Page 87 of The Gangster King

I glare at him, death in my eyes.

“Don’t do this,” he says, looking surprised.

“Get him out.” I nod to one of the soldiers and then stare Nick in the eye one more time. “You going to stand between him and the bullet or get out of the fucking way?”

Nick curses. “He fucked up. I get it.”

He more than fucked up.

Jono let the woman I’m going to marry walk out of the restroom, right fucking past him, and into the arms of my now enemy.

“You don’t fucking get it.” I ground out, getting in his face. My second. The man I trust the most in my life. I could fucking kill him with my bare hands, I’m so full of fury.

I hope Adelina can hear me from her bedroom.

I hope she hears the bullet as it slides from the chamber into Jono’s head as he loses his life.

Out of the corner of my eye I see his body flip and flop, fighting the soldiers as they carry him to the sidewalk. His cries are muffled, and even if they weren’t, no one would be able to stop this.

“Now, they’re going to demand I send them my sister. Who is already fucking married. Then what? Then what will I have to pay to get her back? My mother’s life?” I yell. “Your mother? Your sister?”

He knows how this works. Every man around me knows how this works.

So does Adelina.

“Fuck.” Nick glances away, disgust at me and all of it lining his face.

Adelina made a choice that’s going to cost a lot of people their lives. She knew Jono would pay for letting her escape.

I hope she cries a fucking river all night.

Even if they weren’t good friends.

I can’t have weak men in the business. Certainly not at my side. I was told two months ago that Jono was taking money from one of our organizations. A family who already paid us a big amount. When I learned the grandmother lost her life because they couldn’t pay for the medical bills, I made sure they were able to pay for her burial and a nice headstone.

A headstone. As if that fucking makes up for it.

I could never prove that it was him, but doubt has been simmering underneath the surface, making me trust him less.

One thing I know about humans is if they’ve done it once, they’ve probably done it before. And will again.

Did Jono let Addy go on purpose?

Possibly...

Was he watching her as closely as he should’ve been, knowing how much she meant to me? Me, the fucking Baldassare boss?

No.

If he had, he would’ve noticed it was her walking past him.

Adelina might be clever, but she’s also fucking gorgeous. He couldn’t have missed her.

Tonight, Adelina can have his life on her conscious, along with my powerful message that I’m deadly serious about making her my wife.

I pull the gun out of my waistband and take a few steps away. I step one leg over Jono’s body and unscrew the silencer.

I want the entire house to hear.