Page 60 of The Silent Night Stalker
I head on up to the top floor of the luxury condos, and the elevator doors open directly into Alfonzo’s penthouse. Much like theinside of Mario’s place, it’s modern, cold, and stark. Why do some men of power equate this aesthetic with masculinity? It’s cold and boring.
“In here,” he calls out when I step into the foyer. I follow the direction of his voice directly into the kitchen. Alfonzo is sitting in a chair at the kitchen table overlooking the panoramic view of Lake Michigan. The sun is rising, and it’s stunning. It’s a view only the most wealthy can afford.
He’s already dressed for the day, wearing a pressed charcoal-gray suit, with a crisp white shirt, and no tie. His waves are perfect, and his neck and wrist are adorned with gold.
Alfonzo has built his small empire on the backs of bloody corpses and his army. We’re all just cogs that keep making him a wealthy man. That’s all we are to him. I realize that now, thanks to Constantine discovering the truth. The people who uplift men like Alfonzo are nothing. We’re just ants to them.
“Good morning, Enzo,” he says without looking at me. “You have some important news, I take it. So important that it can’t wait until I get to the office later.”
“Morning, Halcón.”
“Would you like some coffee?”
“I’m fine. Is Marianna here?”
“She is visiting her sister in Santa Cruz.”
Good. One less thing I have to worry about. But even if she were here, it wouldn’t matter. It changes nothing.
He takes a sip of his coffee and looks my way as I sit down at the table across from him.
“What is the news?”
“That I know.”
The slight clenching of his jaw tells me he knows exactly what I’m talking about. “Know what?”
“That you and Mario killed Enrique,” I say flatly, desperately trying to keep my cool, or else I’m going to fucking kill him. I don’t care if I’ve never killed anyone before. Alfonzo can be the first if he doesn’t play his cards right. As much as I want him dead, I want Constantine and me to leave town unscathed.
The biggest reason I wanted to meet him at his home is that he would be free of guards, allowing me to get inside with my gun. His wife hates not having privacy and demands that he send his bodyguards away. That doesn’t mean they aren’t watching the building, so I still have to be careful.
His eyes narrow at me, and he slams his coffee cup hard on the glass table, sloshing the coffee all over. “You dare!”
“I dare. I know for a fact that you gave the order to Mario to take out my fucking brother! I know you made a deal with the damn devil, Diego Da Costa! I know you did it for power and greed. Psh…” I shake my head, no longer afraid of this man. He’s weak. Only loyalty keeps him alive. If his people knew how he’s struggling and that he betrayed one of his own, they’d eat him alive. “Fucking pathetic.”
Alfonzo stands and slams his hands on the table. “You better choose your next words fucking carefully, Enzo. I may love you as a son, but you are treading on dangerous waters.”
I scoff at him. “A son? Please. You also planned to have me killed. Fucking hell, Alfonzo. Enrique just wanted to love Carmen. They had plans to run and escape. You didn’t have to take him out. There were other ways.”
Seriously, I’m surprised I’m not aiming the gun at his head right now. I’m way too calm. More calm than I should be.
“Who’s spewing these lies to you?!”
“They’re not lies, and you know it. Constantine overheard you the night of the fight. And we both… got the full truth from Mario.”
He stiffens, looking like he wants to kill me on the spot. “What do you mean you got the truth from Mario?”
That’s my cue. I pull the gun out from behind my back and point it at him. “Sit down.”
“You dare!” he booms again.
I just roll my eyes. “We already had this conversation. Sit down.”
“You’re not a killer.” Despite his words, he does as he’s told.
I lift a shoulder, keeping my gun steady on him. “There’s always a first time. I mean, Mario’s dead, and as much as I wanted to do it, Constantine was happy to give me my Christmas gift—Enrique’s killer.”
His dark eyes pop out of his head, unable to hide his surprise. “What do you mean he’s dead?”
