“And what makes you so sure about that?” I ask.
“Because Gallardi is powerful. If they couldn’t get to me, they’d get to someone else. They have no scruples. All they care about is getting what they want.”
“Well shit, Darius, you just described yourself. Well, except for the powerful part.” I smirk. “So I’m gonna ask you one more time. Is there anything else you can tell me about the Gallardi organization? Cause I’m telling you right now, I’m coming after them with everything I got.”
“Fuck, Michael, what do you want to know,” he replies, defeated.
“What or who does Romeo love most?” I ask.
“His wife, Marina.”
“What else?”
“His money.”
“Well good, cause I’m taking both away from him.”
“Michael, you’re not gonna kill his wife?” Zaira jumps in and asks.
“Oh no, sweetheart, you know me better than that. I’m gonna strip him of everything and then I’m gonna kill the son of a bitch. You can bank on that.” I turn back toward Darius. “Where is their main compound?”
“Nuevo Laredo, right on the Texas-Mexico border.”
I look at Ricco, and he nods. He knows exactly what he has to do—get an exact location on that compound.
“When Romeo left the house yesterday, where did he say he was going?”
“To buy his wife a present in town.”
“And did he return?”
“I wouldn’t know. I left not long after him, and that’s when you all picked me up.” He pauses and then says, “What if he’s already dead?”
I grin. “We know for a fact he’s still very much alive.”
Ricco laughs.
“He’s currently being detained by immigration. You see, we found out how he got into this country, and unfortunately, it was not the legal way. I have it on good authority he will be returned to Mexico any day now.”
Darius is shaking his head. “If he goes back to Mexico, you won’t be able to touch him. His compound is a fortress.”
“And what makes you so sure about that? Have you seen his compound?” I ask.
Darius stumbles over his words. “Well, no, but the guys talk. They say things about him and his family.”
“And of course you believe them. Right, Darius?”
He nods.
“You know, Darius, you were never the sharpest tool in the shed. That’s why you’re hanging there, and I’m standing here. Actually, it’s a shame you’re gonna die tonight. It would give me so much pleasure to have you watch me destroy your new boss.” I turn back toward Zaira. “Anything you want to add, darling?”
She shakes her head. She’s ready to move on as much as I am. It’s time.
“Darius, you were once a valued member of this family, but now, you’re nothing to me. The question is do I make this horrible for you or do I put a bullet in your head and end it quickly?” I turn around and face my wife. “Zaira? Any thoughts on the matter?”
She steps up and faces Darius. “You know you were the one person I thought I could trust, the one person who I thought always had my back. I trusted you. Michael trusted you. And the fact that you took our trust and threw it out the window really pisses me off.” She pauses, then says, “I came in here tonight wanting to see you suffer. I wanted Michael to torture you. But now, seeing the pathetic waste of a human being that you are, none of that really matters now.” She turns back toward me. “Just kill him, Michael. Get it over with and let’s go back to the house and forget he’s ever existed.”
She starts to walk toward the door as I take out my gun.
