Page 54 of Mr. Kelly

Angelo nods but doesn’t say anything. Angelo is smart and extremely loyal. He loves his fucked-up cousin so gifting him part of Luciano is an expression of my gratitude. He called us the moment Luciano reached out. We were already headed in this direction, but her tracker lost signal in the building. He saved us precious moments.

I want to hold River and tell her it's all going to be okay, but I need to vanquish her demons first.

I glare at Surly. He's still standing in the same spot scared to move since Andrea's gun is still aimed at him. Andrea is toying with him, allowing him to think he's going to live. He won't.

He returns a defiant look that doesn't impress me. He reeks of fear. It's something we've been trained to prey on and sense. His fake bravado sickens me, but his intentions for River make me ill. I’m in his face without another thought, feeding him my fists one quick punch after another. I’d kill him right now, but I'm leaving him to Andrea. It’s a request I happily granted since he’s dead either way. We killed the majority of his crew on the way in to get him. It was quiet, and they didn’t see us coming.

My last blow to his jaw rocks his balance and knocks him on his ass. Surly crawls forward like he wants to fight back, but Andrea clicks his gun.

“Aht. Aht. Take your beating. You three terrorized a pregnant woman. She didn’t get to fight back.”

His envy of Andrea is etched in everything from his expression to how he scrapes his nails on the concrete floor. Even the gash I gave him bleeds with jealousy.

“So the washed up bouncer needs the pampered prince to watch his fucking back. You fucking born-rich babies can’t do anything for yourself. Weak. What’s wrong, bouncer, did you lose your nerve to kill?”

His attempt to goad me is so hilarious, I throw my head back and laugh. I bend so I can look him in the eyes. I grab his face like he grabbed River, making sure to inflict pain on his bruised jaw.

“Your attempt to avoid Andrea is cute. I was never a bouncer. I was his right-hand. A problem solver. The last person his enemies saw before they died. I simply retired. I didn’t lose my nerve to kill. What’s one more soul on my back?”

I use my hold to slam him down on the ground. The crack of his skull hitting concrete makes me feel a little better. I watch him struggle to breathe with my knee pressed to the top of his chest.

“I’ve killed in ways you can’t imagine.”

He gasps for air when I stand. Surly should be happy I'm leaving him to Andrea. He doesn’t have patience for the slow kills. I, on the other hand, would watch him bleed out slowly.

Mario whimpers from the pain in his ankle, bringing my attention back to my real task at hand. He’s up on his arms, trying to slide away like escape is possible. Stalking his way, I pull my leg back and kick him in the face so hard he rolls onto his back in pain.

“Going somewhere, Mario?”

“Let me go,” he sputters.

His request pisses me off more. “Like you planned to let River go?” He doesn’t get to respond as my boot connects withhis mouth again. I grab his shirt, pulling him until he’s sitting up. “I see you like to slap pregnant women.”

I backhand him, but the feeling of my hand inflicting the kind of pain he’d given River unlocks that last barrier between control and unfiltered rage. I keep slapping him until my hand throbs, then I let him fall back to the ground.

“I believe I made you a promise when you called River.”

Recognition mixes with the pain in his eyes. He didn’t know who he was speaking to on the phone, and now I hold his life in my hands. I see how this gets men drunk on power.

“I…I just wanted my baby.”

The thought of Mario raising my child is gross, especially with the way he treats River. When River told me she was pregnant, I considered for a moment that it could be Mario’s, but I now realize that I’ve already dubbed the baby as mine, even if it does have Mario’s DNA.

It’s moot, because I know in my bones that it’s my baby.

“To do what? Sell him like you did his mother? Raise him to be a piece of shit like you? It doesn’t matter; it’s my baby. You left her in a lurch, and I’ve been taking care of her ever since.”

He cries out when I break the first bone. I promised to make it hurt, but I’m also itching to get back to River. I need to check on my future wife and our child.

“You’re lucky,” I tell him. “I’m too busy to kill you as slowly as I’d like.” I shoot him in the shoulders and at the base of the spine. “Let me correct my statement. I’m too busy towatchyou die slowly. Ever heard of bio cremation?” I wait like he’s actually going to answer, but he clutches his bleeding body in pain. "Don't worry, you will. "

Ignoring Mario's pleas, I walk out, leaving Surly to his fate.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

ANDREA

It’s true,I’m extremely protective of the people I care about, especially Theodore. He’s the brother I’ve always wanted, and I’ll do almost anything to preserve the relationship. I watch as he stalks off to take care of his family while I stay to take care of mine. I warned Surly—no, I outlined the consequences of his future actions—and he didn’t listen. I’m more than happy to show him the outcome of such an egregious error.

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