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“No, it’s not.” One man’s hand twitched towards the gun in his jacket.
“I think that’s the Scarano kid…” another whispered.
“Are you playing cards?” I asked quickly, grinning stupidly. “Can I join you fine gentlemen?” They grimaced as my words blended together. I’m sure they could smell the stench of alcohol from my clothes, thanks to the flask in my hand.
“It’s a private game,” one said, his chair screeching back.
“I’ve got money.” Fishing around in my jacket pocket, I slipped out the wad of cash. Thanks to Wen, it was all counterfeit, but they couldn’t tell just by looking at it. And they wouldn’t have a chance to look closer.
The men glanced at each other before a few of them shrugged. The one who had spoken last sighed, motioning towards the one empty chair.
“Thank you, gentlemen. I promise you won’t regret this,” I said cheerily. They grunted, gathering the cards from the table.
“The pot starts at a thousand.” The man who spoke was a big motherfucker with a voice like a giant. His meaty hands engulfed his cards so completely that there was no way anyone would be able to take a peek. I could hear his chair groaning beneath his weight, looking like a child’s seat compared to him.
The other men looked completely different. One was thin, reedy, with a face like a rat and a nose the size of fucking Texas. Another had pockmarks across his cheeks, one eye a filmy white with a nasty scar crossing his eyelid. The last man looked young, around my age. He seemed to be new. No scars marred his skin. No signs of this life on his cherub face. His blond hair looked a sickly green beneath the poor lighting of the room.
As I sat down, I took stock of where I was. It was a back storage room, though it seemed as if they’d turned it into their own personal offices. I wondered if Mateo knew about this or if the owner of the club had also switched sides. That would be dealt with as soon as this business was complete.
“So, how is everyone’s night?” I asked, tossing the thousand into the pot. They didn’t answer, which is just as well. “Actually, I do have to confess something.”
Their eyes snapped to me.
“I heard from a little birdy about the slick deal you got from a certain benefactor.” I leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. They stilled.
“I don’t know what you heard, but we don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” the giant growled.
I smiled. “I think you do. See, we have a mutual friend. One who really loves a certain reptile.”
There was only a heartbeat of silence. The rat-face pulled first, the barrel of his gun flashing. But I was faster. He went down, a bullet to the forehead before he could let off a shot. Leaping from the chair, I kicked it into blondie, tripping him into the table. It went flying, bloody cards flipping through the air. I fired two shots to bring down the third man before turning my attention to the giant.
It took a lot more bullets to put him down, let me fucking tell you. When he crashed to the floor, I swear it shook beneath my feet. Blondie was struggling to untangle himself from the chair. He froze as my gun fell on him.
“I swear I don’t know shit,” he stammered. “I was new. I didn’t know the details.”
“You know enough,” I snarled. “Tell me everything.”
“I don’t know!” He visibly shook, and I could smell urine. Wrinkling my nose, I cocked the hammer.
“How do I contact the Snake,” I snarled.
“I don’t know! I fucking swear! We were sent a message. That’s all. That’s the only way we communicated. And after the job was done, the phone that was sent to us literally self-destructed. I don’t know shit.” He was rambling now, shaking so hard the chair rattled right along with him. “Even if I did know shit, I’d be dead anyway if I told you.”
Feeling disgusted, I put him out of his misery.
As his body fell, I looked around. The room was a fucking mess, with cards scattered across the floor amongst the money, all specked with blood. Not wanting to waste a perfectly good opportunity, I grabbed the cash that didn’t have red smeared into the grain and pocketed it.
I felt no regret as I left the bodies behind. They meant nothing to me. Nothing to the monster. In fact, I felt a little satisfaction knowing I was taking out the Snake’s men one by one. It was minor revenge that was holding me over until I finally put a bullet through the Snake himself.
No one heard the shots over the sound of the music, which was good for me. The man I’d taken out just outside the door was still slumped on the floor, undisturbed. Not wanting to stick around, I wove through the crowd, not paying any attention to those around me. I’d come here to do a job, and that job was finished.
Which is why I didn’t see my brother until he was right in front of me.
“Dante.”
I stopped, barely recognizing him. He’d lost weight since I last saw him just a few days ago. There were dark circles beneath his bleary eyes, watery from the drinks. I slowly looked him over, feeling detached.
“What are you doing here?” I asked coldly. There was a drink in his hand, already half empty. I’m sure it wasn’t his first.
