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“I don’t lease out. I sell,” I remind him, and his head nods dramatically against my gun.
“You have taken advantage of my trust.”
“It won't happen again, sir,” he promises. “Please, Raphael.” The poor bastard’s begging now, and only desperate men do that.
“Luca, get Demetri in here,” I call over to the other side of the room. Demetri is Enzo’s cousin. He’s also the one who made me aware of the little side business Enzo has been running under my roof.
When he steps inside the room a few minutes later, he looks nervous as hell when he sees the position his cousin’s in.
“You will be running things around here from now on,” I inform him before I empty my chamber into Enzo’s skull. The bitch on her knees in front of him screams as his blood decorates her face and stains her bleached blonde hair. Even in her spacey, drug-induced state, she becomes hysterical, screaming so loud that I have to instruct Luca to gag her and drag her from the room.
I slide my finger across my jaw to wipe off Enzo’s blood, and I dust off my jacket before addressing a still-stunned Demetri.
“Let's try to keep things a little more professional around here in the future,” I suggest, tucking my gun back into its holster.
“I had your living quarters prepared. Would you like me to send someone up to keep you company, sir?” He tries his best not to appear disturbed.
What he really means is, would I like a woman to fuck.
“That won't be necessary. I have a business dinner scheduled for this evening, and I don't want to be disturbed by anyone until then.”
Moving past him, I make my way up to the master bedroom, and I wait until I’ve showered before I grab my phone and face time Ricardo. When he answers, he looks about as cheerful as Ebola.
“Where is she?” I ask, smiling just at the thought of seeing her face again.
“I’ll just get her… Briga…” He shouts out the name my brother had given her. It means trouble in Italian.
“You know she hates it when you call her that,” I scoff a laugh at him.
“Good,” he snarls back. I like to think the pair of them will develop an annoying little sister, big brother type of relationship, which is why I allow him a little hostility toward her now and again.
“Hey you,” Riley’s face suddenly fills the screen with her eyes sparkling and her smile wide.
“What are you doing?” I ask, stretching out on my bed and enjoying the view of her.
“You know, the usual, just trying to piss Ricardo off enough to make a vein pop.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me playfully. “How’s business?”
“Boring.” It’s not really a lie— it’s just not the truth.
“And do you miss me?” she asks. The cute little twitch of her nose makes me want to charter my plane back to her right the fuck now.
“Yes,” I admit, because it’s true, and the way she’s been behaving for me just lately makes me think she deserves to know that.
“I’ll bet you’re a bastard in the boardroom.” She laughs to herself as she holds me at arm's length and lays out on the grass.
“I’ve been known to be ruthless when I need to be.” My eyes glance over to the blood-stained suit that’s now lying creased on the floor.
“When will you be home?” she asks, her teeth gripping her bottom lip, trying to hold back on me again.
“Sounds like you are missing me?” I point out, with a shit-eating grin that I know will make her regret her question.
“Yes, I am.” She surprises me when she doesn’t hold back.
“Then I’ll be home as soon as I can,” I promise.
48 HOURS LATER
The mattress dips beside me, and I feel a slight chill as my bedsheets slowly slip away from my body. When I realize I’m not dreaming, I gasp for breath.
