Page 3 of Corrupted Heir (Mafia Kings: Corrupted 1)

“I’d say about one-point-five million light.”

His beady eyes widened in surprise, but he recovered quickly. “I’ve got a message for you from Mr. Belemonte himself. Word around town is you’ve been planning to encroach on our territory.” Jimmy swung his arms out, gesturing around the docks. “Did you think he wouldn’t notice?”

“You heard wrong.” The Luca empire was vast; what reason would we have to go sniffing around the Free Birds’ pathetic back alleys? The properties we had our eyes on had nothing to do with the Free Birds. “Harry was well aware of what we were up to, and he knows it. Completely aboveboard. He knows we would have given him a good deal, but you fucked that up big-time,” I said, nodding toward the briefcase.

“A bit ballsy, don’t you think? Passing up my fine offer when you’ve got a gun aimed at your head?”

“You don’t scare me, Jimmy. All you needed to do was give us our money so we could be on our way. Now we’re going to have to punish you and everyone you work with for something they weren’t even involved in, you piece of shit.”

The men behind Jimmy drew their guns.

Although danger was imminent, I remained still, calm. It was the only way we would survive this. Leo seemed a lot calmer now, too. He’d get used to situations like these in no time. Though the muscles in my neck were tight, I breathed slowly and carefully.

“You should teach your lackey how to hold a gun properly.” I gestured toward the crony on his left. His form was awful, and he would lose his balance if he fired his weapon.

The guy looked down at his gun and flushed. Good. Mind games would help in our situation. There was no way we would get out of this if we didn’t employ a bit of wit.

Two men stepped out from one of the cars behind Jimmy’s, each of them with an assault rifle in their meaty hands. Just fucking great. I needed to think this through carefully.

Jimmy let out a loud laugh. “You’re gone, Dominic. And who the fuck are you to be preaching about honor? You’re a criminal too, and we’re not all that different. The Lucas aren’t all that different from the Free Birds. You assholes just wear suits and act like you own the place, like you have some kind of kingdom. It’s laughable, really. We’re not in the Middle Ages, asshole.”

I shook my head. “Not smart, Jimmy. Betraying a Luca is a big mistake. No doubt, you’ve heard what happened to all the others who tried?”

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll be dead before you can run to Daddy and tell him the news. Easy as pie,” Jimmy said.

“What the hell happened to you, Jimmy?” Leo suddenly said, with a look in my direction and a slight nod. It was time. Leo was just stalling with his little speech. “You’ll pay for this, man, you know that, don’t you? You can’t fuck with the Lucas and keep breathing air. We just can’t let that happen. Walk away now, Jimmy. Tell your boss to hand over what he promised, and this doesn’t have to happen.”

I’d underestimated my little brother. He might be newer to fieldwork, but he was a good talker, and even I could barely see the way he was moving into position while he spoke. Well done.

“I ain’t got no beef with you, Leo, but things are the way they are. No one standing in front of me five seconds from now is walking away today.”

A bullet zipped through the air from behind Jimmy, narrowly missing their mascot, and ricocheting harmlessly off the ground five feet from me.

“You fucking moron,” Jimmy roared without turning around. “You nearly shot me.” And then Jimmy did turn around. In one fluid motion, he grabbed his gun from inside his jacket and shot the guy who’d accidentally almost shot him. The guy was fast—I’d give him that.

No one blinked as the assault rifle fell from the lackey’s hand and he followed it down to the ground. Dead.

“Fucking amateurs,” he cursed under his breath as he turned around with his gun still in hand. He didn’t say another word. The glint in his eyes told me all I needed to know.

“Now!” I barked at Leo. He drew his gun in tandem with mine. We fired two shots before Jimmy could even pull the trigger—one in each of Jimmy’s kneecaps because no one who fucked with the Lucas died nicely.

Jimmy screamed as he lost his grip on his gun and his legs collapsed out from under him.

“Call off your goons, Jimmy,” I said as the rest of his men took aim.

“Kill the motherfuckers!” Jimmy shouted instead.

But he wasn’t fast enough. I fired at the lackeys, making them duck for cover as Leo did what he was supposed to do—hightailed it behind the car.

Two seconds later, he laid down cover fire, and I sped back to join him. Bullets zipped past me, but I’d been right—these guys couldn’t shoot worth shit.

A yelp sounded above the staccato beat just as I slid behind the car.

Bullet had been shot.

“Leo, cover me,” I ordered as I crept along the side of the car toward the mound of fur and blood by the front left tire. I was risking my life for a goddamn dog. My father had better have a harem of gorgeous women waiting for me after this—if I made it out of here in one piece.

I took in the scene in front of me. Half the lackeys were laid out on the ground—well done, Leo. He kept up the cover fire as I darted out, grabbed the dog with one hand, and shot back beside the car. A bullet shot by too close. I didn’t have time to dodge it, and it ripped through my side. I found the asshole who’d shot it, took aim, and put him down with a bullet through his throat.

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