16. Gio

16

GIO

I t was three in the morning.

The perfect time to murder someone.

I'd parked a block away in an old beater truck I'd taken from one of the auto body shops I owned in New York. The shittier the car, the less notice I'd draw.

Every streetlamp was either burned out or barely casted a muted-yellow glow along the deserted alleyways and sidewalks of Desolation.

I saw the occasional tweaker or junkie stumbling around, mumbling to themselves before moving on to find their next fix.

I was in killer mode, with Carmine's orders echoing in my head.

One of my men told me Maksim and two other Bratva members were at an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city. My source said they'd gotten an arms shipment in and would be there for the next three hours as they inventoried their delivery and set up distribution.

When I saw the warehouse, I checked the two weapons I brought with me one last time and focused myself even more. The chamber of the gun was ready, and I made sure the silencer was in place, sliding it into its custom holster at the small of my back, and covered it with my black jacket. My hunting knife was strapped in between my boot and ankle, hidden by my black pants.

I preferred the latter weapon because it was more personal, but tonight, I needed things to move quickly.

I kept to the shadows as I approached the warehouse, my senses on high alert, my breathing even, my heart rate steady. The dilapidated building loomed before me, its structure a decaying testament to another time.

There was a fucker manning the side door, and I moved through the darkness until I was right on the other side of the wall. I could hear each inhale and exhale as he smoked. I felt the beast rise within me, and a sinister grin spread across my face as I rounded the corner.

His eyes widened for only a second before he went for his gun. But I was already on him, my bare hand curled around his thick neck, his cigarette still between his lips but barely hanging on. He gasped and it fell to the ground. I stepped closer. The darkness wrapped itself around us as I inhaled deeply.

"You smell like sweat and fear." He was a big bastard, but I was bigger. I tightened my hold on his throat, and he fought back. But he was no match, not when I was at my weakest, and certainly not now, when I felt the power of a hundred motherfuckers coursing through me.

"You see my face?" I asked low. "You see that I smile, even as you suffocate?" I cocked my head and watched him struggle for breath. "Pretty fucked up, huh?" When he went limp, I strangled him for another minute just to make sure… just to give the beast a little more for its hunger.

I let his body fall to the trash-covered ground and hauled him around the corner so he was out of sight. Then I slipped in through the side door, the hinges creaking as I pulled it shut behind me.

There weren't any lights to guide my way, what with the warehouse long since closed up and unused. Age had created a broken, empty vessel made up of metal, cement, and memories.

I navigated the dimly lit corridor, my boots barely making any sound on the cracked and stained concrete floor.

I walked in the shadows for several minutes before I heard the muffled sound of voices. Their words were indistinct, but I could tell they spoke Russian. When I got to the end of the corridor, I pressed myself against the wall, adrenaline rushing through my veins, yet I kept myself outwardly calm.

I closed my eyes and focused on the conversation right around the corner. I knew what Maksim looked like, but recognizing his voice from those belonging to the other two men with him wasn't something I could do blindly.

I leaned around the corner and saw Maksim standing in front of several large, wooden crates, presumably filled with their inventory of drugs and weapons, which included the newest shipment, as some of them hadn't been opened yet. There were portable lights set up around the three Russians as they cracked the tops and tossed them aside.

I focused on their words, my Russian fluent, so I clearly understood everything they said. They were discussing the current shipment, their tones low as they picked the items up out of the crates and examined them.

Maksim started speaking, and I memorized the sound of his voice in my head. Not that it would matter after tonight, since he wouldn't say another word again.

I took a deep breath and fully focused on the present. I needed to tame the beast. Let the monster know I was the one in control.

I had to isolate Maksim, and that meant taking out the two fuckers with him.

Shit, this was such a bad situation. I didn't feel any kind of remorse or regret or even fear. But I did feel something over the fact that if Dmitry and Nikolai knew I was the one pulling the trigger—hell, if they knew anyone in the Cosa Nostra had a hand in it—then the full wrath of the Bratva would rain down on all our heads.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around the corner. This shithole didn't have any cameras, not even with their shipment of guns that would make anyone who happened upon them a hefty amount. And the only witnesses who could name me in this situation would soon be dead.

With my gun in hand, I lifted my arm, pressed my wrist to the wall to keep it steady, and knew I only had seconds to take the other two out before Maksim could react.

This is it, motherfuckers.

I pulled the trigger, and the first man went down as I was putting a bullet through the other fucker's head a second later. Both men were on the ground before Maksim even shouted and spun around. He was still fumbling for his gun as I rounded the corner and came up on him.

It was clear Maksim wasn't used to this shit, as his hands shook, and he tried to get his vision to focus enough to make me out. But I was like a shadow as I slammed my body into his, his back cracking and bending awkwardly as he crashed against the crate.

"W-What the fuck?" Maksim stuttered out, his eyes wide, the sight and stench of fear pouring off him.

I was taken aback for a second when I saw how frightened he was. This wasn't some dangerous Bratva member. Oh, he was connected to the Russian mafia, but he sure as fuck shouldn't have even been on Carmine's radar. This little shit was weak and, hell, couldn't even hold a gun correctly.

"You're making a huge mistake," Maksim spat out. "Do you know who I work for? "

I let my smile spread across my face but said nothing. Instead, I pressed the gun under his chin, forcing his head to tilt back.

"They are gonna skin you alive, fucker. The Stygian Syndicate doesn't show any fucking mercy."

That had me freezing, and I cocked my head to the side, curious to hear more but knowing I didn't have time for this shit.

"They are gonna take over Desolation, the Ruin…. Fuck, in time, they'll take over the fucking world."

I chuckled, Maksim's fear making way for false bravado.

"Элиас узнает, и когда он это узнает, Стигиан получит полный контроль, а ты и

все остальные будут не более чем болонки." Elias will find out, and when he does, the Stygian will have full control, and you and everyone else will be nothing but lapdogs.

Interesting.

I let him ramble. Who knew when I might need these details.

"Я должен был быть больше, чем это. У меня должна была быть власть." I was supposed to be much more than this. They were going to give me power.

"Don't worry," I said in a low, deep voice. "When they come for me, I'll let them know their pool boy Maksim told Gio everything right before I slaughter them." My smile grew. "Di' al diavolo che gli ho detto che ci vedremo presto." Tell the devil I said I'll see him soon enough.

Before Maksim could spout any more bullshit, I dug the weapon in under his chin and pulled the trigger. The gun delivered his death in near silence, and I stepped back, watching him collapse to the ground. A dark pool of blood from the hole at the top of his head spread beneath him.

I looked down at his lifeless body.

I felt no remorse.

This was my life. My world. Hell, this was fucking business.

Kill or be killed.

I only looked at the three bodies once more before turning and leaving the same way I'd entered. I heard something in the distance, a soft echo or maybe the patter of rodents' feet as they scurried across the rafters and ground.

I stopped and looked over my shoulder, my senses on high alert, adrenaline making me so fucking wired I felt like I could fly.

But it wasn't just about the kills tonight that made me feel this way. As I walked away, all I could think about was Tatiana. Her image consumed my thoughts, now that the job was done.

My obsession. That's what she is.

The images of her, the scent of her skin, and how soft she was against my mouth dug into my brain.

There was no fucking doubt in my mind that my fixation with her would fuck some major things up for me.

But shit… despite all that, she was mine, and I wanted her right fucking now.