Page 54 of Dreadful
“Was this your intent, Claudio? To let me take out the witness myself? Your methods are questionable, but I have to admit, killing a man does feel exhilarating.”
“I’m not dead yet, motherfucker. Come over here and try it again when I’m facing you, you goddamn coward,” I growl and push off the ground. The judge scrambles backward into Roman. My cousin shoves him into his chair, while Raze and Tiero slam me to my knees again.
Having two men holding me back instead of three should make it an easier fight, but my chest burns every time I try to rip away, and warmth spills down my torso. The holster underneath my arm becomes slick with blood, and it slips against my ribs, taunting me with the fact that I can’t get to it.
I writhe and seethe, air practically smoking from my nostrils. The red haze of revenge clouds my mind, and I can’t think straight. All I can see is the rapist in front of me that’s about to die.
“What you see here in front of you is weakness, boys. Emotion like this clouds the mind.” In my periphery, Claudio studies me as he stands and rounds the table, but I can’t take my eyes off my victim. “Find weakness. Exploit it. Don’t succumb to your emotions like your cousin here. As Severino has demonstrated, you won’t get far in this world if you let them get the best of you.”
I feel it before I see it.
Blinding white agony explodes in my vision as Claudio kicks the shit out of my leg. My eyes roll back in my head, and I have to breathe through my nose to keep from throwing up. Once I open my eyes, I see he’s picked up the steak knife I dropped.
“Che cazzo, Claudio?” Raze growls.
The grip on my arms loosens, and I crumple farther to the ground. Agony radiates through my body, keeping me down this time.
“I subdued him where you failed, Orazio, so I took matters into my own hands, as usual, lately. Watch where your loyalties lie when I call on you.”
My cousins grab me again with even more force, and Claudio wheels around to face the judge.
“Why are you doing all this, Claudio?” The judge gulps.
His pale skin is mottled red, and he looks like he’s about to have a heart attack. His eyes dart back and forth between me, his knife on the ground, and Claudio, as if he can’t decide who is more dangerous.
“Because my dealings need to stay off the feds’ radar. With such strong contacts in both New York and Nevada, you are the only man I can dependon to ensure my goals are met in both states.”
The judge licks his lips nervously and stares at me raging like a bull against my captors. Part of my mind still has the wherewithal to listen to the conversation even if I’m dizzy with rage.
“A-and if I don’t?”
“Simple. I sic my bloodthirsty nephew on you. I’ll keep him at bay for as long as you meet my demands. If you refuse, I’ll unleash my dog.”
The judge’s face purples, and he braves taking his eyes off of me to point at Claudio.
“I have my own people, you know. I’m not the new judge, fresh on the bench without power or backing anymore. I have my own resources and my own men that can make you and thisproblem” —he jerks his thumb at me— “disappear.”
Claudio chuckles. “We all know it’smymen who make problems disappear. And trust me. All the resources in the world won’t stop Severino once he’s set his sights on it. He’s already up to something, I can smell it. At this point, it’s you or him. I trust that one of you will figure it out. Either way, I know how to bring both of you to heel.”
“Fine,” the judge grits out. “I’ll play your sick games as long as you keep him under control.”
“Excellent, Dickie. You’re making the right choice.”
Claudio settles back into his seat like a king on a throne, his hands casually lying on the armrests. My hatred for him is nearly as strong as it is for the judge, and having them both in front of me without being able to do a damn thing about it makes me so furious I’m lightheaded.
“I’ll need you back on the New York circuit by next month, Judge.”
“Next month?! That’s impossible, Claudio—”
“I don’t give a shit. Make it happen, Dickie, or else…” He juts his chin toward me.
“Don’t fucking, ‘or else’ him, Claudio. Fuck your deals. He’sminewhether you like it or not.”
Claudio chuckles. “Have you forgotten I have your mother under my thumb as well? You may hate her for marrying me so quickly, but you’re not callous enough to put her life in danger, are you? And if you are so heartless, just know that I have other methods of making you comply. Ones that are, arguably, even worse.”
The hair on the back of my neck rises. I don’t know what he could have in mind for the second threat, but fuck if he’s not right about the first. It’s just as it’s always been. My mother and I haven’t seen eye-to-eye since she skipped over my father’s warm, dead body to “sacrifice” herself to keep me safe. That might have saved my life, but her decision has destroyed my plans at every turn. As much as I hate her for that, Claudio’s right. I can’t have my mother’s blood on my hands.
The judge watches me grow limp with defeat under my cousins’ hands. He whines like theputtanahe is as he begins to dial on his phone.
