Page 22 of Brutal Don

“I’ll give you five minutes to make your decision. If I don’t intervene, the two teams have been told to take out both targets,” Dante said.

“You heartless bastard—all this for one unimportant bitch?”Luigi demanded.

It seemed he couldn’t conquer his fear so he settled for fury as well, Dante mused. He ate it all up—placing an important Don in his place and relishing Luigi’s inner struggle, his moment of weakness.

The moment Luigi decided to steal from Dante, he entered a game he could never win.

“Time’s ticking, Luigi. Four minutes,” Dante said, tapping his watch.

He sat back against his chair and watched the old man sweat buckets.

“One minute,” Dante said. He wondered if Luigi would be able to make a decision once the timer ran out.

“I choose Teddy. Tom’s weak, unfit to rule, always has been. Call off the strike team,” Luigi said in a trembling voice.

Dante picked up his phone and called the team leader in charge of monitoring Ted Gambino. “The mission is no-go. You may leave the premises.”

“Yes, sir,” came the team leader’s response. Dante ended the call. The video that showed Luigi’s real son blacked out.

“What happened? Why is the video feed cut off?”Luigi asked.

“Why? Did you want to see Tom’s execution with your own eyes? I could send you his corpse if you’d like. It’s the least I could do,” Dante said.

“Your father made his name through sweat and blood, but at least he had some morals. You, on the other hand, you’re a fucking monster. A psychopath,”Luigi muttered.

The old man shakily rose to his feet, and when Dante rose to assist him, Luigi backed away. It was as if Luigi didn’t want Dante putting his hands anywhere on him.

Good, that was the exact effect Dante wanted—for his enemies to be so afraid of him, they wouldn’t dream of making another reckless move.

“I wonder what were the last thoughts your son Tom had, when he realized his father had just gotten him killed,” Dante remarked as he walked Luigi out of his office.

Luigi turned his beady eyes on him and scowled. “Luckily for my poor son, he’ll never know, willhe?” Luigi shook his head. The old Don’s two loyal bodyguards looked relieved to see him unharmed.

“Gavin,” Dante said, addressing his head of security. “Kindly escort Mr. Gambino and his bodyguards out of the building.”

“With pleasure, Mr. Massimo,” Gavin said.

Luigi suddenly gripped the nearest table with pale and shaky fingers. Dante idly wondered if making a difficult decision had sapped all energy out of the Don. He felt not a sliver of pity or remorse. Luigi should’ve known better than to go up against him.

“Sir? Are you all right?” asked one of the newer members of Gavin’s security team. Dante couldn’t recall his name but remembered Gavin telling him he had just taken a rookie under his wing.

“I just need to catch my breath,” Luigi said, grasping the newbie’s arm. Then without warning, Luigi snatched the revolver tucked into the rookie’s gun belt. The new guard widened his eyes, Luigi shot him in the shoulder, then aimed the gun right at Dante’s face.

“Who’s laughing now, bastard?” Luigi asked. Spittle flew as the old man laughed. His guards looked worriedly at each other. They should be alarmed, Dante thought calmly, because this situation couldn’t possibly end well.

“I should put a bullet between your eyes right now but I think I’m going to take you with me. Once my best torturer starts working on that smug and pretty face, you won’t be smiling,” Luigi said. “Take a step closer. Carlo, cuff him.”

Silent fury filled his belly. Did Luigi really believe such a puny gun could stop him? Dante raised both his hands and approached the old man slowly.

“Good, now put your hands behind your back,”Luigi ordered.

Once Dante was within inches from Luigi, he reacted. Luigi might be the one with the gun but Dante was younger and fitter. He worked his way up the ranks of his father’s organization while growing up.

Luigi’s stray shot went wild as Dante closed his fingers over his wrist and broke it. Luigi screamed. Dante dropped to the ground, so Gavin or one of his men could take aim and shoot. A red hole appeared in the center of Luigi’s forehead. The Don stared at him with accusing eyes, then dropped to the ground.

Shouts and chaos ensued as Luigi’s guards tried to get to him, but they were easily outnumbered by Dante’s men. Dante leaned over Luigi’s body. Dead. He would have allowed Luigi to walk out of this building alive but the fool had allowed desperation to dictate his actions. Dante closed Luigi’s open eyes.

“Stand down. No one else has to die,” Gavin was telling Luigi’s two angry guards.

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