Page 67 of Bloody Savage God
I’ve got ways to encourage them if necessary.
Finally, I reach Mario’s table and he turns to look at me. His eyes widen in surprise and he stands up, spilling his wine all over the tablecloth.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he growls, playing at actually having enough balls to fill his boxers.
“I’m here to make you pay for what you did.” My voice comes out low and dangerous, just as I intended.
Mario’s face pales and he glances at the other men around the table, realizing he’ll look mighty dumb if he backs away now.
“This isn’t your part of town. You can’t do shit here,” he says, doing a decent enough job at keeping himself from stammering.
Except, none of the other men make a move to get up and escort me out. Not yet anyway. Instead, a few of the men who were sitting at the other tables scattered throughout the room have gotten up and formed a loose cluster nearby, staring me down as if a fucking twitch of their eyelids would make a damn difference.
“Time to go for a walk,” I tell Mario.
He scoffs. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Who the hell do you think you are?”
I don’t answer him. Instead, I lean forward, letting him see the violence in my eyes. The other men watch us, but none of them try to stop me, and I wonder if Gianna knows how little loyalty her uncle inspires. I imagine it would have lessened some of her concerns.
In the periphery of my vision, I watch a man usher a couple of families out, while another makes a call. I ignore all of them, focusing on Mario.
“You’ve got two options, Romano. You can be a pussy and sit back down like a coward, making your men wonder why a Russian came in here to deliver a message, or you can come with me to have a chat. Maybe then your men will think you actually have a dick.”
The guy is an arrogant prick, but he’s not stupid. He wouldn’t have made it to consigliere otherwise. Then again, he might have gotten the job because of his family connections. What I know for sure is that he is not in a position to show weakness in front of his men. There really is no good way out of this for him, unless he kills me on the spot, and he’d be too damn slow to manage.
I watch as he turns to the men that were sitting with him, putting on a determined expression. “Looks like my niece has made some agreements with the Russians that will need to be sorted out. We’ll step outside for a moment, but we’re staying directly in front of the building.” His beady eyes land on a man in a red polo shirt whose brows are drawn, making him look like a confused donkey. “Johnny, if the Russian hasn’t left in five minutes, why don’t you join us?”
Johnny nods, though he doesn’t look enthusiastic about the order. Don’t blame the guy. If he has any clue at all about who I am, he’s got to realize he’s screwed.
Once we’re outside, I shove Mario against the brick wall of the building. He struggles, and there is a second where I wonder if I should have waited until we’re away from prying eyes, but then I shake the thought out of my head. No, this feels exactly right.
I pin his arms above his head and lean in close to his face. “You messed with the wrong person,” I whisper. “You hurt someone I care about and you had the fucking audacity to suggest to her that it was me. Now, you’re going to pay.”
Mario’s eyes widen in fear, confirming his lack of balls. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says.
If he were someone else, there is a faint chance I might pity how pathetic he looks. Instead, I shake my head at him. “Don’t lie to me. I know what you did. And now, you’re going to regret it.”
I’m not yet sure what my big gesture to Gianna will look like exactly, but the end result is obvious. By tomorrow, this man won’t be breathing anymore.
And perhaps he’ll be missing some eyeballs.
I reach into my pocket and pull out a switchblade. The choice makes me smile, since I brought the knife in honor of Gianna.
Perhaps I’ll have it engraved for her when all of this is done.
Oblivious to my romantic thoughts, Mario’s eyes go wide with terror. “Please,” he says, sounding slightly choked, and I realize my left arm is still bearing down on his throat. I loosen my hold slightly, kind of enjoying his pathetic whimpering.
Unfortunately, the restaurant door opens then, and a man steps out. He isn’t one of the guys that were sitting with Mario, but I recognize him as one of the men who was staring me down.
“You’re going to have to leave, Ruski.”
I raise my eyebrow, not exactly impressed but feeling slightly relieved, knowing that not all of Gianna’s men are complete cowards.
“And you are?”
“Mateo. My family owns this place.”
I give him a mocking smile. “Lovely place. I bet the food is great. I’ll be out of your hair in just a second.”
