Bad Medicine (Underworld Kings)

“This guy! I love him. Let’s talk business, shall we?”

“Yes.” I don’t match his enthusiasm, and he shakes his head, yet a smile still splits his face. He thinks The Ruin created me, but little does he know I’m not the type to be molded into anything. I was always this way. The Ruin just gave me an outlet. However, he seems like the type of man who needs all the credit he can take from others.

“Antonio. Remove the guards and leave us be.”

Nodding, the man who brought me to Fetulli ushers everyone out, but before he leaves, Fetulli stops him.

“Oh, and remember to warn them, Antonio. A single word about this meeting to anyone and it’s off with their fucking heads!” he bellows so the guards can hear him. I barely contain the roll of my eyes at the cliché line, but what can one expect from a guy who is shaping up to have a horrendous Napoleon complex?

Antonio nods, followed with a “Yes, sir.” Once we’re alone, Fetulli begins to pace back and forth in front of me, one hand clasped around his other wrist behind his back. I, however, stay put, watching and waiting for him to get on with it.

“DeLuca, we have a threat. A dangerous one. And I’m afraid this threat could collapse The Ruin,” he sneers.

That, I don’t like the sound of. Though I don’t call this a brotherhood or worry about this organization collapsing as a whole, I don’t want to go down with it.

“Go on,” I encourage, letting him know I’m listening and still in it so far.

“She isn’t just a quick kill, you see. It’s more complicated.”

She? I’ve never had an assignment dealing with the opposite sex. I keep my expression void, but inside, I can’t help but wonder who this woman is if one of the leaders of the Cosa Nostra needs her to be taken care of.

“How so, Ferro?” I question, wanting him to get to the point.

“She’s my wife.” The air suddenly goes still. His feet cease, and he stops in place just a few feet in front of me. Slowly, he brings his head up, making eye contact with me to see if I’m in fact still in it and prepared to take the job.

“You want your wife assassinated?” I clarify, making sure he understands exactly what he’s asking.

“Yes. But I need it to look like she chose it. The only one in The Ruin who can make it look that way—” He pauses, I assume for dramatic effect. “—well, that would be you, Lethal DeLuca.” He draws out the nickname the members of the underworld gave me in almost a mocking tone. I would be bothered if I truly gave a fuck what people thought about me. But I’m not, and I don’t.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I hesitate for a moment longer. “I don’t ask questions often, but I will ask this. This isn’t because of some love affair, or your wife isn’t holding up to your physical needs, is it?” Like I said, I only deal with the bad ones. Not an innocent wife he no longer finds attractive or wild enough in bed.

“Are you questioning me?” he asks, placing his hand on his gun holstered at his side.

Now, I may not be afraid of him, but his position does demand a certain amount of respect… and I’m unarmed. There’s a look in his eyes that seems to convey this woman really is a threat.

“No, but this is my job, and I have my own code and reputation. I won’t be played a fool. You need me. Correct?” I challenge logically.

“Correct. Now handle it. I have her itinerary and all the information you’ll need to know in order to take her out.”

“Picture?” Does he expect me to go in blindly?

“She refuses photos—a quirk her daddy instilled in her—and it’s best this way. When you read the file I’ve put together for you, burn it. There cannot be a trail left behind.”

“Trail? Judging by that and the comments you made to your men, it must be important for this not to lead back to you,” I say, realizing now he’s hired me for that reason and not because he’s not strong enough to do the job himself.

“Correct. You’re smart. So do you agree to the terms?” he asks, waiting for me to finally give my word.

The Ruin at risk equals me at risk. For a woman—or any sole person—to hold that kind of power, power even one of the highest-ranking members in the organization fears enough to hire someone to get rid of, that’s all the reason I need. Because that kind of power can’t be anything but bad. Nothing good has that much reach. Only someone purely evil could take down the worst of the worst.