AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Max
I step out of the flower shop a few blocks from Sloane’s place and stare at the bunch of star gazer lilies in my hand. I had to ask Shaye what kind of flowers Sloane likes, and now I’m clutching a bundle of them. They’re different, classic, not the usual.
I’m not surprised they’re her favorite. There’s nothing typical about Sloane Camarena.
I look up and down the street. The sky is already dark, which I really hate. It sucks to be plunged in to darkness at four-thirty in the afternoon. Thanks, Daylight Savings Time.
There aren’t any cars around either. This shop is nestled into a wooded corner, and it’s surrounded by trees and bushes, so sometimes, I think people pass it right by without even knowing it’s there. But I happen to know it’s Sloane’s favorite shop…another tidbit I picked up from Shaye…so I’m going to make sure I visit the place often.
As long as I can hold myself together and make her see that I’m in this for real.
A gust of wind rushes over me and I pull the edges of my tuxedo jacket together to brace me from the cold. I walk down around the side of the shop to where I parked my car, avoiding puddles of slush that are now iced over. I’d like to not land on my ass, but these damn shoes are slippery as hell.
My foot catches a patch of black ice and skids out in front of me, but I grab the side of a tree trunk to balance myself. “Fuck,” I mutter, sidestepping the ice and continuing on my way. I finally make it to the clearing in the back and see another car parked next to mine. Weird. There wasn’t anyone else in the shop. And it doesn’t seem like the owner would drive a blacked-out Ford F-150.
Instinctively, my hand slides under my jacket and over the waistband where my gun normally sits, but tonight, there’s just fabric. No metal against my skin.
Because why in the fuck would I need a gun at a hospital benefit?
Tiny hairs prickle on the back of my neck. Snowflakes begin to fall, and I pick up the pace since I left my coat in the car. Chills slither through my insides with each step I take closer to my truck. My eyes shift left and right and every few seconds, I make a sharp twist backward to make sure nobody is lurking behind me. I jog the last few feet, pulling out my keys from my pants pocket and click to unlock the doors. I keep my head down and grip the driver’s side door handle, pulling it open.
“Ahh!” I jump backward, falling to my knees, my breath completely knocked out. “What the fuck!”
Jesus Christ. I rub my eyes and peer inside. It’s dim, but not completely black. I knew it wasn’t my imagination. Two fucking severed, bloody fingers sit in the driver’s seat of my truck.
Whose fucking fingers are they?
My pulse throbs in my throat, and I fumble around in my pocket for my phone. I have to call Nico. Or Rocco. Or fucking someone.
A loud creak behind me sends me flying against the door, and I spin around to see Mikey Bonnaro jump out of the F-150 next to me. His feet land on the concrete with a thud and he doubles over in laughter. My blood boils, coursing through my veins like liquid flames. Just seeing that dipshit smirk of his makes me want to shoot it right off his ugly ass face.
“Maximo! I didn’t know a little blood would make you scream like such a bitch! Christ, I’m glad we went with the fingers instead of the whole head! You might’ve had a fucking heart attack and dropped dead on the spot! And that would’ve ruined all the fun.”
I straighten up, trying to catch my breath and shove him backward against his truck. “Whose fucking fingers are these, you asshole?”
He inches toward me, a sick, sinister smile toying with the corners of his lips. “I don’t want to ruin the surprise, Max. I’m sure it’ll make much more of an impact when you find out for yourself.” He folds his arms over his chest. “I have to say, I’m kinda surprised at your reaction, considering you’ve sawed off more than just a few fingers before. I’d have thought you had a stronger stomach. But then again, I guess sitting around behind a desk at some strip mall construction site will make those memories fade away.” He leans closer. “Yeah, that kind of work makes the killer instinct soft, just like a limp cock, you know what I’m sayin’?”
I swallow hard, my fists clenched at my sides. “Tell me who the fuck you did this to.”
“I don’t think you’re in a position to make any demands, Oriani.” Three other doors of the truck pop open, and a few more enormous and tattooed guys with nose rings, eye rings, and other metal parts poking out of their faces, ears, and necks jump onto the ground, surrounding me. I hear a lot of grunting, but no actual words are formed.
Mikey musta gotten these guys pretty cheap.
I eye them all, knowing that I could easily get my ass kicked to China and back in seconds, but Christ, what a fucking bunch of circus freaks. “Fuck you, Mikey. Tell me now!”
Mikey’s eyes take on a rabid look, one that chills me way more than the frigid air since I’ve seen it before and know exactly what comes next. Like a crazed animal, he pounces on me. He launches a fist at my jaw, and I swing away from it, but he manages to follow it up with a shot to my midsection that has me doubled-over, clenching my teeth because I feel like he punched a hole through my lung and it fucking hurts.
“You don’t ask me questions, dickhead,” he hisses, grabbing my arm and twisting it behind my back. “And if by some miracle, you manage to knock me and the rest of my guys out, how will you find out whose fingers they are, huh? So typical of you, Oriani. Always ready to throw punches, never thinking about the consequences.”
I shrug out of his grip but only because he wants me to. He may plan to pound me into oblivion, but he’s not out to kill me.
Not tonight, anyway.
If he wanted me dead, I’d already be face-down on the cracked, wet concrete.
I raise my fists to my face, creeping toward him. I’m not fucking going down easy, that’s for shit sure. The group of goons eye me, circling around my truck like predators, daring me to throw down with Mikey so they can tear me apart, limb by limb.
But Mikey just chuckles. He doesn’t even pull a gun on me. He doesn’t need to. He knows I’m not armed, and he also knows I want information…information only he can deliver. He narrows his eyes. “I told you not too long ago that I was back to take my rightful place, Oriani. You and your father fucked shit up for me and my brother, and now it’s time to take what’s ours.” He chuckles. “I’m thinkin’ that when all is said and done, you’re gonna wish you had stabbed Gianni with that fork after all.”
