Page 111 of The Last Ones Standing, Part Two

My best friend and the love of my life are the only two who know what the real me looks like. They’ll be able to find me and pull me back out.

I’m counting on that.

Chapter 42

Loose Ends

Gio

When Jace said all the players were on the board. He didn’t know what I did about Kaling and Bertice. He’d fucked up, thinking he would take my niece and run for it.

I heard the concern in Dante’s voice yesterday morning. I’m always ten steps ahead of Kaling. That scene he made in Dante’s office nearly made me kill him then.

His saving grace was the fact that I had this planned. However, when I allow his end because of his plan, I’m going to make sure it’s brutal.

Kaling sent Bertice away right after Bethany was killed. His mistake was thinking my brother had something to do with any of it. If he wasn’t focused on Dante, he might have seen me coming.

“Mm,mm,” Bertice tries to call a warning through the fabric tied around her face and mouth as the garage door announces Kaling’s arrival.

“If he hears you before I want him to, I’m going to have her put a bullet between your eyes,” I say as I gesture toward Ny, not looking up from my pocket watch.

I close the watch, put it away, and smooth a hand down my tie. Taking a dismissive glance around this grody-ass living room, I snort and sit back in my seat, spreading my arms across the back of the couch.

Footsteps in the hallway bring a smile to my face as I look into Bertice’s eyes. She looks like she’s about to fall apart. My grin grows as I place my finger in front of my lips and wink at her.

I look to Ny and nod. She reaches to turn the light out. That does the trick. The steps that were moving away from us turn back in this direction. Ny turns the light back on right as a frazzled-looking Kaling enters the room.

“Bertice,” he gasps out.

“You see how easy it is for me to touch you?” I pull a face and nod. “Morocco, okay. Clearly you don’t understand my reach or who the fuck you’re dealing with. There isn’t an inch on this earth where you or this cunt can hide from me.”

“Wh…what do you want?” he sputters.

I tilt my head to the side. “Have a seat. I want to tell you why I’ve always been the one to watch.”

He wipes his brow and takes a seat in the accent chair we placed next to his wife. He looks nervously at her. Tears begin to spill down her face.

“Don’t worry about her. She has her own purpose. You focus on me.”

He turns toward me and loosens his tie. Good, he’s starting to look as if he understands the weight of the situation.

“Riccardo has been using your family for years, but I think you already know that. What you don’t know is I’ve allowed it. The money you’ve taken, the plot to ruin my future nephews’ chances to become made men. I’ve been aware of it all.”

He nods. “He made promises—”

“Shut the fuck up,” I snarl.

He nods frantically as Bertice sobs.

“You listen, I talk. You’re a dead man, either way, so your best and only option is to do what I say. My forensic accountants are revealing every dime I’ve allowed you to skim. When they’re done, Dante is going to get a call from me to let him know what you’ve been up to.”

His eyes widen. “Ah, you see where this is going. Your wife is going to go away with my friends as a little insurance.”

I snap my fingers and Ming walks in with another surprise I dug up. Peaches, the lover Bertice threatened to leave over. Asia and Nadine step in behind them. Now Kaling really looks like he’s about to shit himself.

“Marone. You didn’t know I knew about Peaches here.” I shrug. “My gut told me you’d be more motivated over Peaches here than you would be over your wife.”

I shrug and pull a face, pulling my watch out and popping it open. I continue to speak as if I’ve dismissed the situation before me.

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