Page 39 of Long Live the King
“I also understand that you’re obviously trying to pin all of this on Victor Fronzo,” I continue. “Somehow, you and Frankie have managed to come up with the exact same conclusion about Victor. They say great minds think alike, but I don’t think either of you has a great mind, so you wouldn’t have come to this conclusion without talking to each other about it. Like the two of you are working together on this whole thing. I don’t know why you would do it, but I know youaredoing it. I know it’s the two of you.”
He still won’t speak. He glances over at me again, his forehead scrunched so tight I know it’s giving him a massive headache. Nonetheless, he remains silent, so I go in for the kill, releasing my final piece of evidence.
“I also know that Dan put up one helluva fight the night he was shot. He took a bullet to the neck, yet still managed to get out of his car and fire off a few rounds. I’d say whoever shot him in the neck thought he was dead, and was a bit surprised when he got out and started shooting again. Probably even took a bullet. I’d say, from the way you favor it, it looks like he got you in the shoulder.”
I hear him let out a pained exhale as he closes his eyes like their weight is too much for him to bear. He starts shaking his head, as though he can’t believe I’ve put it all together. I can’t believe it either, but I’m feeling more and more pissed with every passing second he sits next to me. He isn’t even denying it. He betrayed Dominic.
“I remember how upset Frankie acted when I came back to St. Louis. He didn’t like that Dominic was spending time with me, and when you got shot in the back by Abram Baskov, you started to resent Dominic too. Both of you went along when Leo named him his successor, but you had another plan for the future, didn’t you? This is about removing Dominic from power so Frankie can be the boss, right? You want Dominic out so Frankie can take his place. Or, maybe it’s you who wants to become the boss. Either way, I know you want Dominic out. Just like you said about my distrust being written all over my face, your guilt is written on yours, Tommy.”
As I finish my speech, feeling good about how I solved the puzzle, Tommy slows the car to a crawl, and then to a complete stop. He pulls up on the parking brake just as my phone chimes with a text message. I look down to see that it’s from Dominic, and my heart races as I read.
Dominic Tommy shot Dan. Killed Raphy. Don’t say anything, just get away from him. Now! Where are you?
I already knew this was true, but seeing it coming from Dominic does something to me. I’m immediately filled with worry and fear as my assumption about Tommy has turned into a reality. My thoughts are so out of control that I barely notice when Tommy gets out of the car.
I look up and am shocked to see that we’re nowhere near River City. In fact, I don’t know where the hell we are. Directly in front of us is an abandoned house, with the windows shattered. The building looks like it has been set on fire and left to rot into nothingness. Where the hell has Tommy taken me?
In full panic mode, I grab my phone and start to text Dominic back. The plan is to tell him I never made it home, that I’m at some abandoned house, but I never get to type the letters.
Before I can type my first word, the window next to me shatters. Glass goes flying all over the place, shards hit me in the face and land violently in my lap and on the floor of the Suburban. When all the commotion stops, I look outside to find Tommy’s nine millimeter pointed directly between my eyes. He looks down at my phone, and without saying a word, commands me to drop it. I know he’ll kill me if I don’t, so I oblige.
“Well, you’re just too smart for your own good, aren’t you?” he growls as he grabs the handle and opens the door from the outside. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but I don’t have a choice now, do I? Get the fuck out of the car.”
