Page 1 of Mafia Boss

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cristian

Killing always came easilyto me. Loving did not.

I held the muzzle of my gun right between Charlie’s eyes and stared down at the guy, feeling no ounce of sympathy for such a pitiful, filthy man. He had corrupted the Ricci name by taking those children, doing things so sinful to them that he’d be sent straight to fucking hell. Right where he belonged.

“I trusted you, Charlie,” I said through clenched teeth, taking the safety off. “And you did the one thing you and I both know this familyneverdoes.” I pushed the gun further against his forehead, watching the tears fall down his cheeks. “Tell me what you did, so I knowyouknowwhy I’m about to shoot you fucking dead.”

“Please,” he pleaded. “Please, Cristian … I’ve known you since you were a boy.” More tears slid down his cheeks, but he’d had no sympathy when he was touching those fucking children, so I had no sympathy now. “Don’t do this.”

I grabbed a knife from the pocket of my suit pants, opened it, and slid it right across his cheek, carving a deep gash in the thing he’d spent thousands on. When I had been young and impressionable, I’d thought it was to look good for the women. But now, I knew it was to appear attractive and youthful, trusting even, to young boys.

He grasped his face and screamed. “Cristian. Please …” Blood spewed out of his wound.

“Fucking tell me, Charlie, or I’ll do it again. You don’t deserve an easy fucking death.”

Nothing.

I slid the knife across his other cheek, then broke his nose just for the fucking fun of it. “You’re a piece of shit. If my father were still alive, he’d be fucking disgusted with himself, knowing that one of his best men did this.”

Charlie grasped his nose and doubled over, spitting up blood. “I won’t do it again. I swear, Cristian. You have to believe me. It was one time. One time! It didn’t even mean anything. I didn’t do anything to the kid.”

My jaw twitched, my finger hovering over the trigger. I didn’t want him to be on this fucking planet anymore, didn’t care about torturing his ass. He deserved death—cold and final death—more than any of the men I had killed.

“Boss,” one of my guards said. “Ben wants to see you.”

Ben. I pressed my lips together at the sound of his name. Another man I’d have to get rid of soon if he continued to disappoint me. I didn’t have time for his bullshit now though. I had other assholes to deal with.

“I’m busy.”

Someone pushed the door open.

“Please, boss,” Ben said, stepping into the room without fucking permission.

Couldn’t he fucking see that I was in the middle of something important?

The guard grabbed him by the shoulder to shove him out, but I stopped him.

“He can stay,” I said, gliding my tongue across the inside of my teeth.

Let him stay, so I can show him what will happen to him if he doesn’t clean up his act.

Ben stared at Charlie, then at the blood on my hands. “I can come back. Sorry for—”

“Sit the fuck down,” I said to Ben. “You wanted to talk to me. You interrupted me. You will wait.”

Ben scrambled to a seat at my desk, and I turned back to Charlie.

“You’re a sorry excuse for a Ricci,” I said. “Take him to the fucking dungeon and chain him up. I’ll be down to handle him later.”

Two guards looped their arms around his and picked him up. Charlie tried scrambling away, shaking his head back and forth and telling me that I was making the biggest mistake of my life. After they took him out the back door, I stuffed my gun into the waistband of my pants and walked around my desk.

“Did you do as I’d asked?” I asked Ben.

Ben glanced from the back door to me and looked at his lap. “Boss, I can’t do this anymore.” He shook his head. “Please, I can’t.” That fearful expression crossed his face, the same one I’d told him he was going to have after gambling away my money.

I stared at him, my tongue gliding across my teeth again as I took a sip of my sambuca. It tasted sour in my mouth tonight, or maybe that was just the thought of a Ricci ever doing that to a child.

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