Page 117 of Assassin's Obsession

I disconnect the call now that I know the extent of the threat towardmia amate.

She doesn't want me killing people on her behalf, unless it's absolutely necessary. She wasn't upset that I killed her old boss, or that Mario killed Gino Bianchi, but she didn't like the kill list I made of her past boyfriends when I thought they'd had sex with her.

Before her, I would not have considered giving a warning, but Candi brings out the better man in me.

With an exaggerated groan,mia amatedrops into the chair across from me at the outdoor table. "I need a non-sexy soak in your hot tub. My sister and that dog are indefatigable."

"It's your hot tub too. The house and everything in it are as much yours as they are mine."

"Even your armory?" she teases, choosing to make light of it.

But it's not a joke. My life and everything in it is hers. "If you want in my armory, you have to let me teach you how to handle weapons safely."

"I don't really want in your armory." She smiles at me. "But it's nice to know you meant what you said."

"I always mean what I say to you."

Later that night, after making love to my beautiful, precious woman and watching her sleep for over an hour, I drag myself from our bed.

The sooner this is done, the fewer funerals the Gambino don will have to attend.

Bianchi's wife comes from an old lineage in the Gambino Family. Her father was a Gambino capo and now her brother has replaced him.

I take the launch out and head directly to Staten Island. Jumping out, I moor it right on the rocky beach of the capo's home.

"All the exterior guards are neutralized." Derian materializes out of the foggy darkness. "And the security system is feeding false information to the monitoring company."

"He uses a civilian company for the system. Can you believe that shit?" Mario shakes his head.

I don't answer. The faster I get this taken care of, the faster I get back to Candi. Jogging up to the house, I have my plan already mapped out in my head. There are only two interior guards and one is sleeping.

Fuck, if this capo hasn't grown complacent.

This level of laxity is something Severu is going to have to address as godfather. There are too many other players whowould be happy to take our territory if we don't make doing so impossible.

I take care of the guard who is supposed to be monitoring the exterior security cameras first. He's watching a rerun of Seinfeld on his phone. I should do the capo a favor and kill him, but that's not what I'm here for.

I was going to drug him with a shot of K, which would leave him insensate quick enough for my purposes and with no memory of my being here. But fuck if I'm giving this piece of shit the gift of amnesia about his dereliction of duty.

Slapping the special strength scrim-backed, pressure sensitive tape my team uses over his mouth, I flip the man on his stomach before he knows what's happening. It takes a few seconds to get his wrists in the reinforced zip tie cuffs. Then, I use the tape on his ankles and knees.

"You should be fucking ashamed," I grind out tossing him up against the wall opposite his security monitors.

I tape him in place with four bands across his torso. They'll have to repaint and texture the walls in here after freeing him. That tape takes plaster with it when it's removed.

He's definitely not going anywhere.

Unwilling to waste any more time on these guys, I drug the sleeping guard, who at least has the training to have a door alarm which I have to disable. He sleeps with a gun under his pillow and knife on the bedside table too.

It's good to know Gambino soldiers aren't a bunch of fuckups.

Nevertheless, I'm not worried about being disturbed while me and the capo have a little chat.

All the guards are neutralized, and he and his wife have bedrooms on opposite sides of the house. She also takes sleeping pills. Unless we make a helluva racket, she's not waking up.Their kids are both away at college and the live-in staff have bedrooms on the basement level.

After turning on a bedside lamp that casts a low glow over the sleeping man, I shake my head. Snoring, he's got no clue Death has come calling.

Giving him the same treatment I did the first guard, I'm disgusted he doesn't wake up until I'm taping his ankles around the legs of his silk pajamas.

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