete with pool tables, a bar, and a small bowling alley. Jianna never would have allowed anything else. I smiled at the thought that even a mafia man’s wife could be a nag sometimes. Nobody was down here, just as I had hoped. I threaded my way up the stairs and through the house.
I only made it as far as the kitchen before I encountered someone else. A capo by the name of Niccolo was about to take the next shift, and he was making himself a sandwich before his duties officially started. He jumped back when he saw me come up from the basement, dropping a knife covered in mayonnaise as he struggled for his gun. The look on his face told me everything I needed to know. Matteo had informed his men of everything. I was Enemy Number One.
Niccolo gave a shout as I fired. The bullet went straight through his upper shoulder and pinged against the stove. I shot again, just to be sure I had him. He went down to the tile, grabbing the counter on the way and pulling the loaf of bread along with him. As I skirted the island to get past him, I saw the pieces soaking up the blood.
The rest of the house didn’t need much of a signal to go on high alert. Niccolo’s shout had been enough. Above me, I could hear men shouting to each other as they pulled on their pants and grabbed their guns. They thudded down the stairs and flooded toward the kitchen. Matteo had always kept numerous men in his house, and it was for instances just like this one.
Ducking back behind the island, I took two men out the moment they came through the doorway. Piero’s gun had a double-stacked magazine, and I had fifteen shots before I had to drop it out and change to a new one. I took advantage of this as I stood up and bolted through the doorway, leaping over the bleeding bodies. Another capo had just reached the bottom of the stairs and was turning toward the back of the house, but he had made the mistake of having his gun down at his side. I popped him as he lifted his weapon to do the same to me.
Shouts were echoing down the stairway. Nobody was certain what was happening or where I was, but I had a good feeling they all knew I was the one attacking. I couldn’t waste any time. I barreled up the stairs.
Someone shot at me through the railing of the second floor. I looked up to see the face of Orsino, an older man who had helped guide me through the beginning of my career shortly after I came to live with Matteo. He’d helped me understand that my temper only made things worse, and it was under his patient command that I learned not to be so quick to anger. I still wasn’t angry, but I sent a bullet through his gut. He pitched over the railing and fell to the shining wood floor of the foyer.
Vettoria burst out of his bedroom and ran to the top of the stairs. He had pulled on a pair of pants, but his chest was bare, save for the gray curls that grew there. He looked thinner than I had realized. “Lorenzo! No! Tell me this isn’t true! Tell me you wouldn’t betray him like this. It would kill him even without a bullet.”
I gritted my teeth. This was only getting more and more difficult, but I had to protect Alexis. If I let it go, if I let myself get soft, then we would be running for the rest of our lives. “I’m sorry, Vettoria. I never wanted it to come to this. You know that. But Piero gave me no choice.”
The old man shook his head. “He was a disappointment. Nobody can argue with you about that. But it doesn’t have to be like this. Piero is dead. You can move on. Matteo can move on.”
I shook my head to block out his words. It was so tempting. It would be so nice not to have to continue on this path. But Vettoria was one of the many men who had turned me into what I was. They were proud of me, but I was nothing more than a murderer. There was no pride in that. “You really think Matteo would forgive me for killing his son? No matter that he tried to kill me first. No, he wouldn’t. He wants me dead, just like Piero did, or he never would have issued that contract.”
Vettoria nodded solemnly, accepting his fate. I made the shot a good one, straight through the heart. The old man had always done his best for the family. None of this was his fault—not really—but there was no way around it. I gained the top of the stairs and stepped over his body, trying not to look at his staring eyes as I made my way to Matteo’s bedroom.
He had heard the alarm raised and he was out of his bed when I burst through the door. He’d made the mistake of worrying about putting clothes on instead of reaching for his weapons. Perhaps he felt his men would do a good enough job of protecting him—that they would keep any intruders from making it all the way to his room. Or maybe he just didn’t think I was good enough to get there. Either way, his confidence was going to bring him to his end. He sat on the edge of his large poster bed, one leg in his trousers and the other bare. Jianna was huddled near the window, the deep red of her long nightgown making her look pale.
“It’s over, Matteo. All of it.” I levelled my gun at him, listening for more men to come running up the stairs. The scene was surreal, and I felt as though I was moving in slow motion. I had dreamed of this day many times once I had realized what a bad influence Matteo had been on my life. He had taken me in, told me he would protect me, and promised to make me into a man. But I was a monster, and I knew he was the one responsible.
“Now, Lorenzo, just calm down.” He held out his hand, palm down, as though he could make me lay my weapons aside from across the room. “A lot has happened over the last few weeks. I understand that. I know it’s been difficult. But we can work all of this out.”
“Really?” I challenged. “You think you can agree to a price on my head and we can just work it out? You think I can kill your son and expect you to forgive me just because I’m your best hitman and Piero deserved it?”
Matteo flinched slightly at those last words. He knew just as well as I did that Piero had betrayed me. “Think about it, son. You betrayed us first. You were the one protecting an associate of Calzoni’s. Piero was just trying to do what was best for the family.”
“She wasn’t an associate of Calzoni’s!” I roared. “She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to survive. She’s innocent. As much as I hate you for what you turned me into, I suppose I should thank you. Without all the skills you taught and the encouragement you gave me, I never would have been talented enough to free her.”
“That’s probably true.” Matteo had the audacity to put his pants on the rest of the way. He stood up and fastened them, never taking his eyes off of me. “You have to admit that I did a lot for you, Lorenzo. Think about how you were when I first found you. You were just a skinny little kid. You had no guidance and no direction in life. Without me, you would have been a bum on the street or rotting away in jail. I got you out of that situation and gave you a whole new life.”
“It’s funny, Matteo. You and I remember the situation differently. Yes, my home life was terrible.” I had learned to stay away from my mother’s tiny apartment early on. When I was fourteen, I had joined a street gang just so I wouldn’t have to deal with her string of abusive boyfriends. I couldn’t stand seeing her treated like that, and yet there was nothing I could do about it. Maybe the skills Matteo taught me would have come in handy at that point, but I wasn’t ready yet. “As I recall, you didn’t give me much choice. Just like Alexis, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. If I hadn’t been in that alley when you had killed one of Calzoni’s men, you never would have forced me to come to stay with you and learn your trade. I had no choice, Matteo. I was under
your thumb unless I wanted to die.”
“You think that was so terrible?” Matteo asked as he reached for a shirt. He pulled on the sleeves but didn’t button it. “You think I really did you that much harm? Look around you, Lorenzo. You have more money than any other young man your age. I’ve seen the car you drive and the apartment you live in. You’ve never had to work a regular nine-to-five job like most people. How can you complain when I’ve given you so much?”
I adjusted my grip on my gun. This was all going wrong. “We’ve talked enough. You aren’t going to convince me to change my mind. Piero deserved what he got, and you deserve it too.” I squeezed my trigger finger.
Something hit me from behind. I tumbled to my hands and knees, but not before I fired. I had been paying so much attention to Matteo that I hadn’t heard Joey come up the stairs. His arms were clamped around my middle and the weight of him kept my legs pinned to floor. I kicked and struggled, maneuvering around to my back and firing a shot straight into his head. He let go.
Spinning back around and expecting Matteo to have the muzzle of his favorite pistol in my temple, I was shocked to see him crumpled on the rug by the bed. My bullet had strayed off its target when Joey hit me, but it had ripped through his gut. He clutched at his stomach, watching with horror as the blood dripped down to the floor. Jianna was at his side, crying and screaming.
“Okay, fine,” he conceded, his breath coming in startled gasps. “You win, Lorenzo. What do you want from me? An apology? I can’t say I’m sorry. You might not like who and what you are, but I always have. I could have shot you in that alley. I should have, and there was more than one night I wondered why I had made the decision I did. But I saw such potential in you. I couldn’t just let that be wasted.” He shuddered, and his face got visibly paler. “You’re talented, Lorenzo, whether you like it or not, and I’m proud to have called you my son.”
Every emotion I could imagine swirled around inside me. This man was like Dr. Frankenstein. He had taken an unwilling patient and made him into something that nobody could ever want to be around. It was only the patient and remarkable love of an incredible woman that could make me feel somewhat human again. But he had, for all intents and purposes, been like a father to me. “If you’re lucky enough to live, you’ll have to spend the rest of your days knowing that Piero’s death is on your own hands. This was all your fault—all of it.” I got to my feet and went for the door, but I turned around one last time. “And if you’re ever stupid enough to come looking for me or Alexis, I won’t show you any mercy. I don’t have any left.”
I didn’t even watch for more men as I picked through the dead bodies and made my way out the door. I had killed all of his top capos, just as I had done to Calzoni and his men. If anything, I had done the city a favor by eliminating its biggest crime families. Nobody would know who had done or how it had been accomplished, but the police would suddenly notice there were fewer bodies left in alleys or stuffed in trash cans. Business owners would marvel that nobody came around demanding protection money. Children would play in the street again and maybe a few more people would sleep soundly at night. I had shed more than my share of blood on the sidewalks and streets, but I had to think that just maybe I’d made up for it in some small way.
Stepping outside, I paused. In the short time I’d been in Moretti’s house, the sun had risen fully. The birds were singing and a cool breeze whispered through the leaves on the trees. Everything was full of life, carrying on as though there hadn’t just been a blood bath on the other side of the door. It was fresh and clean and waiting for me. I tossed Piero’s pistol into the swimming pool and disappeared into the foliage at the back of the property.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Alexis
There hadn’t been time for either of us to sleep. We had too many preparations to make. Lorenzo had planned out his attack and given me instructions for the duties I would need to perform while he was gone. With a palpitating heart and heavy feet, I had done as he had asked.
As soon as he left, I took the key he left for me and hailed a cab. It was a long drive to the storage units in the next town, but at least I knew I was helping him in some way. I was glad for a job; I couldn’t have stayed in that safe house by myself with nothing to do but pace.
“You sure this is the place?” the cabbie asked me. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him. “What’s a girl like you doing at some shabby storage facility at five in the morning, anyway?”
It wasn’t a pretty place. The asphalt had large cracks where weeds had already grown waist-high. The faded orange paint on the overhead doors wasn’t attractive, and the one flickering streetlamp that lit the area didn’t make it any more inviting. “This is it. I’m sure.” I wasn’t about to tell him what business I had here. He was safer if he didn’t know. The man could have been a real sleaze, but at that moment I felt as though Lorenzo and I were saving the city by leaving it.
“You need me to wait?” he asked. “I don’t have any other calls out right now, and no offense, but I’m not sure about leaving a lady here by herself.” He watched the storage building through the windshield as though he expected a monster to pop out from behind it.
“No, thanks. I won’t be needing you.” Gripping the key firmly in my hand, I stepped out of the cab. I waited until I heard it screech off into the night before I quickly walked toward unit thirty-five. My back tingled the same way it had when I’d left Lorenzo’s apartment by myself, but I couldn’t worry about whether I was being watched. I had a job to do, and I had to get it done, no matter how scared I was.
The padlock looked rusty, but the key slid in and opened it easily enough. I raised the door, batting aside a few bugs that fell from the bottom of it as I held it up over my head. In the dim light, I could just make out the grill and headlights.
* * *
“It’s not nearly as flashy as your Lexus,” I remarked with a smile as the wind blew my hair across my face. I smiled at Lorenzo in the driver’s seat. In a white t-shirt, jeans, and boots, he looked like any other guy. He also looked relaxed, something I hadn’t seen in him before.
“Are you disappointed?” he asked, one dark eyebrow arching over the rim of his sunglasses. “I guess we could always trade it in when we get over the state line.”
I snuggled down deeper into the comfy leather seats of the Audi A3. It was bright and shiny and had waited for him in storage until the time was right. I hadn’t seen Lorenzo as the kind of guy to drive a convertible, but that was because I had only seen him as a hitman. I didn’t know him as a man on the open road, driving to his new future as a regular guy. He could be a gunsmith, a teacher, the owner of a gym, or maybe even a husband. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
He put his hand on my thigh. “I can’t thank you enough, Alexis.”
“Thank me?” I sat up a little straighter. “For what? Turning your life upside down?”
“Yes. That’s exactly it. I wanted out. I wanted something different, but I never had the true motivation to get it done. If it hadn’t been for you, I still would have been back there with Matteo, murdering for money.” He made a face, as if the words tasted bad in his mouth. “I would much rather be here with you.”
“And just what do you plan on doing with your newfound freedom?”
He lifted one shoulder and let it fall as he navigated the curves of the country highway. We didn’t need any freeways. We would get to our destination—wherever it was—when it felt right. “I haven’t had enough time to think about it yet. Maybe you can get that job as an insurance secretary.” His grin flashed white in the sun. “Or whatever you’d like to do. I’ll find something nice and boring to do, so I can come home and complain about a long day at the office.”
“Sounds great to me.” I hadn’t known Lorenzo all that long, but it felt as though we had been through a lifetime of experiences together. There was nobody I would rather be running away with, even if we didn’t know exactly what it was we
were running toward. But I cherished the idea of a normal life. I was glad to exchange all our danger and excitement for a little boredom.
“I do, however, already know what my hobby is going to be,” Lorenzo said, breaking up my thoughts of a little house with a white fence and weekends spent doing home improvements or walking on the beach. “And I have to warn you that it’s going to take up a lot of my time. It’s the kind of hobby that I won’t be able to lay aside easily, and I plan on working on it every night.”
This surprised me. I never realized a hitman could have a hobby. “Oh? What are you going to do?”
He grinned again as he pulled over on the side of the curvy mountain road. A wider swath of gravel had been laid here so cars could park and look out over the surrounding hillsides. The sky was a pure blue over the great swaths of trees, broken up only by a few random vineyards. “You.”
He was out of his seatbelt and pulling me into the backseat before I even had a moment to protest that it was still full daylight. Lorenzo needed me, and I needed him just as badly. He pulled off my shirt, pressing his lips together as he studied my breasts. I was naked against the leather upholstery before I knew it, my clothes flung casually into the front seat. The sun was warm on my skin as I reached for his belt buckle, eager to get him into the same state of undress.