“No. The only terrace is the one in my father’s bedroom.”
The guys returned from their checks empty-handed.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a grenade.
Santino’s eyes narrowed. “Wolfe, what are you going to do?”
“This.” I pulled out the pin and moved into the opening up the stairs before I chucked it upward and onto the third floor. The second my arm was exposed, bullets rained down, but I was able to land the grenade before they could hit me.
“Cristo,” Elio said.
“Grenade!” the men shouted. The sound of shuffling feet was audible. All they had to do was kick it back down, but I suspected they would be too alarmed by an indoor grenade that they wouldn’t think straight.
Before it went off, I ran up the stairs to the next landing and then sprayed them with my rifle right when the smoke from the grenade detonated. I fired a hundred bullets in less than five seconds, and while the smoke obscured the view, I knew they were all dead. I grabbed the magazine clip from my pocket and reloaded as I stood there.
“I thought that was a real grenade,” Santino said as he came up the stairs.
“Yeah,” I said as I cocked the gun. “That was the point. Come on, let’s move.” I moved along the top level and stuck my fingers into my mouth before I released a loud whistle. “Ready or not, here we come.” My favorite part about conquering my enemies was the intimidation beforehand, just like how the Roman Empire announced its presence with the sound of musical instruments that could be heard from leagues away.
I strode down the hallway toward what was now Warren’s office and remembered the last time I came here. I’d spoken to Don Mancini about Francesca, but we couldn’t find any middle ground, and he dismissed me from the syndicate. Unfortunately, that decision had cost him his life.
I heard footsteps up ahead, and then someone was shoved into the hallway.
Leo’s body thudded on the hardwood floor as he grimaced.
I kept my gun raised, knowing this was some kind of setup.
Warren stepped into view with his pistol and pointed it right against Leo’s temple. In slacks, dress shoes, and a blazer, he looked like an obnoxious businessman instead of a real person. His dark eyes met my stare with as much hostility as I gave him. “If you want the last Mancini to live, you’ll get the fuck off my property.”
“Your property?”
I heard Francesca behind me and hoped she would stay there.
“Asshole, what the fuck did you just say?” Francesca moved past the guys and came to the front.
I immediately stepped toward her to try to block her again instead of verbally reprimanding her in the presence of our enemies. But she’d agreed to stay behind me until I told her otherwise, and I was pissed she’d disregarded that. She was obviously just caught up in the moment, but still.
She shoved me hard with her shoulder to get out of her way. When I didn’t move, she walked around. “You think I give a damn about this rat? He betrayed my father and me, so either you shoot him in the head or I shoot him in the head.”
Warren kept the gun pressed to Leo’s temple.
Leo shook as he trembled, his breathing so haywire it was audible. He knew there was no way he was getting out of this alive, and he struggled to make peace with the end.
Francesca continued to stare Warren down. “You think I’m bluffing?” She pulled out her pistol from the back of her jeans and pointed it right at Warren’s head. “How about this? You shoot him, and then I shoot you. It’ll be a lovely full circle moment.”
Warren stared at her with a steady hand, clearly unsure how to process this.
I wanted to intervene, but I couldn’t lie, I was a bit turned on when Francesca went full Mafia on people. She had that tinge of insanity that I had, that same authority her father possessed. And when someone pissed her off, she was explosive.
Leo whimpered from the floor. “I’m sorry, Frankie.”
Then she screamed. “Shoot him!”
Warren continued to stare her down, trying to figure out escape options while keeping a close eye on her at the same time. Clearly, he didn’t know what to make of the situation.
“Shoot this worthless piece of shit, or I’ll shoot you.” She walked right up to him and pressed her gun into his forehead. She was several inches shorter, but somehow, she matched his height in that moment. She cocked the gun as the metal rested against his head.
The second he shot Leo, Warren was dead, so he was clearly trying to find a way out of this.
