Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Leonardo De Luca
E
44%
I got out of the house, driving like a maniac towards the warehouse. I need to get this over with as soon as I can so I can get to Alessia.
But I also knew how important it was that I make an example out of Gabriel.
“Boss.” I heard from above me immediately after I got to the warehouse. My eyes collide with one of my guards, arms neatly tucked in front of him as he stands before me. “He’s ready.”
When I got out of the car, I removed my blazer and dumped it inside the car. I rolled up the sleeves of my white shirt. I should’ve worn black today. Now, not only will my hands be dirty, but it will stain this shirt. One of my favorites.
I nod at him as we pass and I take long strides to make my way down the warehouse hall. My hand presses against the door that already has two guards standing inside, Gabriel tied to a chair in the middle of the room.
He squirms and splutters in his mouth gag, wrists twitching against the rope on the chair. His eyes are burning with fury and then fear once he sees me. He settled back into the chair as I began to loom over him, eyeing him up in total silence.
I placed my hand on the mouth gag and I ripped it from his lips. “Do you know why I’ve brought you here, Gabriel?”
A breath passes through his nose. “No.” He grunts. “What the fuck are you doing, Leonardo?”
“Since when do you call me by my first name?”
Gabriel’s eyes are hooded. He’s trying to put up a front like they all do but it’s not working. I could see how terrified he was from his expression.
Face becoming pale, eyes dilating. “What is this about?”
“Did you work with Rizzo?”
“What?!”
“Rizzo.” I fold my arms across my chest. “Did you work with him”
Gabriel opens his mouth and then shakes his head. “No. I don’t understand the question.”
I snort at his feigned ignorance. “Well then, let’s make this simpler. Did you feed information to another gang to give away one of the locations of my shipments?”
His eyes widened for a split second but he masks it quickly. “No!”
“Liar.” I blurted out. “I didn’t-”
My fists raise and slam into his face, knocking his teeth into my knuckles. Ruby’s red blood is now pouring down his face over his lips. “Don’t lie to me, Gabriel. You’ll only make this worse.”
Gabriel begins to pant, spitting out the blood on the ground beside him. “It’s not what you think.” He heaves slowly. “Aaaah.” I begin to pace up and down in front of him, tucking my arms behind my back. “So you did lie to me.”
178
20:38 Fri, Feb 7
Chapter 27
“Leonardo, please.” He begs.
I hit him twice as hard, blood splattering across plastic sheets and down his neck. He grunts and then spits on the floor again. “You don’t learn, do you?”
“H–He,” he chokes back a cough, squeezing his eyes shut. “There’s more to it.”
“What?” I say, examining my fist.
I sigh as I study my knuckles, clouded with red patches. I really shouldn’t be wasting my fist on someone like him.
“T–This guy,” he straightens his spine into the chair. “He threatened to hurt my wife. He threatened to kill her, in grave detail if I didn’t give the information away.”
“Who?” I stood directly in front of him.
Gabriel winced as he opened his eyes to look at me. They’re already building with purple bruises. He knows I can punch harder than what I’ve already given him. “I don’t know who he is. He disguised his identity.”
My teeth grind into one another. “You’re either lying or covering for someone.”
“No, boss.” He pleads. “I promise I’m telling the truth. I had no other choice.”
“How did he blackmail you?”
Gabriel inhales slowly and when he takes too long to speak, I launch my fist back onto his nose, the bones crunching below my hand, more blood coating the floor and my knuckles. He groans loudly trying to catch his breath but I don’t care.
I grabbed his shirt and yanked him from the chair, my eyes flickering between his in a deadly glare. “Tell me how he blackmailed you.”
“They sent me messages on my phone and then pictures of my wife, out and about.” He whimpers quietly. “The voice was disguised but said I had to do it or he’d hurt my wife and film it and then send it to me.”
My hand releases his shirt and I dust off my hands. “Why didn’t you come to me about it?”
“They said not to.” He shakes his head. “I didn’t do it at first but the pictures got worse and the descriptions got worse so I
had no other choice.”
I draw backward and fold my arms again. “Where’s your phone with the evidence?”
“He took it.” He gestures to one of my guards standing behind him.
“What’s the password?” I ask as the guard digs the phone out of his pocket.
I walk around him slowly, he attempts to glance over his shoulder but ends up wincing in pain. “322324.”
- I repeat in my head.
“What’s the first thing that is taught when you join my cartel?”
“He was going to murder my-”
“What’s the first thing that is taught when you join my cartel?” I repeat, louder this time, cutting him off.
9/3
7 20:38 Fri, Feb 7
Chapter 27
13.44%
My voice booms across the empty room. Gabriel blinks back at me, swallows harshly, and shakes his head. “L–Loyalty.”
“Loyalty.” I flashed him a forced smile. “That’s right, and what did you give me?” “Leo, she’s my family.”
“And we’re your family too!” I roar at him. He flinches at the loudness of my voice. “Do you know what you’ve cost me? What you’ve cost all of us?”
Gabriel looked up at me with his bruised eyes. “And I don’t give flying fuck!”
Before I knew what I was doing, I reached behind me and grabbed my gun, tucked it in my belt, and fired a shot to his head, blood splattering everywhere. My empire won’t come second to anyone.
“Cazzo,” I grumble as I stare back at his dead body. “Call Reg to dispose of the body and clean this all up,” I order the guards before leaving the room.
If someone is blackmailing my workers, then I’ll have to dig harder to find the culprit. It’ll be a bloodbath until I’ve gotten
my revenge.
