Page 126 of Red Retaliation
CHAPTER
92
Red
IN ANY OTHER SITUATION like this, I’d beat the living daylights from someone, rip their head off and shit down their neck, but this has pushed my fractured mind over the line.
I’ve dragged Del to the floor by the throat and am poised above him - an animal about to deliver the final blow to its prey. However, I’m paralyzed from committing the fatal beating this man deserves.
Now my trusted comrade, loyal worker and best friend has admitted he’s working for the enemy, it has rendered not just me, butallof us into a shocked, catatonic state. I stare in disbelief at the man I’ve loved more than my own brothers for the best part of my adult life.
The pain of not having Arianna next to me cannot be matched to anything, but this comes a close second.
I’m too hurt and betrayed to raise my fists. They hang like lead weights against my side, my mind and body heavy like I’m drugged. I shake my head, sure I’m hallucinating, yet by the sour, vindictive hatred shining with Olympian brightness from Del’s eyes, I know I’m not.
“I’ve watched you strut about.” Del pulls himself up from the glass-covered floor to lean casually against the wall. “YearsI’ve waited for the moment you’re finished.” He chuckles to himself. “And here it is... Yet it’s turned out differently from what was planned.” He shrugs and nods in the direction of Liam and Oscar. “Lorna did well in fucking you all up and driving a wedge between the ‘three musketeers’.”
“Youwere behind Lorna killing our parents?” I manage to mutter, my voice sounding dusty and covered with glue.
“What?” Liam roars, snapped from his stupor. “Lorna killed our parents? What the fuck, Red?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Liam lurch towards Del. He’ll kill the man, but he can’t because, like a masochist, I need to hear what else Del has to say. “Let him speak!”
“Yeah, Red knew all about it. But there’s more... He had no clue that I knew whathedid,” Del grins. “He happily let you andeveryonebelieve Lorna killed herself and, like a prick, took the rap for driving her to it, when it was actuallyhimwho killed her. And do you know why he killed her?”
Dripping with malice, Del’s eyes meet mine before turning to stare at my brothers. “He suspected Lorna was in with Galvatore and Bristoni, but of course, couldn’t tellyoubecause, a) he had no proof and, b) he knew you pair being thick cunts, you’d steam in and ruin his retaliation when he finally got that proof he’s been searching for.”
I’m unable to meet my brother’s eyes. Now they know. But I never told Del any of what he’s just said.
Del’s once trusted face splits into a malevolent smile as he swings back to me. “You’re right that Bristoni ordered your parents’ demise. He wanted the territories, but it wasmewho found a suitable chick to worm into your life and see that the car was doctored in order to kill them. Lorna was a gullible bitch. She’d do anything for money, and she did exactly that. That you worked out her involvement and killed her, therefore saving me the trouble once the job was done, was an additional bonus. The only problem withyourplan now is that you can’t get revenge anymore because Bristoni is dead. Shame about that, eh?”
“Youkilled Edoardo Bristoni?” Oscar pipes up, suddenly finding his voice.
“Not me,” Del shrugs, “but he had to be removed. He’s been a liability since Red’s little darling, Arianna, killed his eldest son.”
As Del jerks his head back in my direction, it’s with sickening clarity that I realize everything. “All this time, you’ve been working for GalvatoreandBristoni?”
“Not always.” Del grins. “I’ve worked for both of them on and off for a while. I guess I got bored of being second-in-command with no chance of inheriting full power here. With the amount of shit I’ve sorted for you, why should I spend the rest of time not having my own firm? I deserve one. Hey, but look on the bright side - all I’ve done is make it easier for you to implode in on yourselves.”
I’m rapidly shaking off my catatonic numbness. Rage bubbles deep inside me, expanding and growing like a rolling snowball.
“The thing is...” Del’s on his feet, wandering between us like he’s in charge. “That Galvatore bitch rocking up and then you marrying her put a spanner in the works. It wasn’t part of the plan and could have royally fucked things up.”
Ice constricts around my heart. Arianna is part of this too? The woman I love is working against me, like I originally believed - like my brothers havealwaysbelieved?
I feel myself slithering into a pit of no return.
“But then I realized things weren’t so bad because when I clocked you actually hadrealfeelings for the whore and she felt the same about you, I knew it would be your downfall. It also made it easier to play everyone off against each other while keeping myself free from suspicion. Of course, you gathering so many enemies along the way, all eager to help me, is always helpful. Joe Farrow, for example...”
My relief at knowing Arianna was not part of this twisted shit fades. “Youarranged for Arianna to be raped that night?”
Del shrugs. “If anything would break you, it would be that, and I was right. Even though the daft cunt didn’t quite deliver on the full instructions, he managed to derail you sufficiently.”
This admission is all it takes to push me over the edge once and for all. The whole time Del has spewed his sick betrayal, I’ve been impotent with an inbuilt block of not killing a man who I saw, up until ten minutes ago as a brother, but now there’s nothing left to protect him.
The animal within me comes to life as I launch to my feet and pull my gun from my waistband. There’s genuine surprise on Del’s face as I aim the barrel. He’s underestimated me. Relying on our shared past is no longer enough.
Del’s flash of shock rapidly dissolves into smug amusement. “Never thought you’d have the balls to kill me, Red, but carry on. It’s worth dying knowing that you’ll never find your woman.”
