Page 29
“I—”
The blade pressed harder, splitting skin. “I said, do I make myself clear?”
“Y-yeah,” the man panted.
“If you tell anyone I was here or that it had anything to do with Aella, my face will be the last one you see. And I promise it’ll come with a hell of a lot more pain than what you experienced tonight.”
Cassius drew back and hit him once more for good measure before standing to his full height.
“Don’t mind me,” Mars said, stepping over the bleeding man. “Just doing a quick check for any cameras or security footage. Phone, please. And make it easy and unlock it. I don’t have the same patience as my brother, and I’d hate for you to end up in the hospital with a fractured skull for playing with me.”
While Mars handled his end of things, Cassius destroyed their shoe prints in the snow, ensuring nothing could be traced back to them. When they were done, they returned to the car, and Cassius pulled off.
“Damn, did you have to make the nigga pee on himself?” Mars chuckled.
“I should’ve killed him for that alone,” Cassius shook his head. “But as far as test runs go, I’d say this was successful. If we’re in and out of Korr’s house this quickly, we shouldn’t have any problems.”
“For sure. I’m ready to get this shit over with so we can move on to more pressing issues.”
“Speaking of,” Cassius said, adjusting his grip on the wheel, “that detective, the one who popped up on us the night I first got to town, showed up at my house the other day.”
“Nigga.” Mars turned his head slowly. “How the fuck did you forget some shit like that?”
“I’ve been busy. Sue me.”
“What did she want?”
“Nothing other than to talk shit. I don’t know what the fuck her problem is, but I’d advise her to leave me the fuck alone before she ends up six feet under with Korr.”
“You know I’m always down for eliminating a problem, but with everything going on with the Feds, killing her ain’t the best move. You gotta think outside the box when it comes to dealing with these muthafuckers.”
“I’ll figure it out. One problem at a time.”
“And you're sure you’ve never crossed paths with her before?”
“Positive,” Cassius answered, pulling up to the dump site where they planned to get rid of the car.
They spent the next hour destroying tire tracks, changing clothes, and wiping the vehicle free of prints before setting it on fire. Satisfied, they walked the mile back to where their cars were parked, removing their intentionally oversized shoes and sealing them in plastic bags before changing into fresh pairs.
“Don’t forget to incinerate that bag as soon as you can,” Cassius said as they slapped hands.
“Nigga, I’m not new to this, I’m true to this. I got it,” Mars chuckled. “I’ll hit you up later.”
After the two went their separate ways, Cassius intended to head home, but instead found himself en route to the Torrisi estate. It was later in the evening, but not too late for his arrival to be considered disrespectful.
Aella had been plaguing his thoughts lately, and discussing her with Mars only worsened it. Cassius was proud that he’d been able to stay away from her as long as he had without caving. He’d yet to come up with an explanation for why he was so drawn to a woman he barely knew, but it didn’t stop him from standing on the doorstep, ringing the bell.
It took a while, but the housekeeper finally answered, surprised to see him there.
“How you doing?” Cassius greeted her politely. “Aella in?”
“I—um, one moment,” the woman responded before closing the door. She was gone for a total of five minutes before returning. “Miss Torrisi asked not to be disturbed.”
“Tell Miss Torrisi that her future husband is here to see her.”
The woman’s cheeks flushed, but she nodded, closing the door again. Again, she returned around five minutes later, her face redder than when she departed.
“Miss Torrisi demanded I inform you that she doesn’t have a future husband and to ask you to leave the premises.”
