Violent Beginnings (The Moretti Crime Family 2)

Leaning in, I give her a chaste kiss before I pull away. She forces a smile, and I almost stay a few minutes longer just to make sure she is okay, but I’m on the clock.

Time is running out, and I can’t miss this window of opportunity.

“Go back to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up,” I promise her before slipping into the elevator. The doors close slowly, and our gazes remain on one another until we can no longer see each other.

By the time I reach the parking garage, I’m in hunting mode. I jog to my car and get inside in a hurry. I break about every traffic law in the city, speeding across town to Julian’s place. I’m not concerned in the least bit about the cops pulling me over. Julian pays them a fortune to turn a blind eye to our shit.

When I arrive at Julian’s mansion, he is already waiting at the gate for me. He’s dressed similar to me. All black, tactical gear, and I’m sure armed to the teeth. Without his expensive suit, he looks more like a mercenary than the head of the mob.

“Eager for a night out?” I grin as he climbs into the car.

“You have no idea.”

“Good, I can’t wait to get this done. Felix sent—” Fuck! As soon as Felix’s name leaves my lips, I know I’ve fucked up. I’m so consumed with the thought of finally getting Timothy that it just slipped out. I glance over at Julian, planning to see an angry scowl or the chamber of his gun, but instead, find him staring at me with his eyebrows raised.

“I don’t know what I should be angrier about, you not telling me that Felix has been back in your life for months now, or the fact that you thought I didn’t know all along?”

Gripping the steering wheel a little tighter, I say, “I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“He is your brother by blood, and he was never cut out for this life. I know you’re loyal to me. You are one of the only people I still trust.” That means a lot coming from Julian, especially after the whole Lucca fiasco. He’s trusted basically no one since his betrayal.

“I’ll always have your back. I don’t know what drove Lucca to do what he did, but there is nothing that could make me turn on you.” I often think about that text Lucca sent me while I was on my way to France. I’m sorry. I had to.

I didn’t know what it meant at the time. Only later did I find out Lucca had double-crossed us, all of us, but it hit Julian the hardest. I still don’t understand why he did it, but I’m almost certain it has something to do with that little redheaded girl he sent me after. Claire.

“Enough with the traitor. What’s the lowdown on this guy we’re killing?”

“He’s at a poker game happening in the basement of Giovanni’s place. Felix said there are five guys inside, but no one is guarding the entrance. No cameras, either.”

“So… they’re really stupid or just arrogant. This is going to be a walk in the park, like taking candy from a child.” He sounds almost disappointed, like he had hoped for something more challenging.

“Probably a bit of both. I want to kill everyone quickly, except Timothy. I want to know what his endgame was, and then I’ll make him suffer for what he put Fallon through.”

Usually, Julian makes all the rules and decides how the fucker will be handled, but he knows I need this. This is my kill, my chance for revenge.

“Sounds like a plan,” he agrees.

“Here, that’s him.” I pull up a recent picture on my phone and show it to Julian, so he knows which one not to kill right away.

“Perfect. I’ll make sure I save him for you.” Julian grins, and truthfully, it’s scary to see him this joyous over spilling blood. Ever since getting married and having a kid, he’s been more reluctant to leave the house.

That, and the fact he trusts no one, Lucca really did a number on him.

Twenty minutes later, we pull up to Giovanni’s place. It’s a rundown house next to his garage, where he sells stolen auto parts. He is a small-time criminal, petty theft, and shit. Usually, we stay out of his way, but not today.

We’re in a bad part of town, so we’re not worried about being seen or heard. Nobody will call the cops here. Screams, fighting, and shootouts are a common thing here.

We make our way around the house. Just like Felix said, there is no one standing guard. I pick the lock on the back door, and we are inside the house with no trouble at all.

As soon as we step into the kitchen, we can hear laughter echoing up the stairs from the basement. At least some of the men are down there. Julian and I walk through the house quietly with our guns drawn. This seems way too easy. A toilet flushes, and we both look at each other.