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“It’s locked Frank,” I yell back after collecting myself, “What do you want?”
“I…um…I just wanted to say I was sorry for earlier," his words obviously slurred even through the door.
“That’s great,” I sarcastically reply.
“See you at the store at eight.”
What the fuck was that? In all the years I have known Frank, not once has he apologized for being an abusive asshole.
ChapterSeven
Lorenzo
Traffic is horrible this morning, and it is taking longer than anticipated for Luca and I to get across town. At least if this ride is going to take forever, I am stuck with my best friend since childhood. We have grown up in this family together, and when the day comes that I am in charge he knows he will be my right-hand man.
While stuck in the car, our conversations cross all topics – women, the Yankees, the new kid driving for V.
I wanted to get to Frank’s early, before it was full of customers. We have enough cops in our pocket that they would look the other way if I beat the piss out of Frank with witnesses, but the family tries to maintain as much of an upstanding reputation as we can.
And that means no witnesses.
When we finally pull up in front of the store just after nine, I am pleasantly surprised to see Frank through the window. This might go easier than I had originally thought. Entering the store with Luca, he shields the bat behind his large frame when we realize there is one elderly customer inside.
Casually strolling from the door, I browse like any other slow shopper until the elderly woman leaves. As soon as she steps out of the store, Luca flips the deadbolt on the door.
“Good morning, Frank,” I smirk walking towards the register, “For your sake, I hope you stumbled into some money last night.”
“I don’t ha-,” his words halted by Luca’s bat crashing down on the counter, causing the register and baskets to shake.
“Yesterday, I thought you said you understood,” my words gruff as Luca pushes the bat into his chest.
Frank whimpers back, “I don’t have your money, but I have something else.”
“You don’t have shit, Frank,” Luca shoves him with the barrel of the bat, “If you had anything worth a damned, we wouldn’t be here right now. We would have taken it from you already.”
“Bu…But I do,” Frank stammers back, “It should cover all of what I owe. Maybe even more.”
Walking around the counter, grabbing him with both hands by the shirt, I lift him off the ground and shove him against the wall.
“Don’t fuck with us Frank,” I snarl in his face, “You can either pay up or Luca is going to enjoy getting in quite a few swings before we leave to come back and do this again tomorrow.”
Lowering Frank to the ground, I pull him around the counter so that he is in front of Luca – who looks like a kid at the batting cage eager to start swinging. Stepping out of the way, I make room for him to do so and he does not hesitate. Within seconds the bat slams into the left side of Frank’s torso. The sound of his ribs cracking is audible, like the crackle of small sticks.
Blubbering for air and clutching his side, Frank falls to his knees. Before he has a chance to react, I am standing in front of him and using his hair to firmly tilt his face up towards mine. Seeing the fear in his eyes, it is clear that he can see the killer in mine.
“Ava…,” he struggles to speak through the pain in his side, “I can give you Ava.”
“Who the fuck is Ava,” Luca retorts poking him with the bat.
“Avalie. The blond,” he grunts and rasps, “the blond girl that was here yesterday.”
“You mean your daughter,” I question as Frank nods his head in agreement.
“Why would we want your daughter,” Luca quips back before I have a chance to stop him.
“She’s not my daughter,” Frank struggles to reply, “She’s just some kid that got left with me. She’s pretty…”
Luca looks to me when Frank stops speaking to catch his breath.
