Page 5 of Merciless Oath

“The Golden Ace, we finally meet.”

Yes, you finally ran out of disposable foot soldiers and showed up yourself. Might as well be done with this.

I smile ruefully, knowing I’m playing the part of the asshole perfectly. Jesse Aventura slumps in his seat, tapping his fingers against the splintering wood grain of the old table. An ancient bloodstain under his elbow catches my eye.

A foreshadowing of what’s to come.

“That’s what they call me,” I quip, circling the table languidly. “I prefer Enzo, honestly, but the fans have a mind of their own.”

“I see Romano trained his sick sense of humor into you as well,” he grumbles, his shoulders stiffening when I pause directly behind him.

I whip out my switchblade, and the noise makes him jump. He leans back casually, desperate not to show his cards.

He’s scared of me.That tiny rush of power never fails to confuse and delight me.

“As much as I love the flirtation we have going on here, how about you tell me what the hell you’re doing creeping around my warehouse again?”

I move to face him, and my palms come down hard onto the tabletop, putting me right in his face. His gaze remains impassive, but I catch his eye twitching wildly.

“Never even seen your warehouse, Cavalli.”

“Is that so?” I push myself off the table and cross my arms. I can feel him staring at my ink, and I flex my muscles to enhance the image.

“Because as your little friend Damian, may he rest in peace, revealed,” I continue, “you’ve had your guys monitoring my shit for months.”

He stares pointedly at the table, refusing to meet my gaze. I sense his rage growing, and my excitement balloons along with it.

“And then there was your little buddy Jorge.” I grin as his eyes shoot up to my face, anger coloring his vision. “Oh, I’m sorry… yourbrotherJorge. Such a shame about him, too.”

“What do you want from me?” he spits. His fingers twitch, and I worry for a second that we decided not to bind his wrists.

I hear Joe Romano cock his gun behind me and it settles my nerves—I’m good. I’m safe.

“You've ignored mywarningsto stay away from my business, my family, my city. And now?—”

“Now what? You’ll kill me?” he snickers. “I’m not saying shit.”

“Oh no, Jesse, I don’t need to kill you,” I drawl, smiling wickedly. “I know lowlifes like you don’t value your own existence much. Have you seen Catalina recently, by the way?”

I watch with deep satisfaction as every muscle in his body stiffens. He’s frozen to the core, staring at the table with such intensity that I half-expect it to burst into flames.

“What’s the matter?” I chuckle. “Cat got your tongue?”

“How the fuck do you know that name?”

“You mean your adorable little daughter? The one who lives with her mother—whohatesyou, by the way—in Miami at…” I pull a paper out of my pocket, pretending to study it intensely. “Let’s see, 745 Palermo Avenue?”

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I wonder for a second if it’s another cryptic message, but that’ll have to wait.I have him right where I want him. I know it.

“Fine,” he spits. “We’ll pull out of your turf; you won’t hear from us again. Just leave Cat alone.”

Finally.

I groan and rub my burning eyes. A glance at my watch tells me I’ve been staring at this computer screen for four hours now.Probably without blinking, you dumbass, I chide myself.

I force my body out of the leather chair and walk around my office, trying to stretch my sore back.

The city glitters below me like a delicate jewel. I still can’t believe that it’s all mine—well, the gritty underground parts, anyway. I won’t be running for mayor any time soon, that’s for sure.

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