Page 112 of Till Death Do Us Part

“Shit!” Jack jumped back.

“Your choice,” I said to his friends, who had lifted their bats like they were going to whack me to death with them. But I’d already pulled my gun and stuck it to Jack’s forehead.

Celso and Frankie walked up, staring at them. Frankie took a drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke out through his nose. Jack’s friends lowered their bats. I shooed them away with a hand, and they scattered like mice in the darkness. Except for one, who waited by Jack’s car.

“What do you want, John?”

A gust of wind picked up, fall in the air, but his sweat and blood were stronger. His pants were torn at the knee, and fresh blood smeared his skin and soaked the fabric.

“You really need to ask that question,Jack? It seems rhetorical to me.”

“Roma,” he said.

“My wife. I’ll only say this once, then I’ll have no doubt you either weren’t listening or you don’t give a fuck if it happens again. Either way, not my problem. But it’ll be yours. She’s not part of this game we play, understand?”

“You’re the only one playing her.”

I grabbed him by the shirt and slammed his body against the wall. I took a handful of his hair, tilting his head back, sticking the pistol under his chin. “Understand? Yes or no, Jack.”

“If I say no?”

I smiled. “You always were a pompous little prick.”

“Runs in the blood, nephew.”

“Yeah, but I have big enough balls to back up what comes out of my mouth. That gene skipped you and Alfonso. I take care of my own fucking business. Always have.” I pressed the gun even harder. “You’re a smart boy, Jackie. You understand the difference between yes and no. What’ll it be?”

“If you’re so fucking big and bad, why the need for the gun?”

“Just giving you a glimpse of the moment before you leave this world if you step over the line.”

“You’re a fucking asshole, John.”

That was his comeback when he couldn’t think of anything else to say. And the little asshole was ballsy in the face of a gun, but I knew why.

“The agreement between me and Alfonso doesn’t include you,” I said. “But even an agreement only goes so far when it comes to my wife. Standing behind lines isn’t my thing, Jackie. I’m usually the one tripping them. I’m not your old man. You mean nothing to me. And my trigger finger is getting impatient.”

A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. “Get that gleam out of your eye, John.”

He’d looked into my eyes and read the intent behind them. I was done fucking around. I’d splatter his blood all over the side of the brick if he didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear. It didn’t matter to me that his blood resembled mine. He’d be long gone if he was anything but harmless to my wife. Alfonso led him around by an invisible collar.

“I’m out,” he whispered.

“That’s not what I want to hear. I asked you if you understood—yes or no.”

“Yeah,” he said louder.

I moved the gun and patted his head. “Good boy.”

He swatted at my hand. “Get the fuck outta here with that shit.”

“You’re not a bad-looking kid, Jack. You got potential. You’re just lacking a certain ruthless finesse.”

“Fuck you, John.” He fixed his hair. “And I’m the pompous one?”

I grinned as I walked away from him.

“Yo, John!”

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