He adjusts his grip on his cup. “We’re exterminating. It’s taking some time, but I’ll find the pakhan eventually. Once he’s dead, there will be too much infighting for them to continue this campaign. They’ll retreat to where they came from, or they’ll pick a new place to try to invade.”
A crash sounds from behind a door.
“And that?”
“That’s my afternoon appointment.”
“Another runner?”
“No. One of pakhan’s vors.”
My brows rise. A vor is the equivalent of a capo. “How did you manage that?”
“Cosimo set a good trap. We’re not going to kill him. Just send a message.”
“Uh-huh.” I’m doubtful Alessio is capable of such restraint.
“Let me wrap up with this one, and then you can start the cleanup while I talk to the vor.”
I nod. “All right.”
The runner doesn’t knowthe pakhan’s location. That becomes obvious after Alessio starts sawing off his fingers. The man tells him other things, things that Alessio already knows. He’s got nothing that can save him. Nothing valuable to offer.
Around eleven, Alessio appears to get bored of him, and he snaps his neck with no warning.
“I want to talk to the vor,” he offers by way of explanation.
“What do you want me to do with the body?”
“Should be some bags in that file cabinet. Chop him up, put him in, and clean the floor. Then you can dump him in the Hudson.”
“Easy peasy, huh?”
“Yep,” he tosses over his shoulder as he walks into the room with the vor.
I roll my eyes. That guy does not understand sarcasm.
Three hours later, I’m on my knees, wiping blood off the floor, when two Ferraro guys appear.
“What can I help you with, gents?” I call out.
The door to the room with the vor opens, and Alessio drags an older man out. The man’s hair looks like a bird’s nest, and he’s got bruises nastier than mine all over his face. His eyes meet mine, and a second later, there’s a flash of recognition.
Does he know who I am? Probably. After all, six months ago, everyone knew who I was.
Alessio rummages in a drawer, pulls out a cloth bag, and tosses it over the vor’s head. He shoves him toward the guys. “Take him back.”
The two men lead the vor out of the torture room.
“You get anything good out of him?” I ask, my eyes following the men.
Alessio walks over to a fridge in the corner of the room and takes out a shiny green apple. “No.”
I get to my feet and wash my hands at the sink. “Why let him go then?”
“I felt like it.”
I sigh. I guess he doesn’t owe me an explanation.
