Page 84 of La Dolce Vita

"I don't work for Malvo. I work for Baldamenti," she answered.

"What? No, she doesn't! She's lying. I swear. They are Malvo’s girls! That is who I called for them. This is not a Baldamenti set up. I swear it." Senator Banfi shouted the explanation at Carlo's back.

"You know better than to call us if you are dealing with the Baldamentis," Carlo said without taking his eyes off her.

"It's not true! That whore is lying!" The senator said. The senator was backed up against the door by Umberto. The man looked as if his knees were knocking.

He traced his finger along the outline of her jaw. "You playing games with me?"

"I'm not lying. I'm new. He's my first client. I came here and did my job. He's the one lying. He's the one that brought the drugs. Not her."

"Shut your mouth, youputtana!" The senator charged at her, but Umberto caught him by the throat. He threw him back. The senator landed on top of the drugged out girl on the bed. He squealed like a pig and dropped off while scrambling on his hands and knees to get away from her lifeless body. Everyone in the room could see his fat, hairy, pimply ass once he did.

"I just want to go home. I don't know her or him."

"I thought you said you both work for Baldamenti?" Carlo asked.

"I-I-I-I do, but I've never seen a person overdose before. Please let me go. I won't say anything. I swear it."

"Take off your dress. Now." Carlo said and stepped back to get a good look at what was under her shiny party dress.

***

"No," Adara said.

The man who was now standing over the whimpering senator glanced her way. His glare was equally terrifying. Carlo's amused smile faded. His eyes darkened with anger. In a flash, she saw the kind madness in his hateful glare that his reputation warned of. She took a step back. Her training would help her disarm one of them, but she had no doubt she could not fight her way out of the room with these two.

He stepped forward as if to grab her and the phone in the room rang. He froze. His gaze switched to the phone and then to the senator. "Who' calling?"

"My men downstairs. You kept them out. They are just checking... on me."

"Giovanni told you to send them away." Carlo removed his gun. "Answer it."

The other man grabbed the senator by the hair and dragged him howling over to the phone. The senator whimpered loudly. He reached for the phone and tried to collect himself. Carlo raised the gun witht he silencer on the end and pointed it at the senator.

"Ah, si, si, va tutto bene!Everything is fine," the senator said. He hung up the phone and put his hands up. Adara stepped further back. Her purse was near the chair. In it was a gun of equal size to The Butcher's. She could not be present and do nothing while a man of parliament was murdered before her. This undercover sting was over.

"Where do you think you're going?" Carlo glanced back at her."Seduto."He pointed to the chair with her purse on top and told her to sit. Adara did so immediately. She put the purse in her lap. And then he turned his gaze back to the senator. However, the other man kept staring at her. She couldn't reach into her purse for her gun.Not yet.

"What are you doing, Carlo? What is this? Take the girl and go. Just go!" Senator Banfi said. Adara heard the senator scream. Her attention volleyed from the enforcer to the Butcher. He had knelt before the senator and put the gun in his mouth. With the gun as the hook, he slowly forced the weeping man to stand upright. The senator’s eyes stretched, and his hand trembled.

"You know I prefer a meat cleaver to teach a lesson, but this gun will do for you little piggy. Make a move and I'll blow a hole to the back of your throat." Carlo said. He kept the gun in the senator's mouth as he leaned over to the right, and put his two fingers to the girl's throat to check her pulse.

"She's dead," Carlo said.

Adara felt as if she would throw up. That poor girl's death was as much her fault as it were theirs. She could have saved her life.She should have saved her life.

"Get on the bed. Next to the whore. Now."

The senator did as he was told. Adara eased her hand into her purse and gripped her gun. Was this how it would end for her? After everything she'd been through, this is where her mission would end? She would not let these men kill a senator. She could not.

"What is going on?" The senator wailed.

"Shut the fuck up. You know what this is."

The senator wept. Adara frowned. She looked to the senator. He was in the middle. On the left side of him was the dead girl. The senator understood the setup.

"Call Giovanni, Carlo. He would never insult me this way! He owes me!"

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