Page 55 of Blood & Loyalties
“Yep.”
Dan raised his gun, aiming for Zan’s head. Thoughts of him with my father came into my head. Back then, he had been a good guy, or so I had thought, but it didn’t negate from the shit he had pulled. I knew the bosses wanted him, but before I could call the halt, Zan had to open his fucking mouth.
“Can’t even pull the trigger yourself. I told Geo you were useless.”
At the mention of my father’s name, my fists began to do the talking for me. As the fucker sat in the chair, blow after blow landed on him. The crunch of his bones felt good beneath my hands.
I heaved in a breath and pulled back, blood dripping from my hands and Zan’s face. Regardless, he still wore a smile. I had fallen into his little game, his little trap. Dammit.
I stepped back, gathering myself and damning myself for losing it.
“Now, boss?” Dan asked.
“No, Sal wants him.”
Zan’s chuckle was a sadistic, evil tone. “Figures he wants me. You ever wonder why Sal killed your father?”
I stilled on the inside, my blood running cold from his words. “What?” I growled, knowing I shouldn’t play into his game, yet wanting to hear what the hell he knew.
My father had been the fucking world to me, and Zan knew it. He was hanging it over my head, and I was allowing it. I knew Sal hadn’t done it. I knew it, but I allowed him to continue.
He spit blood out of his mouth and smiled, blood covering his teeth, giving the old man a very eerie look. “Your father had a lot of enemies. Why do you think his killer was never found? Because the man you look up to killed him, and you didn’t do a fucking thing about it.”
“You’ve got no proof,” I ground out, clenching my teeth so hard the sound almost gave me a headache. I knew he had none; he was just trying to spare his worthless life.
“Might.”
My instant reaction was that the asshole was telling me a load of shit, but the glimmer in his eyes begged to differ.
I grabbed his bloody shirt with my fists, hauling him out of the chair and to his feet, bringing him nose-to-nose with me. I could feel his nasty breath on my lips.
“Let’s have it.” My fists gripped his shirt so tightly a small tearing noise was heard in the background, but the thumping in my ears from my racing heart drowned most of it out.
He laughed yet didn’t attempt to move his hands or body. “You didn’t want to know then, and you won’t know now,” he challenged.
I threw him back in the chair in a huff.
“You know something.” Fuck. This was supposed to be easy, but Zan’s words festered inside of me. “Tie him up securely. Cover his eyes. Use duct tape and rope. I don’t give a fuck if you wrap his whole goddamned body in it. Get him ready to go.”
“Brett!” I yelled and he came quickly. “Load it all up. Now. The plane leaves in thirty. Have Vinny set it up. Go.”
He nodded, taking off.
I turned to the man I had called family at one time, but only disgusted me now. “Well, you stupid S.O.B, you won’t be dying fast and painless. I’ll make sure it’s slow and painful. You will tell me what you know about my father.”
His eyes flickered as he opened his mouth, but Dan stuck fabric inside it then wrapped tape around his head. He didn’t bother making noises; he knew we were done listening for the time being.
“Out!” I yelled, picking up my phone. “Vino,” I said when he picked up, “we’ve got him, and I’ll try not to kill him before we get there.”
We toucheddown around four in the morning. With the night’s shadow, Vinny, Dan, Brett, and Rex were able to quietly move the trunk that carried Zan into the back of the black SUV.
Driving through the empty streets on the outskirts of town, I wondered if Catarina was still curled up in her fluffy teal blankets, looking like the goddess she was, or maybe she was getting ready for work. One thing was for certain though. After settling this asshole, I was finding my girl.
It had been so long since I had heard her sweet voice, and I fucking missed it. When she had stopped taking my calls, it had been a shock to my system. Hearing from her had been the only thing that had kept me sane daily, so when those calls had stopped, anger had risen up inside, eating at me. I wasn’t proud of that shit, but you couldn’t change feelings.
With every call I had placed, trying to reach her, she had rejected it, turning me inside out, and causing my bloodlust to get Zan to take over. All my focus had gone into finding him, and now that he was in the back of this damn car, I just wanted him dead. The sooner he talked, the faster it would be done, and then I could move on.
My cell rang in my pocket, jerking me to the present. I reached in, looking at the display and saw Val’s name.
