Page 63 of Mafia Baby

I stumble along the hallway after Will, occasionally fetching up against the men in front of me and tripping over their heels. I’m annoyed that they can’t at least walk at the right tempo to make this a little easier for me. It won’t help anyone if I end up in a heap on the floor, and they all fall down around me.

Suddenly, the man behind me yanks me to a stop, and I hear a door squeak open. This one seems to be on the right side of the hall rather than the left. I’m tossed into the room, catching my foot on the lip of the doorway and tumbling to my knees.

The fall hurts, but I don’t make a sound. I’m straining my ears to figure out where Will and his men have positioned themselves.

The wound on my cheek is oozing blood again, and the dirty hood is sticking to it. It makes it even more difficult for me to turn my head to hear noises.

“Leave us,” Will says to the men who escorted us here. “Lock the door.”

I hear their booted feet as they obey. I remain on my knees, waiting for Will to make the next move. It sounds like he’s walking around in front of me on the other side of the room, maybe. I hear him setting down something on the floor and muttering to himself.

After a little while, he starts to speak. I realize that he’s recording already, maybe transmitting what is going on live. I brace myself. I won’t have many more opportunities to stop him.

I need to focus in on the things that are happening around me. I need to find an opening to stop him. It’s helpful that he sent his men away. One-on-one is much better odds than one against seven, and I’m thankful for his arrogance.

I’m not totally sure what time it is, but I know that Vince has to be getting a lot closer to Atlantic City by now.

“Hello, friends,” Will says, his fake accent on full display now. “I have a special surprise to share with everyone. Consider yourself lucky if you are tuning in live. You are in for a treat. Surely everyone here has heard of the Reaper.”

I strain my ears and realize that he’s moving slowly backward toward me. I sense him getting closer and closer. I flex my fingers behind my back. They have been entirely too trusting with me. They should have tied me up.

William is showing his inexperience with the actual dirty side of this business. He might be good at finding shady work to do for big money, but he probably never does the hard work himself.

I think about the sucker punch that he threw at me when he told me to stay away from Gianna. He hadn’t really held his own against me in that conflict, but he had been quicker than I had expected. I don’t think that I will actually have any trouble overpowering him if I get the chance.

Suddenly, the hood is yanked off of my head and the light in the room feels painful in its intensity. I blink rapidly, willing my eyes to start working right again.

“Welcome to the party, Reaper,” Will says to me, his voice sounding fat with his own self-satisfaction. “So glad you decided to join me here at my humble little home away from home for this special showing. Everyone who is tuning in is going to witness something amazing in a few moments.”

I cautiously bring my hands down to hang at my sides. I just need to be able to get a few fingers into the pocket of my jacket to access the knife I have hidden there.

“Tonight, ladies and gentlemen,” Will says expansively, “you are going to witness the death of the Reaper.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Gianna

“Fuck!” I curse as another bump in the road jostles my broken arm. I didn’t know it was possible to hate anyone as much as I hate my brother. I feel sick with my hatred of him.

I look in the rearview mirror and don’t see anyone following me. There’s nothing much out here other than derelict buildings, so it would be really obvious if I was being followed.

I’m not stupid. My brother is going to come after me, but Dom has offered him something so delicious that he’s going to feast first.

I yank the car over onto the shoulder, crying out with pain yet again. I struggle to open the center console in the SUV with one hand and finally manage it. I feel around blindly, finally locating the slim shape of Dom’s burner phone.

I pull it out and unlock the screen with the code that he said he used for both of our disposable phones.

Vince has been calling non-stop for hours now. The most recent call was about twenty minutes ago. I press the call button with shaking fingers.

“Dom!” Vince shouts into the phone as he answers the call. I cringe and hold the phone away from my ear.

“No,” I say. My teeth are starting to chatter and I realize I might be going into shock. “It’s Gianna.”

“Oh my God,” Vince says. “What’s going on, Gianna. Where’s Dom?”

“The Cobra has him,” I say. “The Cobra is my brother.”

“What?” Vince practically shouts into my ear again. I hold the phone away for another few seconds, getting irritated with all his yelling.

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