Born To Kill

by Erin Trejo

  “Do you have a visual?” My father’s voice rings through the line.

  “Yes but I need to get back to California.”

  “Are the plans in order?”

  As much as it makes me sick to think about or even answer, I do.

  “Yes. She will be dead within the next four months. I need to handle a few things and that man she’s been meeting with from the FBI needs taken out first. As soon as I have him handled, she is next,” I tell him. He laughs into the line and it kills me inside that I even had to speak the words.

  “Very well. Handle your business and see to it this is taken care of in a timely manner.”

  The line goes dead as I watch Asia stand and walk away. I follow her with my eyes to where she meets Matteo, plastering a fake smile on her gorgeous face. Shaking my head, I rid the evil thoughts as I set my plan into action. Dialing Matteo, I watch as he answers it.

  “Giovanni. How are you?”

  “I need to talk to you and Asia. Father knows things and we need to figure them out.”

  “What? What things?”

  “Meet me at the old warehouse on Tenner,” I say before ending the call and watching his reaction. He stares down at the phone before looking up at Asia. Their eyes lock as he tells her. With a nod, she climbs in the car and he walks around to the driver’s side. Once I’m satisfied that they are heading in the direction of the warehouse, I pull out and take backroads to get there first. It doesn’t take me long and the thought of what I’m about to do eats me alive. I’ve contemplated this over and over, reasoning it out in my mind. I don’t know that I want to do things this way, but I have no other choice. I pull up behind the warehouse and climb out, heading inside. My nerves are on fire and the thought of having Asia with me just intensifies the heat. I hear the door creak before they both walk in looking wearily around the warehouse, as they should be. I pull a cigarette out and light it up as they walk across the room to me.

  “What is this?” Matteo asks coming to stand in front of me. I lower my head and blow out a ring of smoke before looking back up.

  “She’s a snitch. She’s been talking to the FBI. In fact, she was just there before you picked her up.” His eyes widen before his head whips around to look at her. Her features never change. Her eyes stay on mine and that just affirms what I already knew.

  “No. What the hell were you thinking Asia?” Matteo snaps, his eyes burning through her.

  “I was doing what Gio told me to. I was looking at the future,” she says as if that means nothing to her. Matteo huffs out a breath before running his hand through his hair.

  “What the hell does that mean?” he roars.

  “It means that she was turning us in. She was ratting on the family. She was going to take us all down,” I say without feeling.

  “You don’t know anything, Gio!” she yells, the sound echoing through the empty warehouse.

  “I know you are a fucking traitor! I know you are turning on us. Tell me that isn’t true?” I growl. Matteo is unnerved, his hand running over his face. He doesn’t know what to think or do. Neither do I. His hand reaches into the back of his slacks, pulling his gun. He waves it around as if he doesn’t know what to do with it.

  “How could you do this?” he asks as he moves around. He’s on edge and that look in his eyes isn’t normal.

  “Put the gun down, Matteo,” I order him but he doesn’t listen. He chuckles and looks from me to Asia and back.

  “Are you serious?” he asks, staring me in the eye.

  “Yes, very. I have this handled,” I inform him.

  “You couldn’t possibly! You’re good, Giovanni, but the FBI?” he roars. Asia seems on edge now that I said I have it handled.

  “As we speak her little agent is being gutted like a fucking pig,” I inform him. Asia gasps before moving quickly. Her fists slam into my face, my chest, anywhere she can connect with and I let her do it. I find it oddly thrilling that this is her reaction. Matteo doesn’t say a word as he watches the scene unfold. With each hit, each touch of her skin against mine, I nearly explode. When I’ve had enough, I reach for her, wrapping my arms around her and spinning her to hold her against my body.

  “You are a feisty little thing today,” I whisper in her ear.

  “Don’t you have a girlfriend to get home to?” she snaps. I chuckle under my breath when a shot is fired. We both look up to see Matteo with wild eyes holding his gun up.

  “Put it down, cugino. I have it handled,” I remind him. Matteo shakes his head, raising the gun in his hand, pressing it to his temple. “What are you doing, Matteo?”

  “I can’t do it anymore. I can’t live like this. She’s yours, she will never be mine. The family is nothing. It’s all for nothing!” he roars. I let my hands fall free from the grip I have on Asia and step around her, pushing her protectively behind me.

  “You aren’t making sense, Matteo. Come on, let’s talk about this.”

  “You killed my brother! I just want to go be with my brother!” A stake to the heart is the only way I can explain what I feel. It’s a real ache that still hasn’t healed.

  “I didn’t kill him. Ask your father, he knows the truth.” Asia sobs, not knowing the truth either.

  “Did you know that you could never be with him?” His question is directed at Asia.

  “What do you mean?” she asks, stepping around me. This isn’t going to end well.

  “In this family, divorce isn’t an option, Asia,” he tells her. Her head quickly spins around locking me in her gaze.

  “You asked me to wait. You told me-” I cut her off.

  “I didn’t tell you anything! You had that in your head!” The sound of the gun going off stops our banter. Asia and I both look as Matteo’s body falls to the floor.

  “Fuck!” I roar, tugging at my hair while Asia drops to the floor next to him sobbing.

  “Are you happy now? Are you? You’ve killed them both!” she screams through her tears.

  “Did you love him?” I ask, my conscience not allowing me to give a shit. It should, but sadly after the life I’ve lived, it doesn’t.

  “Go to hell, Giovanni! How could you do this to me?”

  “Do what? Take away your husband or your agent?” I hiss.

  “What difference does it make? You ruined it all now!” She leaps from the floor coming at me full force once again. Having enough of her shit, I pull the needle from my back pocket, uncap it, and plunge it into the side of her neck.

  Chapter 25

  My head is pounding but I force my eyes open anyway. I can hear the two of them in the living room. I didn’t think Asia would have woken up already but I can hear her and Rosa arguing. I throw my legs over the side of the bed, grab my gun, and stuff it into the back of my sweatpants before walking into the other room. I grab a glass and a bottle of whiskey, pouring myself a drink. Drunk is something I’ve been since getting back. That ten-minute nap did nothing for me.

  “What the hell are you two arguing about?” I snap catching their attention.

  “Why am I here?” Asia snaps.

  “Yeah, why is she here?” Rosa adds quickly. I down my drink and pour another before looking between the two.

  “You are here so I can keep you safe until I figure out what to do with you.”

  “Safe from whom?” Asia snaps again.

  “Anyone that seeks to hurt you.”

  “Do you love her?” Asia asks catching me off guard. I chuckle and take down another glass. This isn’t going as planned and I can’t seem to focus on anything but my drink.

  “No,” I answer easily.

  “Giovanni?” Rosa squeals from behind me.

  “Yes, you do! She’s here. Admit it, you love her. Don’t you, Gio?”

  How the hell did the conversation go to this? We were talking about why she’s here, not Rosa.

  “I said I don’t love her,” I say once more.

  “What the hell are you doing, Giovanni?” Rosa yells. My eyes lock with Asia�
�s and my heart nearly falls to the floor.

  “Prove it,” she says with her head held high.

  “I just told you I didn’t love her, Asia.” Rosa screams and hollers behind me but it’s the look in Asia’s eyes that rips my soul out. She is practically begging me for the answer and I want to give it to her, God do I want to.

  “Prove to me that you don’t love her,” she says.

  “Would it make a difference?” Tears fill her eyes and it breaks me.

  “Prove you don’t love her,” she demands of me once more through her sobs. My head is buzzing with the liquor running through my veins. I don’t think, I just react. Pulling the gun from the back of my pants, I turn and fire. Rosa’s body drops to the floor as Asia screams. I turn back to Asia and raise an eyebrow.

  “Is that proof enough for you? What else do you want from me?” I roar as I pull my phone out and make a few calls. When my clean-up crew is on the way, I head into the bedroom and drop back onto the bed. It doesn’t take long before Asia comes to find me. I lie on the bed, my arm thrown over my eyes trying to summon the sleep I so desperately need. Trying to calm the rage and the hurt that has settled inside of me.

  “I’m sorry I pushed you to that,” she says softly.

  “I need sleep. I’m exhausted and the next few days are going to be hectic. Please don’t make me tie you to the bed. Just sleep, Asia.”

  “She’s dead in the living room.”

  “As I very well know. Now, please,” I practically beg her needing to remain calm, keep myself composed. I’m afraid that if I don’t, I will hurt her and that’s the last thing I want to do. Asia moves slowly, climbing onto the bed next to me. My heart races when she’s this close to me. I sigh and keep my eyes clenched closed when she speaks.

  “Did you love her?”

  “Are you fucking kidding me, Asia? I just shot the girl in the head. Was that not answer enough for you?” I turn my head and glare at her. Her soft eyes burn me to the core. I reach over and wipe the tear from her cheek when she sucks in a breath.

  “She was with you a long time,” she whispers.

  Why does she want to keep this going? What is the point in her dragging this out? Is she that insecure these days?

  “She was nothing more than a pussy when I needed it. Don’t overthink everything, bambina.”

  “I wanted to hate you,” she says.

  “And you should. Never forget that.” Rolling onto my side, I close my eyes once more willing sleep to come. It doesn’t. After what seems like hours, I hear the guys cleaning up the mess I made in the living room as I think about what to do with Asia. Ideally, my father would like her dead. Under normal circumstances, I would have killed her without batting an eye, but this is Asia. She isn’t a nobody. She’s mine. Rolling back over to the other side, I watch her sleep. Her chest rising and falling captures my gaze. Her long hair is fanned out around her head on my pillow, looking like a goddess. That ache in my chest comes back full force.

  “I don’t know what to do with you, bambina. Death doesn’t seem to be an option when it comes to you, but that betrayal runs deep,” I whisper as I comb my fingers through her hair. Slipping out of the bed, I head into the living room when the smell of bleach hits me. I check the floor and you would never know I killed that girl here. My guys are that good. Grabbing my phone, I dial and do something I never thought I’d be doing.

  “Hello?”

  “We need to speed things up,” I say.

  “Giovanni? It’s four in the fucking morning.”

  “I know what time it is. My cousin is dead and I have a situation. We need to move sooner rather than later.”

  “Do you know what you’re asking? We aren’t ready.”

  “What percent is ready then, Walsh?” I growl into the phone. I’m aggravated and on edge. I’m running on fumes and I have a very bad feeling about all of this.

  “Seventy-five percent.”

  “Good enough for me.”

  “Do we need to meet?” he asks through a yawn.

  “Yes. I need advice and maybe a safe house,” I inform him, thinking about Asia’s safety. She isn’t safe here at my place anymore, not when my father knows about Rosa and her existence or lack there of now.

  “Tomorrow at nine. I will contact everyone.”

  The line goes dead before I toss the phone onto the couch next to me. Tipping my head back, I close my eyes needing sleep when I hear her scream. Leaping from the couch, I run into the bedroom to find her writhing and fighting in her sleep. I climb on the bed and wrap my arms around her, pulling her thrashing body against mine.

  “Asia? Wake up! Asia, it’s me, bambina.”

  “Don’t touch me! Please don’t touch me!” She fights so hard it makes my chest constrict.

  “Asia!” Roaring her name, she finally calms slightly and opens her eyes. “That’s it, bambina. Open your pretty eyes for me.” Asia finally blinks rapidly until she stares up at me.

  “Who hurt you?” I know that cry. I’ve felt that many times before in my life and there was never anyone there to comfort me.

  “No one.” She tries to pull out of my arms to move but I don’t let her.

  “Talk to me.”

  “You wouldn’t believe me.”

  “Try me,” I urge her.

  “Your father.”

  Chapter 26

  To hear her say it does something to me. It unhinges something that I’ve kept tightly sealed inside of me for so long. To hurt me was one thing, but to hurt Asia was another. I swallow hard when I finally drag my gaze back to hers.

  “What did he do to you?” I ask, my voice raspy.

  “Do you remember when you came to me, told me to look at my future?” I nod my head and watch, wait. I’m uneasy and it’s killing me to hear this.

  “It was him,” she says softly.

  “What do you mean it was him?”

  “I told you that he put a bastard inside of me. I wasn’t talking about Matteo. He and I were never together. I mean we never…” she cuts herself off as my reality slowly fades away. I’m dying on the inside. How the hell did this happen? Why wasn’t I there to protect her from this?

  “I fucking ruined you. I’m so goddamn sorry, bambina,” I say, apologizing to her. This isn’t me but at the same time she needs to hear it. She needs to know that I fucking failed her.

  “He would wait until you left. He would never attempt it when you were there. He waited until Matteo was out on business and he would come for me. He threatened to kill me more than once. I was so afraid that if he found out that he got me pregnant, he would take the baby and ruin it like he did you. It went on for years, right after you left.” Tears stream down her face as reality hits me hard. It’s like a fucking freight train slamming into me at full speed. She was only fifteen when I left the first time.

  “So, you killed it?” I ask knowing the answer to that.

  “I couldn’t have it, Giovanni. You of all people should understand that.”

  Asia pulls out of my arms as defeat slowly overtakes me. I never thought that I would want to kill anyone as bad as I do now. Inside I’m conflicted. It was like being doused in flames when she said that. Part of me wants to scream and rip my fucking hair out, but the other part wants to shove her away as quickly as possible. How do I look at her now knowing my father was inside of her? I know rationally it isn’t her fault but fuck! I run my hand through my hair tugging, trying to form a coherent thought, but nothing is coming. Asia stands there, staring at me, waiting, for what I’m not sure.

  “You hate me,” she finally says after a long silence. It isn’t a lie. I do feel hate toward her, but it’s conflicting as to what I hate her for. “I can see it in your eyes. I’m sorry, Gio. I’m so sorry. If you just let me in.” I shake my head cutting her off.

  “Stop trying to fix me, Asia! This isn’t fixable. For fuck’s sake, just stop!” Shoving off the couch, I pace the room trying to think.

  “I didn’t know you were brok
en,” she says softly. She knows me.

  “You knew, Asia. You’ve always known! I’ve never let anyone get close to me. No one! You made yourself at home inside of me and then you ripped my world apart.” That’s the God’s honest truth. Asia’s betrayal has torn me apart inside. There are many things I can get past, but what she’s done isn’t one of them.

  “What do you want from me, Giovanni? You ruined my plans! You jumped in head first without bothering to ask questions! Typical fucking Giovanni behavior. Do you realize that had you let me handle things my way you wouldn’t have had to deal with me anymore?” she screams.

  I cock my head to the side and study the strong girl in front of me. Under all that sadness and pain, she’s a lot like me. She never was before but my father makes it a point to ruin everything he touches, and he ruined Asia. Her scars may not show on her skin like a majority of mine but they run deeper.

  “Oh, do enlighten me! I would have been in prison! Was that taking care of the problem?” She laughs and it only serves to piss me off more. Thoughts of hurting her, making her understand, run wild in my head. She isn’t like me in that sense and that is what I keep reminding myself.

  “You were never part of the plan, Gio. For God’s sake, did you really think I’d do that to you?” Her tone has softened, so has her gaze.

  “What the hell does that even mean? You were bringing down the DeLuca family, were you not?” I challenge her.

  “In a sense, yes. But it wasn’t you that would have been impacted. It would have been your father and a majority of his men.”

  “And that makes it so much better? Who the hell do you think his men are? Me! I’m his fucking man, Asia. Jesus Christ, bambina, I thought you were smarter than this!”