Page 77 of Caesar DeLuca
They helped their boss burn down his fiercest rival, so now Atlantic City’s theirs.
We enter as a unit, opening fire and spraying bullets into the space.
Carisi’s men try to jump for cover. Only two of them are lucky enough to dodge our bullets. They don’t live much longer than that—two of my guys overtake them and slit their throats.
I stroll through last, my glare set on a crouched Carisi and the cowering tailor next to him. I jut my chin at the tailor, signaling his freedom.
He takes me up on my offer and scurries out of the shop.
Carisi’s top lip curls in dissatisfaction. He knows he’s fucked.
I stop in front of him and grab his chin. “O for two, Alfredo. Two times now, you’ve tried to kill me and failed. Let me assure you, you won’t get a third chance. I’m here today to show you how it’s done. And, believe me, I get things right on the first try.”
His pudgy chin quivers in my grasp. His lips talk smack anyway. “You really think the rest of my guys won’t be here any second? This is my personal tailor!”
“Yet you’re shaking like the fat chihuahua you are,” I snap. I let go of his grubby chin and stand up straighter. Rolling up my sleeves, I crack my neck and hold out my hand.
Vasco hurriedly passes the metal baseball bat.
Old reliable.
My weapon of choice, reflecting my favorite sport.
I wind up the bat as I turn toward Alfredo. “You know, Freddie, I’m not doing this because you tried to kill me and eliminate my family’s casino. I’m not about to beat the shit out of you for either of those things. I probably would’ve just shot you in the head and been done with it for that. But I am about to beat the shit out of you for something else.”
Carisi spits at my feet and grits his teeth at me. “Go ahead, cocksucker. I ain’t afraid of you!”
“It doesn’t matter, Freddie. It’s going to hurt like a bitch either way. This is what you get for every fucked up thing you did to Ariana. You’re about to die knowing she’s mine now. She’s with me, and I’ll treat her a hundred fucking times better than you ever did, you sorry piece of shit. We’ll start with shattering those horse teeth of yours.”
I swing and land my hit. The metal baseball bat collides with Carisi’s face and wins the battle.
Half the bones in his face break on contact. His nose snaps. His teeth shatter. His eyeball’s bashed in.
He can’t withstand the blow and winds up flopping back onto the floor.
It’s the first hit of many as I wind up for more. Then I swing the bat and hit a home run.
27
ARIANA
I’m asleep when Caesar returns to the safe house. The lock clacks as the metal gears inside twist out of place and wakes me up. My groggy eyes land on the door half a second before it’s flung open and Caesar walks through with the energy of a man who’s just finished doing bad things.
I rub my face and sit up from where I’ve fallen asleep on the sofa. The last thing I remember is cracking open a book to read. There wasn’t much else to do when confined to a safe house. Even less when the man you’re staying with disappears for hours.
Caesar avoids looking at me. He crosses the living space, headed straight for the minibar. He pops the stopper on a decanter of bourbon and fills up a glass more than halfway.
“Want some?” he asks.
My lashes flutter for every quick, confused blink I give. “Where have you been?”
“Handling things.”
“Does this have to do with Fred… Alfredo?” I interrupt myself. “Were you confronting him?”
“Ariana, do you want the truth, or do you want to save yourself the trouble?”
Caesar swallows a couple mouthfuls of his drink and then wanders over to the window that overlooks Atlantic City illuminated by thousands of tiny lights. His brow’s creased in deep thought, his signature scowl alive and present.
