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“Oh, she’s fine. She’s here. I’m actually surprised you came, Angelo. I’m sure you realize by now that this is where you die. You will not be leaving this building alive,” Vasquez continued. “You know, I always thought it would end with you and I. A big showdown with both our families shooting each other down. Then I would rise as the victor and claim everything you own, in a big show… But look at us now. None of that had to happen, and I’ve won.”
“Let me see her,” I yelled, still held against the floor.
“Of course. Just look to your right, my friend.” Vasquez said as he pointed away.
I turned slightly to the right and noticed that Maria was inside a double-doored refrigerator. She screamed and slammed her hands against the glass window on the door, but the room was insulated, and no sound escaped. I yelled and threw one of the men off me, then turned around and kicked the other across the throat. He backed off, clutching his neck as he stumbled away. I rushed to my feet and began running over to the door, having seen that they had locked her in from the outside. But just before I could get to her, another man tackled me down to the floor, and soon they were all over me.
I was punched across the face and then thrown into a steel chair. I realized that it was the same one Maria had been held in, and now my hands and feet were bound to the chair, leaving me unable to move. Vasquez walked around the chair, looking right at me. He smiled and shook his head, as though he was amused by something. I pressed forward, trying to break out of the restraints and hit him, but they were too tight, and I was pinned down entirely.
“Let her go. You have me!”
“Oh, I’m not the one holding her hostage,” Vasquez replied.
“What the fuck do you mean? She is right there, freezing to death. Get her out of there and we can deal with this, you and I! That’s where this trouble started, and it’s where it ends. Just you and me… Keep her out of this.”
“I did Angelo, for so long. Honestly, I did. You need to understand that I’m not some madman. I would never have thought to use Maria against you. Only a monster would do something as devious as that.”
“Jesus, Vasquez just let her out! I’m right here, let her go!”
“Oh, but I did. I asked for her to be let go once we saw you across the street. But I’m afraidhecan’t allow that.”
“Who?” I asked, fighting the feeling of utter helplessness that began welling up inside me.
“Me,” a voice from behind me spoke. I turned around to look and realized that the man in question had been standing in the shadows the whole time. He walked out in front of me. I looked up and watched in shock and confusion as Leonardo appeared. “What’s wrong, Angie? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Leonardo, what the hell is this? What are you doing here? We thought you were dead!”
“Why would you think that? It’s not like you bothered to come find my body. You should have, of course, but you were too busy eating your bitch out to even care. I believe it’s time to tell you how things went, Angelo. Let’s start from the first: my father died because of you. When you took the business away from him, he was completely lost without it. He had next to nothing, and you and your father took theonething that gave him purpose. After that, he became a monster, and it consumed him. His grief… He died, because you and your greedy fuck of a father decided that you could take whatever you wanted in this city.”
“Leonardo, slow down. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t take anything from you. Please, listen to me. We’ve been through so much together. Why would I want anything but the best for you? Jesus, I owe you my life! I don’t understand what this is about. You’re not making sense.”
Leonardo hit me across the face. I recoiled in pain and looked away, but he followed through with another blow. In the corner of my eyes, I spotted Maria banging against the glass. I looked up at her and mouthedI’m sorry. She yelled again, slamming against the door with renewed vigor. Leonardo grabbed my jaw and raised my face to meet his.
“Donald Whitmoore. Does the name ring a bell?”
I wanted to shake my head, but then I recalled the name. It was the name of the man whose bistro my father had bought out. I remembered because I had gone to visit the place when the deal was made. I stood in the back as my father talked it over with him, offering to pay a stupid amount of money for the spot, but Donald had refused.
“Leonardo, I had no idea your father died because of that,” I began. “I was not... My father had given the order, and it had nothing to do with me. I was just a boy back then, doing what I had to do.”
“No. You were his son. The one person who had enough sway over your father and the business to take a stand. But you didn’t. You didn’t care about my family. You acted like the selfish cunt I know you to be today!” Leonardo smacked me across the face again, and that one stung even more.
“Okay... O-okay, look. I get it,” I stuttered.
“Do you?” Leonardo shouted. “I lost everything because of you! And now, I will make sure that the same thing happens to you. I’ve been on the winning side since day one. We had planned the gunshot incident, me saving you, everything. I weaseled my way into your family, so I could make sure that Vasquez was always one step ahead. But now, there’s been enough of that. It’s time for you to pay for your sins.”
I nodded, “Okay. I’m sorry Leonardo, I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“But Maria has nothing to do with this! It was my family that hurt you, my father and me. If you’re bent on hurting anyone, let it be me. Please, let her go!” I turned to Vasquez. “You said you wouldn’t kill her!”
“And I won’t. But, Leonardo? I can’t speak for him.”
I turned back to Leonardo, and saw the look on his face. He no longer saw me, he only saw an enemy. The look in his eyes told me that he was too far gone. “Leonardo, please. Just let her go and do whatever it is you want with me.”
“You know why you’re not dead yet?” Leonardo fired back. “You know the only reason I haven’t killed you yet? It’s because I don’t want you to die. No, I want you alive. I want you alive so you can understand how I felt. You took away everything I had and left me for dead. Now, I’ll do the same to you. Maria just walked into my hands, so I’m starting there. I’ll kill her, then I’ll hunt down every single member of your family, and I will kill them too. And I want you to be alive to see it all… It’s just a shame that Vasquez needs you dead before the end.”
Vasquez looked at his watch and chuckled, “Tight schedule, Preston. I think it’s about time for you to die, Angelo. Any last words?”
