Page 39 of Dreadful
As the conversation continues, I back away. It was a risk to stay this long, but listening gave me information I didn’t know I needed. I just have to wait for him to go back inside. Then I’ll move forward with my plans for the evening.
He doesn’t realize I follow him as he leads me to a black Rolls-Royce in the VIP parking lot. Just in case he sees me, though, I shift my knife into the pocket of my trench coat and keep my grip tight around the handle.
My heart races in my chest as I map out the scenario in my head. I already fucked up once trying to take out this target when I wasn’t prepared. I won’t make that mistake again.
The melody drifts over my mind, helping me focus.
The butler,the maids, andgardener…
Scene 11
THE DRIVER
Sever
Rage still flows hot in my veins as I analyze the man I just tortured to death. A quiet, tiny, lessunhingedvoice inside me whispers that I might’ve gotten carried away. But the memory of Tallie pale with fear flashes across my mind, and all my doubts disappear.
Cazzo, I wish I could do it all over again.
I thought the girl’s death fifteen years ago was the only thing that could get me this angry. Apparently, any injustice against Tallie has the same effect. But why her? I barely know the woman.
And yet…
If I’m honest with myself, there’s something about her that reminds me of the girl that saved me. Tallie is volatile in one moment and gently teases her stressednonniin the next. She loves art, and when she battles her own nerves, she takes solace in soft comforts and order. The more I find out about her, the more I want to know.
I wasn’t prepared to get so invested in a stranger, especially not now that I’ve started a war with my uncle. Love was never something I dreamed of for myself, but according to the dreams I’ve had lately, Tallie is exactly the type of woman I’d fall for—the type to glare at her enemy while hiding her weapon in trembling fists.
Tallie was ready to stab Percy in the balls with a pair of thread scissors for Christ’s sake. I have no doubt that she would’ve done what she had to in order to defend herself, but she wouldn’t have been able to give thebastardoeverything he deserved. Besides, I didn’t want her to do it alone. Now her hands are still clean, and she’s safe from thestronzoforever.
The only concern I have left is making sure my mother doesn’t find out about this and tattle to her husband. Thankfully, Raze will take care of the body, and I’m hoping her gaggle of sycophants will keep her busy long enough that I’ll be back inside before she even misses me.
When I hang up my call with my cousin, I ping him my location and tuck my phone back into my pocket. Using my cane again, I walk toward the dumpster and glance through the crack. The parking garage is deserted, from what I can tell, so I slide through and head toward my uncle’s Rolls-Royce Ghost.
The night has grown quieter, and my gait echoes softly against the brick buildings surrounding the parking garage. With the lights so dim, I get the strange feeling that I’m both all alone and being watched. My grip tightens on my cane handle, and I stick to the shadows on the way to the car, prepared to defend myself should anyone attack.
I’ve always been vigilant and ruthless. A made man has to be. But something cracked inside me after I killed Vinnie. When I came up with my plan to get information from him, I thought he would give me all the answers I needed about the girl who sacrificed her life for me. Not only was that a dead end, according to him, everything I thought I knew was a lie.
The hunch I had about my father’s death was right, but the rest of it—my kidnapping, the girl, even how the butchery became my father’s barbershop—is all a lie. I’ve felt a twisted sort of guilt since I found out. Even though I had nothing to do with the Bianchis’ deaths, I can’t stop feeling like an accomplice by association.
Of course, the man whoactuallykilled that family is leaning against my uncle’s Rolls-Royce without a fucking care in the world.
I’d take Alfonso Foglio out right now if I could, but because I’m one of Claudio’s soldiers, I don’t have free rein to decide who lives and dies. If I did, Foglio would be one of the first to go. As it is, I’m already fucked if Claudio finds out about the mess I made in the alley. Not to mention every second that Vinnie stays on his “bender” is another one closer to Claudio realizing something is wrong. I need to move in silence for as long as possible so I can strike when I’m ready, which means my uncle’s driver is safe for tonight.
But as I approach the Rolls-Royce, it’s obvious that Foglio is determined to test my restraint tonight. His eyes are glued to his phone while he smokes a joint. He swipes the screen, so bright against his pale skin that a stranger could easily identify his ass in a lineup. To top it all off, the garage lights catch the shiny plastic bag of pills in his hand.
What a maledetto idiota.
No doubt he’s waiting for a drug deal, trying to kill two birds with one stone as my mother’s driver tonight. A heavy sigh leaves my chest as I try to tamp down the emotions still flowing through my veins.
Before Claudio came into power, we never sold drugs on my side of town. Now the North End is the first place his lackeys stop. He even goes so far as to sell experimental shit from some mysterious supplier.
If this was my kingdom, we wouldn’t fuck with drugs at all. Dealing around the neighborhood not only hurts our home, it’s sloppy. Dipping into the supply is even worse. That’s exactly what Foglio is burning right now with a blunt that’s laced with fuck knows what from God knows where.
He isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed on his best day, but stoned, he doesn’t even have the foresight to turn off the sound on his phone. His fingersclick-click-clickaway on the screen so loudly that he can’t hear me coming. The guy’s one saving grace is that he’s as loyal as they come. But after all these years of driving for my uncle, there’s a reason he’s never been promoted to a higher position. It’s not because Vinnie was smarter than him. It’s because he’s somehow dumber than Vinnie. Even with Vinnie fucking up so much lately, Claudio still doesn’t have anyone better to replace him.
My stride never falters as I stab the tip of my cane against Foglio’s chest, slamming him into the car. Theidiotadoesn’t even reach for his—
“Where the fuck is your gun, Foglio?”
