“Who told you that?”

“The girl you tried to kill.” I got up to my knees and made it to my metal chair. “The one you sent the De Langes to kill.”

“I helped the De Langes.” He popped his knuckles. “After all, they came to me, bitching and complaining that a mere woman had been named boss. The few that agreed to it were too terrified of Nicolasi to say no and too greedy about the money he used to buy them off. A few of the members approached one of my associates and asked if I could help.” He grinned. “After all, I am a very helpful man.”

“Oh I can see that.” I saluted him.

“I gave them the location of the girl. It was a win-win. She dies, they die, no loose ends.”

“Misjudged Chase a bit, you think?” I laughed. And got slapped. Again. Damn it.

But this time I got back into my chair I was more irritated than in pain over my throbbing cheek.

“I wasn’t informed of his skill set.”

I raised my hand. “It’s the same as mine. We kill people. We assassinate. What else is there to know?”

“So do the De Langes.” He cursed. “Clearly this Chase was better.”

“And the branding? I mean, was that totally necessary?”

“Easy.” He chuckled. “I brand any associate who works with me or for me. That way, if they ever piss me off, I put a hit on their head. The contracted men know who to kill because of that mark. As I said, I’m a fair man. It wouldn’t be right to kill those who don’t deserve it.”

“Wow, you really should be sainted.”

“The church said no.”

“Shocking.” I put my hand over my heart. “So what’s this about? You want to shut everyone up? Me included? Because it’s not going to happen. It’s—”

He gripped me by the throat and lifted me off the chair. Holy green giant.

“The American mafia is a joke!” He spat. “A pimple on the land of Sicily! I will put a stop to your fighting, your childish bickering, inability to stay out of prison, hard-headed ways for good!” His eyes flashed with something. At first I thought it was anger, then I looked again.

“You’re terrified,” I croaked. “You’re scared shitless of what the De Langes have on you.”

He dropped me to the ground and kicked me.

“The only way out is blood,” I muttered. “And it’s going to be yours.”

Chapter Forty-Six

Nixon

It looked empty. But I knew better. It was probably crawling with associates just waiting to get another kill in so they could be made men. I rolled my eyes and strapped another magazine to the holster around my chest.

“It’s a good night to die.” Chase looked up at the sky and made a cross into the air with his finger.

I handed him a magazine. “It’s also a good night to live.”

“Well said,” Luca commented, coming up from behind us. “Though, I’d rather we stop having to kill mafia bosses. It’s really tarnishing my reputation.”

“As a hard ass?” I offered.

“Your reputation is that you’re blacker than sin and each time you get shot, your own soul is refused entrance into the afterlife.” Chase rolled his eyes.

“I’ve only been shot three times. All times flesh wounds. Truly, people exaggerate.” He waved us off and stomped out his cigar. The last thing we needed was a flicker of light to give us away.

“It was a good idea to park the car next door. They’ll investigate, leaving only a few guards near the entrance.” I pulled out my binoculars. “And there they go.”

Three men strutted outside and slowly walked toward the abandoned car.

I waited until they were close enough and hit the button.

The car exploded, throwing all three men at least thirty feet.

“Gotta love explosives,” Luca muttered under his breath. “Though by the looks of it, we’re only going to have thirty minutes to get in and out before the feds come.”

“Well, let’s hope they respond to our little invitation.” I smiled and aimed my gun at the door.

Sure enough, five more men ran out of the building.

“Shit, it’s almost too easy.” Chase picked off the first three.

“Like playing video games with guns and real people.” I hit the last two men and waited. The door opened again, and this time it was Tex’s head that poked out, followed by Campisi. He looked in our direction and gave us the bird.

“Geez, he could have at least offered us dinner or something,” Chase joked. I smirked and hit him on the back.

“That’s our cue.” I winked at Luca. “Go back to the car. Make sure the girls are safe.”

“On it. And have fun, boys. Do save a few for me.”

“Always,” I promised.

Chase and I slowly approached the building from our viewpoint on the lake. Our hands were both up, guns out of our hands. We were going in without guns blazing, and I hoped to God it would be enough to throw Vito off.

“Ah, so the cavalry has arrived,” Tex said, his lip swollen and both eyes bloody, but otherwise looking like his assy self.

“Honey, we’re home.” I blew him a kiss.

He caught it mid-air.

“Bunch of idiots!” Vito spat, throwing Tex back into a metal chair and aiming his gun in the direction of me and Chase. “This is not how business is done! We do not joke around. We do not make light of these situations. Do you not realize I will kill you? I will bring hell down to earth to destroy you.”

I nodded. “Just a ray of sunshine, aren’t you, Capo?”

“At least you respect your elders.”

“Oh, sorry.” I winced. “I wasn’t saying it as a term of respect. I meant to say Crappo.”

“Shit for brains,” Vito mumbled. “And now you will die.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “You okay with that, Chase?”

“I’m good.” He stood his ground. “Should I close my eyes or something?”

“Eyes open,” Tex said from the chair. “It always goes better that way.”

“Idiots!” Vito yelled.

“Where are all your men?” I asked in a calm voice. “A Capo? In the States? And you have what? Fifteen men?” I looked around the room. “Maybe less, since we just killed seven in under two minutes.”

The men that were still standing behind Vito started looking around the room nervously.

“And by the looks of them, they’re B-team at best. Not made men. Just associates. A made man wouldn’t run out of a warehouse waving his gun all over the place. A made man wouldn’t get close enough to a car to even be touched by a bomb.”

Vito’s eyes narrowed in hatred. “A twenty-million-dollar bounty causes some to question their loyalty. And apparently good news — or news about money — travels fast. I imagine my phone was ringing before you even hit end on the call. So I chose to go into hiding until I killed you. Seemed a more intelligent choice.”

“Oh sorry.” I lifted up my hands in surrender. “I wasn’t aware of your plan, but now that I am, I have to admit to something.”

“What?” He waved his gun at me again.

I hadn’t counted on him being terrified. Then again, he was old. He was on his way out. Twenty million did that to people. And the fact that the De Langes, the very family that he’d tried to control all those years ago, had ordered the hit? That meant the De Langes, the bottom of the totem pole, had risen to the top, which basically just made our families look like the toughest shit ever to hit Chicago.

And it made Vito defenseless.

All within twenty-four hours. We had successfully brought down an empire that should have never been erected in the first place. No man should have so much power; no man should think of himself as more than that — a mere man. A mortal, given the chance to share the same air that God used to breathe when he walked the earth.

Shouts filtered from the outside.

And then the doors opened.

Mo, Mil, Frank, Luca, and Trace — damn it. Trace. They were all being escorted very nicely into the warehouse, at gunpoint.

“Shit,” I heard Chase mumble.

“A bit of a miscount?” Vito laughed.