Page 58 of Humility

I was going to refuse, but something in my gut told me to hear him out. Looking over my shoulder, I barked at the men.

“All of you, but Dario, get off the pier and wait by the trucks.” They hesitated, looking at one another. “Are you hard of hearing? Fucking move. Now,” I said, swinging my gun up level with the group.

That did the trick, and they all marched away except for Dario, who remained as still as a statue. Except for his eyes…they searched the dark.

“What did you need to say?”

“I took the video footage and the voice recording to a specialist. At first, he didn’t see anything, but I only ever use the best, and after a few hours, he finally confirmed they were faked. They were such amazing copies that you could never tell unless you had top-of-the-line equipment, and it would’ve cost a fortune to create. I don’t know who made them…yet. But someone set Roberto up and everyone else who was implicated in those records. I think someone wanted your father to order all of our deaths.” When I didn’t hit him he continued. “Then I took all the documents to our forger to have them analyzed, but he was already dead. The body was weeks old. Blood coated the table where the fingers off his left hand had been cut off. Someone had forced him to make something and then shot him in the head. I believe the documents sent to your father were made under duress. I called in a favor, that took almost every cent I had, but it’s confirmed…they are fake as well.”

“Why didn’t you fucking lead with that?”

“Because I don’t know who to trust or who is watching. I swear to you, Angelo, we never betrayed your family.”

“What do you want me to do with him?” Dario’s voice yanked me from the memory. I hadn’t seen him move, but he stood beside Matt, who was still begging to be set free.

“Call Nicolas and have him come here when he’s done work. It’s time he got his hands dirty.” Dario nodded. “They are pouring concrete tomorrow. Wait until dark and bury him alive in the floor of the new building. I don’t care where,” I said as if I was talking about economics and not murder.

“What? No, no, no. You can’t. Please.”

I ignored the man as he thrashed around on the chair bolted down to the floor.

“I’ll take the truck and head home for my next meeting.” Grabbing a bottle of water off the table, I poured some on my hands and used my handkerchief to dry them before pulling on my dress shirt.

“What do you want me to do with his car?”

“Call Mike’s Garage and talk to the Castenella boys. They’ll know what to do with it.”

“And how exactly do you expect me to get home,” Dario asked, as we both ignored Matt, who was screaming hysterically at the top of his lungs.

“Text Enzo. He can cut his date short.” There was no hiding the annoyed look as he narrowed his eyes at me. “Yeah, I’m being petty, and no, I don’t fucking care,” I said, taking the truck keys.

“Whatever,” Dario mumbled as I walked for the door. “Hey, do I have to keep him conscious?”

“Only while you bury him. The rest of the time, I don’t give a fuck. It was a pleasure while it lasted, Matt. I hope you enjoy your dirt nap.” I glanced over my shoulder and gave Matt a parting smirk.

The screaming got louder, and then all was quiet. My feet crunched over the gravel of the large, crumbling parking area. I fucking hated that Matt reminded me I was no longer a good man. I pretended I was. I smiled at people walking down the street, and I was polite on the phone, but if pressed, I would eat a fucker’s heart for breakfast, move on, and never think of them again.

Just as I got into the truck, my phone rang, and I recognized the burner cell I’d given Kristof before I left Chicago. I let him live but ensured everyone thought I’d killed him. He’d been working for me ever since to find out who set up Roberto and set the wheels in motion that kept me in Chicago for two and a half years. I answered but didn’t say anything.

“It’s me. Would you like a poison apple?”

Chuckling, I started the truck. “You have a name for me?”

“Oh, I have a name alright, and you’re not going to like it,” Kristof said.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

ENZO

I was trying really hard to be a gentleman, but fuck, Jasmine made it difficult. She bent over as she finished putting things away under the sink, and no threat would’ve stopped my eyes from tracing the shape of her legs up to her sexy ass.

As she stood up straight and turned toward me, my eyes snapped to hers, but luckily, they were closed as she fought with the messy bun on top of her head. It was off to the side, and strands of her wavy hair had escaped. That was all it took for my control to snap, and before I realized I was moving, I was in front of her.

“I’ve got this,” I said.

“Thank you. It is always unruly, but the air here has given it a life of its own. I feel like Medusa.”

“You’re too beautiful to turn anyone to stone,” I said, gently removing her hair from the colorful scrunchie so she didn’t struggle with her injured hand. Jasmine made a little snorting sound but didn’t say anything. Her eyes clearly said she didn’t believe me. “You think I’m lying to you?”