Page 10 of The Bonventi Hitman
"The Capstone?"
"Yes, there was a woman in the room with us. A mistress to one of the dead Irish. I took her."
“Took her? Why?”
It was a good question, and one I didn't quite have an answer to. If it would be anyone else questioning me, I would have told them to fuck off and shove my gun in their mouth, but not Luca, my capo, the captain I report to - that could be my death.
"Yeah, I figured she'd need protection now that, well...maybe she knows something, who knows, but I had a feeling."
"Okay, stay there. I'm on my way."
As I hang up the phone, I take a deep breath and exhale. Luca's on his way, which means I have to figure out what my next move will be with the woman in the other room.
I open the door and step back into the main room, my eyes immediately finding her. She's standing near the large window, looking out at the Chicago skyline. The city's lights illuminate her silhouette.
She's holding a glass of amber liquid in her hand, swirling it gently, lost in her thoughts. Her eyes are distant and glazed over, reflecting the bright lights of the city below. I can't help but notice how small and fragile she looks in this grand suite.
"How are you feeling?" I ask, taking a step toward her. She looks at me and then back to the cityscape once again.
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like that before. It was..." her voice trailing off.
I nod, realizing what seems like a common reality in my line of work is nightmarish to others.
"All right," I say and run my hand over the back of my neck. "Take a seat."
Without waiting for her response, I move to the oversized couch and sit down, leaving plenty of room for her to join me. She hesitates, but then slowly crosses the room and takes a seat, leaving as much distance between us as possible.
I take the remote and, with the press of a button, a fire ignites in the fireplace. Its orange glow fills the room.
Sofia turns and stares at it intensely.
After a few moments, she speaks.
"He was a good man," she says, her voice trembling. "He didn't deserve to die like that."
"Who?"
"Conner. The man I told you I was there with."
"Oh, I didn't remember his name, and frankly, don't care to."
She quickly turns her head to stare at me, her eyes full of anger as they reflect the fire.
"Fuck you."
I raise an eyebrow, unfazed by her outburst. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Fuck you," her voice full of emotion.
I scoot closer to her, closing the distance I had given her.
I reach out my hand and cup her jaw. "Filthy words for a such a pretty mouth."
She’s angry but doesn’t pull away.
I can see her trying to hold it together, to keep her emotions in check.
"I just... I don't know what to do now," she admits with hesitation, "I'm alone in this world, with no one to turn to."
