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When he tucked my head in his neck and pressed a kiss to my crown, I realized paradise was not a place.
It was a state of mind, with my husband by my side.
CHAPTER 33
Pierrot
Zeno
It turned out being in love was a full-time job.
Day and night, my mind brimmed with thoughts of my wife. Her smile. Her laugh. Her face. I spent hours thinking of ways to make her happy when I should be dedicating my efforts towards my empire. Every eve I chipped away time from business meetings and allocated it to dates with Darla. We toured my underground casinos, my exclusive clubs, my restaurants, my yacht. There was nothing like wild, angry sex with my wife on a poker table after she lost a bet. The image of her shredded dress bunched around her hips, her red lips moaning my name, and her gun cocked under my chin was embedded inside of me.
Alas, no matter how tempting, life could not just be dates with my wife and hot lovemaking sessions. Therefore, Friday night I locked myself in my home office and went over a new series of gun designs. I had an upcoming shipment for the Donatellis in New York City and needed to coordinate our crews to complete the operation.
I was just about to phone Dante Donatelli when three knocks resonated against my door.
“Come in,” I called out.
Yves and Ben barrelled inside the room with restless energy, lowering themselves to the seats in front of my desk.
It was ironic how the roles had reversed. Ben and I used to be the ones to enter Yves office to discuss business, whether it was De la Croix Inc related or simply to discuss the rats in our circle who lacked loyalty.
I closed my laptop lid. “Gentlemen, how can I help you?”
“Ben has some news to share.”
“Oh?”
Benjamin pulled his phone from his suit pocket, unlocked it, and turned it my way. “Bazoli caught Antoine Toussaint entering his home two hours ago. He texted me a picture.”
I snatched the phone out of his hands and glanced at the shot. Antoine was wearing a tracksuit and a baseball cap. Standing in his driveway, he hauled his luggage out of his Audi. He was in plain sight, not even bothering to hide, which irked me.
I spent the last weeks hunting for him behind Darla’s back with no success. For the longest while, I assumed he was hiding out in dingy motels to avoid being caught during his vigilante ordeals.
Now here he was, settling into his childhood home like he was coming back from a long vacation.
Like he hadn’t spent months taunting me as Pierrot.
A golden opportunity presented itself and I was going to take it.
Finally, I would bury Antoine Toussaint six feet beneath the ground. Since I was feeling charitable, I’d make sure to dig his grave right next to his incestuous sister.
“What do you want to do?” Ben asked.
“He’s going to kill him.” Yves knew me too well.
I wouldn’t allow Antoine to live another day. “I’m going to pay Pierrot a surprise visit soon.”
“You’re not going alone,” Ben said with conviction. “I’m coming with you. We’re going to finish him together.”
“Are you sure?”
“We’re a team, Zed. Remember?”
Yes, we were a team.
My gaze drifted to the chessboard on my desk. It was an abandoned game Ben and I started months ago. A reminder of how much I neglected my family these past few months as I assumed my new role. Once this situation with Antoine was finished, I swore to make more time for them. “We never got to finish our game, Ben.”
