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I inhale another shaky breath, wiping wetness from my eyes. Saying goodbye to this man is easy. He’s fallen so far I hardly recognize him. I’m sure he’d be thinking the same of me if his eyes were open.
“Give him mercy, please,” my voice cracks, and part of me can’t even believe I’m saying it.
“Mercy?” Lenny grits his teeth as he limps into my line of sight. “Prick is going to get it for slicing me.”
“Why you ’gotta make it all morbid for, Alessia?” Tony laughs, moving Joey’s jaw to pretend he’s speaking.
“Hey.” Leandro’s voice makes both men stiffen. “I promised Donny I’d play nice with you.” He pushes Tony hard against the fridge. “But don’t get carried away, or you’ll be sitting right next to the Lucrazi. I’ll make this a fucking firing squad death if I have to.”
Tony throws his hands up innocently. “S—sorry, Hook. Didn’t mean nothing by it. Just having a little fun.”
Leandro eyes him up and down – fists clenched. There’s a swagger about him that commands the room. How many kills does he have under his belt, really? He’s so comfortable intruding in someone’s house it’s bone-chilling. And he’s a bounty hunter with a Rigiano last name? It makes no sense that he’s still alive. That’s not how the families operate.
Joey gasps for air like he just came up from under water, his eyes springing open. He’s disoriented, which Leandro finds humorous. Once he remembers himself, he tries to get up.
Crnnch!
“Ahh!”
Leandro kicks his knee so hard it folds the wrong way, and I scream in terror. He beckons Lenny to throw him a dish towel, which Leandro shoves in Joey’s mouth as they’re face-to-face.
“Keep that rat hole shut. Bite down. Take the pain. Take it.” Leandro smiles. “Good.”
Joey’s breath is short and frantic, his eyes wide like an angered bull.
“Didn’t expect to see my face again, did you?” Leandro winks.
Joey yells through the towel. I can’t take seeing anyone like this, even if he did leave me to rot.
“Stop, please,” I beg, shielding my face.
“I’m sure my wife begged for the same decency, didn’t she, Joey?” Leandro asks, and my heart sinks further.
“What?” I look Joey in his bloodshot eyes.
“The rat never told you?” Leandro straightens. “I’ll hunt down every last Lucrazi until the family is wiped from the earth. He knows why. Tell her, Joey.” He applies pressure to the shattered knee and holds the silenced pistol to Joey’s head, ripping the towel out of mouth.
Joey’s mouth opens in agony.
“I can’t hear you through all the moaning.” Leandro dips his head. “Tell little Miss Alessia why the Hook is after you. Tell her why I’m the only one who would never give up chasing a slippery little fuck like you.”
Joey tries to talk, but it comes out as a voiceless gasp, “P—please.”
“I guess he wants two broken kneecaps.” Leandro lifts his boot.
“Wait!” Joey screams. “So long ago.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Lee.”
“Everyone is sorry with a gun to their head. We’re past that, I think.” Leandro lowers his foot to let Joey speak. “Tell this girl why I’m here.”
There’s a franticness in Joey’s eyes. He’s looking for something to stop him with, but Leandro isn’t stupid. He only inserted himself into the situation when he knew it was over.
“Tell her.”
“My leg!” Joey cries.
“Is broken,” Leandro assures. “And it’s about to get much worse.”
“Okay. Okay.” Joey holds up a hand, takes a long breath, and locks eyes with me. “Sia. The ski trip to Poconos in February, seven years ago.”
