Page 27 of The Killer's Prize

Chapter Twelve

“Boss, I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think Sergio’s in this shit town,”Baldomuttered.

Aldo’s second-in-command looked around the greasy diner with open disdain.Baldohated small towns, then again, so did Aldo. A man of Aldo’s position shouldn’t be taking a day trip to Hillcrest Pine, especially when he had better things to do. Sergio’s betrayal and departure had left a hole in the Family hierarchy. A position Aldo intended to fill.

He sipped his coffee and spat the foul liquid back in the cup. Awful. Aldo doubted anything good came out of this town. He loathed everything about it—from the sickening smiles of the trusting locals to its streets and shops.

He turned his attention to his second. “That’s your problem,Baldo. You lack a vivid imagination. We’ve looked at every nook and cranny ofOakheartCity. We even widened out the search to the surrounding towns, but we never thought to look here.”

“What’s so special about this place?”Baldoasked.

“This is Sergio’s hometown.”

“Huh?”Baldoscratched his head. “Wasn’t Carlo born and raised in the city’s slums?”

“Yes, but not his nephew. I did a little digging on Sergio’s past. Apparently, he grew up here. When his parents died, Carlo became his guardian.”

“Huh. Never figured Sergio to be a small-town boy. Doesn’t fit his profile.”

Aldo had always thought Victor put too much trust in the outsider. Sergio didn’t even come from a reputable Italian family with mob connections. The ease in which Sergio rose through the Family ranks had unnerved him. He constantly voiced his concerns to his brother, but Victor wouldn’t hear of it. Victor once confided to Aldo that he admired Sergio for being a cutthroat survivor.

Victor had truly seen the fucked-up monster that was Sergio as his adopted son. Losing Sergio had dealt a damaging blow to Victor, even though Victor would never admit it out loud.

That explained why Victor had been so insistent on finding Sergio and that waitress. Why Victor had wasted so many resources finding two individuals. His sentimental brother even wanted Sergio brought to him back alive. Victor claimed he wanted Sergio to know he was the last face he’d see before killing him. Aldo scoffed.

His brother was getting soft. Sentimental. The Rossi Family needed a new boss and who was a better replacement than Aldo?

First, he needed to prove to Victor he was reliable. He just needed to fulfill this one task.

“So, what do we do next?”Baldoasked.

“We look around town and ask questions,” he answered irritably.

Baldogroaned and lifted his mug of coffee to his lips. Aldo had been tempted to knock the mug away from his hands so the piping hot liquid would sear him. Couldn’tBaldounderstand how serious this job was?

Maybe Aldo should’ve taken more men, but that would draw unnecessary attention. He knew what a suspicious bastard Sergio could be. If the hitman was really holed up in this town, Aldo couldn’t risk alerting him. Sergio would be prompted to run, and who the hell knew where his next destination would be?

“Just do this fucking job right and both of us will be rewarded for our efforts,” he snapped.

“Yeah.”Baldochuckled. “Victor would be happy to see his prodigal killer returned home.”

“Once we track him, we kill him,” Aldo automatically said.

Baldofrowned at him, then scratched his greasy hair. “But the big boss wants his favorite killer alive.”

“Do you think we can capture Sergio alive?” he asked.

Baldoshook his head.

He hated the fucker, but Aldo couldn’t deny the gap between their abilities. Some men had more luck than others in this world. Sergio had been born to take lives. That was what Victor said, and Aldo had to agree. When it came to dispatching enemies, Sergio was a pro.

“Maybe we should call for more backup?”Baldosuggested.

“Not an option. We can’t risk alerting him to our presence here, if he’s here in the first place.” Aldo’s gut feeling told him he’d hit the jackpot this time, and his instincts never led him astray.

Baldoblew out a breath. “Sergio cut through Mikel and his brothers like they were nothing,” he said, referring to the trio of killers they sent to the waitress’s apartment. Victor had been livid when he found out Aldo had gotten additional insurance. It was quick thinking on Aldo’s part, too, because in the end, Sergio turned traitor. All for a woman.

“Sergio finally has a weakness.”

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