No Boundaries

Movement near the door caught my eye. I turned to see a man in a suit walk in. He looked different—cleaned up, but broken. I had broken him. I had made him that way.

Because he deserved it. He tried to hurt her.

“I thought I handled you.” I said to Roberto as he stood near the door.

“You clearly thought wrong.”

“We have her, Luka, you know we do. But I'm not an idiot. I know you already knew that. Gossip in this town runs pretty quickly.”

Fucking Roberto.

“You’re supposed to be in Jersey.”

“I am, my family thinks I am as well. But I had to finish what I started. I had to end this once and for all.”

“I will fucking kill you,” I said, pulling the gun from my pants. The chair dropped to the floor and I stood, releasing the safety. “Give her back to me.”

Armani stood from the table, looking afraid. Somehow, he hadn’t planned for this. My father just sat at the head of the table, looking calm.

Pops spoke up. “Roberto, stop all of this. My son did what I asked of him, and you have no issue with him. Your pain is from my choice, from me allowing him to kill Maria’s husband. And you,” he said, turning toward Armani. “You’ve gotten yourself into more than you can handle. And we’ll kill you for it.”

“I won’t stop. Not until you’re all dead. You took her from me. She turned her back on us because of you!” Roberto looked insane. He pulled his own gun and another man came up behind him, protecting his six. We were outnumbered. I wondered where Luis was, if he was watching maybe he would back us up.

Armani spoke. “We needed a change. This city needs a change. We want a new family in power. We want all of you gone.”

Roberto fired a shot in my father’s direction, narrowly missing him on purpose. “You can’t get out of this. You caused it. You let her die.”

Jesus, they were serious. They really wanted a war.

Roberto looked over his shoulder. “Now go get the girl.”

One of the thugs walked out of the restaurant and came back only a minute later with Vienna clutching her by the upper arm.

She looked terrified. They had gagged her, a piece of white fabric wrapped around her head and mouth. She spotted me and her eyes grew wide. She didn’t want me to get hurt. But she didn’t need to worry. The thug pushed her in front of him and Roberto grabbed her, pushing his gun to her temple. “No one moves. Armani, get the hell out of here. No one can know we were working together.”

“No!” I yelled. I made Luis a promise, I would end Armani. And I was going to make good on it.

I pointed my gun at him, and pulled the trigger, it only took a second and he was gone. Blood spatter colored the walls. And I turned my gun on Roberto as I watched the dark substance pool around Armani’s body.

Vienna screamed against the restraint. I just killed a man in front of her. If she had any question remaining in her mind about how she felt about my work, now she knew.

I was a killer.

Pops stood from the table. “Roberto, this is a fool’s mistake. What do you think you’re doing? Killing my son? The girl? None of that makes sense. You’re here for revenge, but against the wrong man. Go after her father’s friend, the real murderer. We’ve already looked in it, and we can get someone on the inside if you need. We can take care of him.”

The only thing that made sense to me was to put a bullet through Roberto’s head just as I had with Armani. They were traitors. How could he hold his own niece hostage like this? Vienna stood next to him, wincing as he tightened his grip on her arm like a vice.

“What about your family? I thought they wanted you back?” I asked him.

“I left them again. Gave them the slip. It was a little harder this time, thanks to your babysitter and the broken rib.”

Babysitter? Marco. Where the hell was Marco? And what about Luis?

Vienna began to tremble, I could tell because the gun swayed ever so slightly next to her head.

“Don’t kill her, Roberto,” I pleaded. It was the first time in my life I ever begged for anything. I couldn’t live if she didn’t. If our baby never had a chance at life.