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I wrench my gaze away from the park across the street. “I’d rather stand.”
He clasps his hands behind his back. “Ms. Julus, I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but your father passed away earlier this morning.”
The doctor says something else, but I can’t hear him.
It feels like I’m underwater, and the world is spinning wildly out of focus. I take a step back, making a low noise that I don’t recognize as the ground rises up to meet me.
I lose consciousness when my head hits the cold, hard floor.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Carter
I land another punch to the guy’s stomach, and he wheezes. “This would go a lot faster and a lot easier if you just tell me what you know.”
The man, who is bleeding profusely now, lifts his head up and gives me a cold look. With a frown, I punch him again, choosing the spots that I know are going to hurt the most. The metallic smell of blood wafts up my nostrils, and his heavy, uneasy breathing echoes inside my head, but I don’t care.
All I care about is finding a direct link to the Natoris and the Philipses.
And I know this guy is the key because he is manning one of their soon-to-be stores.
I have half a mind to drag his ass back inside and put two bullets in his head just to make a point. But I know that the satisfaction from that will be short-lived, and it won’t solve my more immediate problem. Given how bold and audacious both families are becoming, I know the only way to resolve this is to deal with them personally.
The Natoris and the Philipses need to get the message from me directly.
Otherwise, they are never going to understand who they are dealing with.
Mayor Hughes has probably given them nothing but a bunch of pretty words and empty promises. As soon as I find them, I have every intention of making sure they know exactly what they’ve started. With a shake of my head, I pause, my knuckles throbbing, and give the guy another menacing look. Then I grab him by the scruff of his neck and hoist him off the ground.
He kicks his legs out, and his pitiful whimpers fill the dark, empty alley, but they have no effect on me.
Because when I look at him, I see everything I love, including Isabella, being threatened.
I wrap my fingers around his throat and squeeze. “I’m going to give you one more chance unless you want to die a slow and painful death.”
The guy makes a gurgling sound and says nothing.
I shrug and press harder. “Just remember that when your blood and brains are scattered everywhere.”
Abruptly, I release the guy, and he falls into a heap. He claws at his throat and gasps for breath when I take the gun out of the waistband of my pants and point it directly at him. His eyes widen, and he scrambles backward, fear plainly streaking across his face. Hastily, he throws both hands up in the air and backs up so his back is pressed against the wall.
“I’m not an unreasonable man,” I tell him calmly. “You’ve got twenty seconds to pray to whatever God you believe in.”
The man starts to cry, the tears falling freely down his face. I roll my shoulders and start counting backward. When I reach five, he throws himself at my feet and links his fingers together.
“I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
“Talk faster.”
He straightens up and uses the back of his hand to wipe away the snot and blood. “They have a safe house not too far from here. I can send you the address.”
I keep one hand on the gun, and the other reaches into my pocket. When I hand him the phone, I press my weapon to the side of his head. “Type it into the map, and if you try anything funny, I’m going after your family next.”
His fingers tremble as he types in the address. After he hands it back to me, I send the address to Ernesto. Then I wait for the man to stop shaking before I pull him up to his feet. “At least try to die with some dignity.”
Before he can respond, I aim the gun at the center of his forehead and pull the trigger. His mouth forms a surprised “O”. Seconds later, he crumples into a heap on the ground, blood already pooling underneath him. I take a step back and let out a low whistle. Out of the shadows, a few members of my family emerge and begin to drag his body away.
That’s one less loose end for me to take care of.
