Page 55 of My Mafia King

“What kind of fight?” I ask, looking at Carmina.

Her eyes flicker with a random thought, but her lips don’t move.

I swing my eyes back to him.

“What kind of fight, Anthony?” I ask him.

“There was no fight,” she says, her voice quivering with desperation. “We’re just no longer together. That’s it,” she adds as we all focus on her, except for the man in front of me.

“You heard her,” I say when I lock Anthony’s eyes. “That’s one,” I add, flicking my index finger up. “Now, let’s get to the other stuff. What did I say to you when we met upstairs today?”

I no longer smile since this is no longer about the woman. It’s about him and me.

He stares at me, defiant, ignoring my question.

“You said you were her boyfriend,” he says to me, flashing a smirk. “You’re not her boyfriend. She’s never been with a man.”

“Clearly,” I say, tilting my chin in his direction. “A real man wouldn’t assault his ex-girlfriend and let her live out of her car, not to mention make her have blood on her knees.”

“That’s a different story.”

“Is it?” I say before suddenly pushing to my feet, bending over, locking my hand around his muscular neck, bringing my eyes close to his and uttering words in a menacing voice. “Listen to me, motherfucker. The only reason you are here, and you’re still alive,” I murmur quietly, “is thatshe is still alive, and I’m trying to figure out what you are to her. Or if you mean anything to her.Capisci?Do you understand? I have no problem scattering your remains in the desert. And no one––and I mean no one––would even find a scrape of you. I’m sure no one would mind that you were gone, either. And maybe I’m going out on a limb here… But people would probably dance on your grave if they knew you were gone for good. So don’t fuck with me or my patience. You’ve already taken up too much space in my life. And I’ve wasted too much time with you. I have better things to do than playing detective with you.”

He gasps in my grip before I tear my hand away from him and push him back.

Vito catches him so he doesn’t fall backward.

It’s a miracle my white shirt is still crisp and not stained.

“Why is it a different story?” I ask, falling back into my seat.

“She has some problems back home.”

“With her father.”

“Yes. Her father. He’s an idiot, so she tried to run away from him.”

I glance at Carmina over my shoulder.

“Is that true?”

She says nothing, looking like a scaredy cat. She would leap out of the room if she had the chance.

I gaze at him again.

“And you’re helping her by roughing her up?” I say.

“I didn’t want to rough her up, but seeing her dressed like a whore in a hotel made me lose my temper. The woman is fucking mine…”

I lift an eyebrow, a satisfied grin tugging at my lips as if he's just given me another reason not to let him walk out of this room alive.

“Okay. Maybe she’s yours now,” he corrects himself, “but that doesn’t change my past with her. “I’ve tended to her sweet ass the entire summer, and nothing happened in the end. She didn’t put out,” he says. “Maybe you’ll have better luck with her.”

He doesn’t believe that.

He doesn’t care whether I’ll have luck with her or not.

He’d slice my chest open if he had the chance.

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