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“Or maybe he plans to stash money away to lure my wife from me,” I muse. When you get everything you want, it’s hard not to believe everyone is out to take it away.
“We need to take this to Ace,” Michael says. His mobile rings and he answers. After a few short words, he disconnects. “That was Piper’s doctor,” he tells me. “She’s called him to book in for her shot.”
I smirk, surprised it took her so long. “When?”
“Two days. She pushed for today, but he put her off. Also, she’s taken the morning-after pill.” My head whips round fast to look at him, and he winces. “Sorry. The doc wanted to make it clear it was nothing to do with him. She went to the pharmacy.”
“Motherfucker,” I mutter, glaring out the window.
His mobile rings again, but this time, he answers through the car handsfree. “Yep?”
“Boss, it’s Conner.” He pauses before adding, “We’ve spotted Lorenzo. I’ve texted you the address.”
It’s the break we’ve been waiting for, so we can’t waste a second. He’s slipped through the net too many times already.
Michael turns the car around, and we head straight to the address. Conner is waiting at the end of the road. He steps to the car and bends to talk to us. “It’s the house with the green door,” he says, pointing. “He hasn’t come out, and I think he’s the only one in there. The road is pretty quiet. No one’s curtain twitched to see what I’m up to, and I haven’t seen anyone walking around here.” I nod.
Michael drives down a side street and parks up. He gets out and goes in the boot, and when he returns, he has some police-issued bulletproof vests. Axe laughs. “I thought I’d done my job for today, and now, I’m pretending to be an officer of the law?”
“You get a chance to work alongside Anton Martinez. It doesn’t happen often, and you might learn something.” Michael says.
We step out the car and make our way towards the house. A man walking his dog eyes us suspiciously, and Michael smiles and flashes his fake police badge. “Evening, sir. We’re conducting a search of this area for a suspected drug dealer. It would be wise to get back to your home and lock your doors. Stay clear of any windows, we don’t know if this guy is armed.” The man nods and rushes off, dragging his dog behind him.
We get to the house, and Axe and Connor head around the back in case he decides to make an escape. I step to the front door and try the handle. It’s locked. I knock loudly and then open the letterbox. “Police! Open the door!”
As expected, he doesn’t answer, but I know he can’t go anywhere. “Mr. Lorenzo Corello. We’re here for your protection. We have reason to suspect Anton Martinez is on his way to see you now. Councillor Smart sent us and asked us to escort you into protective custody immediately.” Michael gives me a quizzical look, and I smirk and shrug my shoulders. If this doesn’t work, I’ll kick the door in, but I’m trying not to draw attention to us. The lock on the door clicks, and we exchange an amused look.
As soon as it’s open enough for me to get my foot in the door, I shove my way inside, taking Lorenzo by surprise. He falls back against the wall, stumbling. I stand over him, giving him a pitying look. He tries to scoot away, and I laugh. “Pathetic.” I sigh. “You’re looking old, Lorenzo. Running doesn’t suit you.”
“Times are hard if you have to do the dirty work yourself, Anton,” he hisses.
“I like to keep a hand in when it comes to cleaning up the streets. I’m passionate about tying up loose ends, and you, sir, are the last loose end in a long line of arseholes who fucked up.”
Michael cuffs Lorenzo’s wrists behind his back. “I’m disappointed, Michael. You’re supporting the man who killed your capo in front of your very eyes,” growls Lorenzo.
“Anton is my capo. He’s a born leader. You said it yourself.”
“You can take me out, but I already have my men in place with a plan. It’s too late. They’ll rise against you and The Rebellion. You’ll never rest again.”
“This is not an episode ofThe Hunger Games, old man. There will be no uprising. Now, shut the fuck up,” snaps Michael as he hauls him to his feet. “And where are your men? Leaving you alone was careless.”
I dial Hulk’s number. “What?” he answers gruffly.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Hulk. Are you busy?” I ask sarcastically.
“I’m about to go see Piper,” he retorts, and my fist clenches. “She seems sad, and I know just how to cheer her up.” There’s amusement in his voice, but I refuse to rise to his bate.
Keeping my voice calm, I say, “That’ll have to wait. I have something way more important. We have Lorenzo. Tell Ace I’ll save this one for him, but it needs to be done before the day is over.” I disconnect the call and follow the men back to the car.
When The Rebellion finally arrive, it’s dark. I open the garage door, and they follow me inside. I open the trap door and lead them into the underground tunnels.
Inside the room, it’s dark and damp. If these walls could talk, they’d tell a grim tale of death and torture. I press a switch and a dim light flickers on. In the corner, tied to a wooden stool, is Lorenzo. He doesn’t look so smug after his beating from me. I clench my fists when I think of the sound they’d made against his skin. The urge to finish what I started is strong, but Ace needs this after everything he and Mae went through.
Lorenzo smirks. “You had to bring your pussies to back you up?”
“No, I was happy to get one of my men to slit your throat. But then you went and made it all personal, and now there’s a line of people who want in on your ending,” I drawl, keeping my tone flat and bored.
“Can we hurry this up? We have a party to get to.” We all turn at the sound of Tag’s voice. I hadn’t expected him to be here to see this. Watching your father die isn’t something you can just wipe from your mind, and even when they deserve it, it still haunts you night after night. I should know. “Hey, Pops, you don’t look so good.” He grins, but I see the hurt behind those eyes. He hides it well, but he can’t hide it from me. I’ve known him too long.
