Page 127 of Powerful Deception

Gallo lets out another chuckle, this time one sounding a lot eviler.

“His job,” Gallo scuffs at the two words. “Sweetheart, Joseph Vitale was as corrupt as they come. If I didn’t kill him, someone else would have.”

That’s the tipping point for me.

I’ve heard people say that my father was a corrupt cop. At his funeral, after his funeral. I heard the word and I hear it now.

But I know deep in my gut that it’s not true. If my dad was working for the other side, he was doing it for a reason.

A really good reason.

Joseph Vitale didn’t care about money or going up the ranks, he cared about making bad people pay for their crimes.

He probably wanted Gallo to pay for his.

And he will.

I will make him pay and the way to do that is to finish this man once and for all.

I turn back to Dante, seeing that the gun that Gallo handed me, the one I used to kill the guard and Dante used to kill the second one, is still in his hand.

Dante’s eyes find mine and he looks at me long and hard. As he looks at me, I feel it. I feel what I felt the first time I was in a room with him.

Power.

I feel power moving through my body, and much like our first meeting, I don’t want to let it go and experience it over again.

Dante Rosetti makes me feel powerful, so I grasp at it and hold it as close as I can.

“Kill him. Kill the fucking bastard.” I order.

Surprise fills his eyes, but quickly turns into what looks like pride.

Like he’s proud of me for giving him the order. Like he’s proud of me for finding my power and demanding that he kill Gallo.

A smirk shows through his swollen features, as he comes to stand next to me.

“I think you should be the one to pull the trigger.” He says, holding the gun for me to take.

But I don’t take it. “No, you have to do it. I don’t know if I can shoot someone again.”

“You can. He’s hurt you more than he’s hurt me. You should be the one to do it.” This time instead of holding out the gun for me, he grabs my hand and places the metal piece in my palm.

I look down at the gun in my hand.

I can do this. I can point it at a man’s head and shoot him dead.

I did it before, even if that was different. Gallo’s man was charging towards me, and I didn’t have time to think. Now I do.

But Dante is right. Gallo has hurt me in more ways than I can comprehend. He needs to die at my hands.

So I give him a nod and turn to face Gallo once last time.

I step closer to him, so I don’t miss, his bitty eyes on me the whole time, teasing me.

“You don’t have it in you to pull that trigger.” He taunts, shifting again trying to get on his feet, but yet again he fails.

“I do.” I throw back, raising my arms in to position, gripping the gun and trying to keep it steady.