Page 99 of Tainted Obsession 1
“Then you’ll die tonight instead.”
I swallow hard, but I keep my shoulders straight. “I don’t know this man. Why should I kill him? He hasn’t wronged me.”
“This isn’t about right and wrong,” Salerno sneers. “This is about loyalty. This is about doing what you’re told. Only one of you is leaving this basement. You get to choose who is breathing when we’re finished here. It’s you or him.Camorristaor death. You want to be one of us, don’t you?”
“Yes.” My answer is immediate and vehement.
“Then prove it,” he snaps. “I’m getting bored, and I might just shoot you both if you keep asking stupid questions.”
He’s still pointing the gun at my chest, but I know better than to hesitate. I boldly stride toward him, closing the distance between us. I take even breaths and will my hand not to shake as I lift it to accept the weapon.
He offers me a savage grin and gives me the gun. My fingers are numb, but I’ve handled a weapon often enough that I’m able to hold it by muscle memory.
I step in front of the bound man and press the barrel to his forehead, right between his eyes. I can at least make this quick for him.
Because there isn’t a choice at all. This is about more than becomingcamorrista; this is about survival. And I’ve always done what’s necessary to survive.
Salerno will kill us both if I hesitate. I’m not willing to end up dead for the kind of foolish principles that ruled my father’s moral compass. There’s no point in both of us dying here tonight.
“Wait.”
My heart leaps into my throat. For a moment, I think I’ve passed the test, and Salerno will let us both go.
Then he removes the man’s gag.
“Please don’t kill me. Please. I have a family. I have three children. They need me to put food on the table. Please, don’t do this.” The pleas leave his bloody lips in a panicked stream.
I have no way of knowing if it’s true. He could be lying.
Or his children might starve without him to provide for them.
I glance at Salerno. For an insane moment, I consider turning the gun on him and shooting a bullet into his black heart.
But then I would be an enemy of the Camorra. Gian and Enzo would try to protect me, and we’d all be hunted down like dogs. We’d die in the squalor ofLe Vele, and no one would mourn us.
I won’t allow my friends to die because of me.
I look directly into the bound man’s eyes. They’re dark green, turned almost black by his dilated pupils. He continues to beg for his life, but his pleas are drowned by the ringing in my ears.
I burn his face into my mind. Not because Salerno commanded it, but because I owe the man that much. I will remember this until the day I die. I will remember him and carry the burden of his death forever. It’s a twisted sort of tribute to him, and it’s all I can offer.
It takes the barest movement of my forefinger to squeeze the trigger. It shouldn’t be so easy to kill a man.
I should’ve used a knife.Having his blood on my hands might make everything feel more real. I should feel his death in every way possible. Such a violent end should be visceral. And a man should have a chance to defend himself.
I shot him right between his eyes and ended his life in less than one of my own selfish heartbeats.
Salerno is laughing quietly. He claps me on the back and takes the gun from my icy fingers.
I follow him out of the basement, leaving the dank space as a man. The half-starved, desperate boy who descended these concrete stairs only minutes ago died in the same instant I ended my victim’s life. I just attained everything I’ve ever wanted, and my soul is screaming because of it.
“Massimo.” Evelyn’s soft voice soothes my wounded soul like a healing balm. “Massimo, wake up.”
I bury my face in her silken hair, breathing in her floral scent to ground myself in the present. I’m not that weak boy anymore. I’ve killed plenty more men since that night. I’ve lost count of how many have died by my hand.
But unlike that night, I always kill with a purpose. I have my own code of honor and sense of justice, something that Salerno has never understood. He’s my boss now, as cruel and conniving as ever. But Gian, Enzo, and I have become powerful enough that he doesn’t often command us to cross our own moral lines. Even the most loyal dog will bite if cornered.
We’re loyal to our clan, not Salerno personally. But until the day comes when we’re able to overthrow the bastard, we have to give him our fealty. The day of reckoning is coming soon now that we’ve made this deal with Duarte and Rodríguez.
