Page 76 of Reckless Royalty

“Gio,” I say, stepping forward. “Don’t kill him yet. Not until we get what we need.”

He pauses, breathing hard, his fist hovering in the air. “Start talking,” he demands, his voice a low growl. “Who sent you?”

The guy spits at him, the bloodied mess landing near Giovanni’s boots. “Go to hell.”

Giovanni doesn’t flinch. Instead, he pulls a knife from his pocket and flicks it open. “Oh, Hell’s got nothing on me right now.”

“Fucking Christ, G,” Nikolai mutters, though he doesn’t stop him.

Giovanni moves with precision, grabbing the guy by the hair and tilting his head back. The blade presses lightly against his throat, just enough to get his attention. “Who sent you?”

The guy glares up at him, his breathing ragged. “Your mother.”

“Wrong answer again.” Giovanni’s fist connects with the guy’s jaw, the crack of bone on bone echoing in the room. He steps back, flexing his hand as the guy groans in pain, blood dripping from his mouth.

The man coughs, spitting blood onto the floor. “It—it was just a job! I don’t know names?—”

Gio slams his fist into the guy’s gut, cutting him off mid-sentence. “Don’t fucking lie to me.”

“G—” I start, but he cuts me off with a glare.

“I’m handling it, Mihai.”

Connor sighs, leaning back against the wall. “This is gonna be messy.”

“That’s the point,” Nikolai says, watching Giovanni like a hawk.

Giovanni crouches again, his knife glinting in the low light. “Let’s try this again. Who. Sent. You?”

The man wheezes, gasping for air, his head lolling forward. “Okay! Okay! Alberto Giannini. It was Giannini!” he cries out, coughing up blood.

“Bullshit,” Giovanni snaps, slamming the knife into the guy’s thigh. “You’re just saying that because you think it’s what I want to hear.”

“It’s the truth!” the guy gasps. “Giannini sent me. But… but Vito Basile… he gave him the details. It was all him. Vito wanted the girl gone.”

The room goes deathly quiet, the name hanging in the air like a bomb about to explode. Gio steps back, his fists clenching at his sides as he processes the confirmation of what we already suspected.

“You’re sure?” Nikolai asks, his voice cold. “You’re not just saying that to save your own ass?”

“I’m sure,” the guy stammers, his voice weak. “I swear! Vito gave the orders.”

Gio doesn’t hesitate. His fist comes down again, this time slamming into the guy’s temple. The man goes limp, his head lolling to the side, and the room falls silent except for the sound of Gio’s heavy breathing.

“You didn’t have to kill him,” Connor mutters, though there’s no real reproach in his voice.

“Yes, I did,” Gio says, his tone flat, wiping his bloodied hands on his pants. “He was a loose end.”

Nikolai shrugs, stepping forward to inspect the body. “He wouldn’t have lasted long anyway. Not with what he knew.”

I watch Giovanni as he stands over the body, his face hard and unreadable. The tension in the room is thick, the kind that clings to your skin and refuses to let go. None of us say anything for a moment, letting the reality of what just happened settle in.

“You two go,” I say finally, breaking the silence. My voice sounds steadier than I feel. “I’ll have this cleaned up.”

Giovanni looks at me, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. “You sure?”

I nod. “Yeah. Go cool off, Gio. You’ve done enough for tonight. Nikolai, make sure G doesn’t kill anyone else.”

Giovanni hesitates, then jerks his chin in a silent acknowledgment. He steps around the mess, his boots leaving faint prints on the concrete, and heads for the door. Nikolai follows him, his expression cold as he glances back once before disappearing up the stairs.

---