Page 23 of Ruthless Mafia Daddy

My hands grab the collar of his shirt, and I lift his head off the ground before slamming it back down against the concrete.

Over and over.

Blood starts to pool. Bone starts to crack.

Death is near.

I can feel it, taste it.

“Andre! Stop!”

Hands are on me, hauling me away.

I round on my enemy, my hands ready to throw a punch, but it’s not an enemy. It’s Marco, and he steps back, holding his own hands up in surrender.

His eyes are wide and filled with concern.

What have I done?

I look down at my hands, bloody, bruised and trembling. My whole body is shaking, and I take a step back.

“Andre,” Marco breathes. “Are you…ok?”

I blink, almost wincing at the sight of Tommy lying lifeless in a pool of his own blood, his skull smashed in.

“I’m fine.” Lies.

“Was that because of what today is?”

My eyes snap to my brother, and I let my rage shine through, but Marco doesn’t back down.

“A job needed doing, Marco, so I fucking did it.”

“A bullet to the head would have sufficed, Andre.”

I shake my head, moving to pick up my discarded knife and pocketing it.

“No, it wouldn’t have. Send Tommy back to Lorenzo as a message.” I run my bloody hands through my hair as I head toward the door.

“You heading back out?”

I don’t bother to look back over my shoulder at my brother. “I have somewhere to be.”

Washing the blood off myself in the shower, I watch it pool at my feet with no sense of satisfaction.

I would’ve thought that pummeling a fucking snitch to death would have released some of the rage within, especially given what day it is. But if anything, I feel more tense.

Of all people Tommy snitched to…

I bet Lorenzo was like a kid in a fucking candy store when he intercepted our shipment.

I grind my teeth together. I hate looking weak, and the fact that one of my own went running straight into the claws of my fucking rival rather than coming to me has me seething.

On any other day, having the blood of a snitch on my hands would bring me a sense of relief.

But instead, I feel empty.

Getting back to the hotel and finding Lila naked and asleep in the huge bed, the silk sheets draped over her lower half, gives me a sense of relief. It isn’t a perfect solution for the long-term problem, but it will do for as long as I have her.

---