AllFreeNovel
Share Us
18
I had a crowbar in one hand and a chain in the other. The chain was rolled around the ankle of the motherfucker at my feet that was struggling to escape. There were scratches on the linoleum from where he had tried to crawl away and save his pathetic existence. Every time he would get too far, I pulled the chain, and he was right back at my feet, another bone cracking under the crowbar.
“Come on, you piece of shit, where is the money?”
I was supposed to work clean today. Get in, find out where our money was and get the hell out, but this pathetic larva decided to test me, and now the walls colored with nicotine splotches were stained with his blood. My patience was short on a good day, but now, where I was supposed to be on the other part of Bronx, it was just too easy for me to be pushed over the edge.
“No, no…” he babbled, choking on his own blood. “One day.”
Too fucking late. The Monster took over, ready to paint the walls with his brain. I was not supposed to be here, but Roman brought the issue to my attention, and the last thing I wanted was to have Gino come back and see this scum lost track of two hundred thousand dollars.
“We gave you a day, we gave you a whole fucking week. Where is the money, Stanley?” I pulled him up by the back of his jeans jacket, only to slam him back on the floor and put my foot on his neck. “Did you lose it, or did you steal it? Whatever it is, it will hurt a lot less if you speak right now, Stanley.”
“I didn’t…I didn’t…I didn’t take it.”
“The boys dropped all that cash to you, and now no one can find it, motherfucker.” I smashed the crowbar on the side of his skull again. “Where. Is. Our. Money?”
“Invested.” He spit to clear his throat and croak out the words. “I found out about an investing opportunity and wanted to make some extra cash before returning it.”
This stupid, good for nothing worm bit more off the rotten apple than he could chew.
“Let me tell you something, Stanley. You don’t know me very well, but I know you. Game recognizes game; that’s what they say, right? Well, scum recognizes scum too. You’re just another nothing trying to swim with the sharks, man. You’re fucking garbage floating around, shit under a shoe. You know how I know that, Stanley. Because you and I aren’t so different. You were just stupid enough to bite the hand that gave you a chance to get out of your misery.” He was still laying on his abdomen when my fist connected with his ribs. “No one steals from Gino Nucci.” And when they did, it was my job to make them wish for death.
“I didn’t steal.” The man was full blown crying. “Please, please. I didn’t want to take the money. I just needed some capital to buy a few cars and sell them fast. It wasn’t supposed to go so slow. I’ll put everything back, every dime.”
“Yes, you will, motherfucker, and that’s the only reason you’re still alive.” I hit him once again. “I’ll give you one minute to get the fuck out of my face before I change my mind and carve your fucking eyes out.”
He started dragging his body, trying to get to the door, moaning and howling like an animal, probably because I broke as much of him as I could in the past ten minutes. When he looked back at me, I growled, and he whimpered.
“You truly are a monster,” he whispered back at me. “A dirty fucking monster from hell. You’ll burn there ‘cuz you have no soul.”
Stanley got one thing right.
I threw the crowbar right next to his head.
“Now. Crawl or die.” I spoke low, but I saw the fear swallowing him.
I was close to losing my patience with him when the door fucking opened, and a very furious, very beautiful Catherinelle fucking Nucci walked into the room. My heart fucking stopped in my chest, and for the first time in thirty-one years of life, I had no idea what to do.
Stanley looked up at her like she was an angel from the gates of heaven coming down to erase my darkness, and then more than ever, I wanted to take his eyes out and throw them out the window. He looked at her like she was salvation, and jealousy burned in my veins. Cat held his gaze for a second before looking at me and then down at her pretty black boots that were now drenched in Stanley’s blood.
“Get out!” I roared, and she flinched.
From the floor, Stanley lifted his head and tried to reach for Catherinelle, so my foot went back on his neck, pinning his face to the floor.
“What is this?” she whispered, her doe eyes widened.
“I said get the fuck out.” Turning my attention away from her, I kicked Stanley in his side one last time. “Find the money and bring it back.”
I didn’t wait for his promises to pay up, or for his thanks for sparing his pathetic life. My mind was set on one thing: Catherinelle. I wanted her out, away from the ugliness caused by my hands. She said she knew the face of the Monster, but she was so fucking wrong.
My hand clutched her elbow and spun her around on her heels, and as soon as we were outside of that filthy apartment, I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to the car.
“Hugo, why are you here?”
“Shut the fuck up, Catherinelle. I don’t want to hear another word from you.”
I was a fucking bully; it was in my essence. My mind worked in terms of destruction – how many punches someone could take before I’d put them down; how many bullets to take out everyone in the room – this was the way my brain worked. One singular person had never made me think about harming her, and that was Catherinelle, but that stopped today.
