Page 19 of The Boss

Havros tossed Frankie through the door into the small alley, the boaster slammed into the dumpster. My brother crouched down, staring the man in the face. “You know something about the Stalker. Talk or I’ll rearrange your face.”

I stood over them, poor Frankie finally understanding the error of his ways. But he still wasn’t talking.

My patience was waning, but Havros was in his element. When my brother pulled back his arm, his hand fisted, Frankie threw up both his arms.

He certainly wasn’t anyone’s enforcer. Not only was he slight in size, he also wasn’t dressed like a soldier from any other crime syndicate. I had a feeling he’d believed his antics wouldn’t be noticed.

“I’ll talk. Jesus. Just get me off the pavement.”

Havros exhaled then pulled the man to his feet the same time he moved to a standing position. “Talk fast or I’ll feed you to the rats.”

“Okay. Jesus Christ. I heard he’s in town. So what? You know the stories. People love the shit. The Stalker is like some dark god.”

“I am curious how you would know given you’re from the United States.”

“Oh, hell. The dark web. Ever heard of it? Just fucking let me go. Don’t be an asshole.”

Was he kidding me? I glanced at Havros. Checking the source wasn’t tops on my list. However, I made a mental note to see what Atticus could find.

While Frankie’s body was shaking, he had no understanding of how much danger he was in. The hard jab under his chin I delivered knocked him back by a few feet. Bloody spittle slipped from his mouth. Under the single light, his eyes reflected a better understanding of what predicament he was in.

I pulled out my weapon, holding it in front of me as I slowly made my way in front of him. “One last time, Frankie. I don’t need any additional bullshit. What do you know?”

“Please don’t kill me.” He made the fatal mistake of trying to run.

With a hard snap of my hand, I drove him into the wall as I smashed my weapon against the side of his head. His howl was louder than before.

My anger was coming close to being an eruption of savage violence. That hadn’t occurred in a long time.

“I don’t have any intention of killing you, but it will be difficult to enjoy our fabulous Greek foods without your tongue. Or I might concentrate on your kneecaps instead.”

As soon as I pressed the barrel to his right one, he squealed like a pig.

“No, please. Please.”

Exhaling, I gave Havros a look indicating he needed to stand down and pulled the weapon away. “I think we’ve come to decent terms, my friend. Talk.”

I was certain the guy was going to piss in his pants. “I don’t know much. Just that he’s in town and he has several targets.”

“How do you know this?” Havros barked.

Frankie swallowed hard. “I… I, um, overheard it at a coffee shop.”

“I have a question for you, Frankie, and I really do want an honest answer. Why are you lying to me?”

I considered myself a man with excellent instincts, but perhaps after tonight I’d question that. The hard screech of tires instantly jerked on my instincts. The vehicle’s backside sliding, the driver finally got control and headed right for us, the brights on in order to keep us blinded.

With the vehicle’s speed in excess of seventy miles per hour, there was little time to react.

“Down,” I managed to scream at my brother just seconds before the shooting began.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Several rounds were fired from a machine gun stuck out the passenger window. I got off several shots, hitting the vehicle at least three times, yet it continued on its path, screeching onto the street and disappearing. Hissing, I rubbed my jaw as frustration tore through me.

“What the fuck?” Havros asked as he struggled to stand.

“It would seem we’re being hunted.” I slowly turned my head, grimacing when I did.

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