21. Alessandro

Chapter twenty-one

Alessandro

Nobody fucking messes with me and stays alive. I'm going to end Aldo and everyone he loves till I have him begging for his life.

It's been three days since his men attacked me. My hands haven't fully healed yet, so I keep the bandages on. I down the shot of vodka in my hand and set the glass on the bar table.

"Where are they?"

"Outside, boss," Ivan answers. His gaze is planted on the ground.

I slip my hands into the pockets of my jeans as I walk out of my apartment. Ivan follows behind me.

Two men on their knees are in front of my house. Their faces are covered in blood, with cuts on their shirtless bodies. Gunner and Baldwin are standing behind them. They are Aldo's men who were caught in one of my warehouses.

I'll fucking have them send a message to Aldo. He has himself started a war. And I always fucking win. I slip my right hand out of my pocket and spread it out for Ivan. He places a pistol in my palm.

" Marcire All ‘inferno . (Rot in hell.)" I point the gun to one's head and pull the trigger, then do the same to the other. Ivan takes his pistol back.

"Cut their heads off and send it as a message to Aldo. I'm fucking coming for his next." I walk back into my house and shut the door behind me.

I haven't heard a word yet from my men who went in search of Adriana, which pisses me off. How hard can it fucking be to find her? I'm not letting her slip away from me when I claimed her first, whether she likes it or not. I'm not letting Aldo or any of his fucking men touch her. One more reason I want to have Aldo's head in my hands.

I'll search the ends of the earth and burn every fucking bridge to find Adriana. I've marked my territory, and not even the dead souls in hell can stop me. Nobody gets to take what's mine. I'll kill them all if I have to.

And Adriana will eventually understand that L'Uomo was behind it all. I had to do what I did. I will make her understand that.

My phone chimes on my couch, stopping me in my tracks from going to light a cigar. It better be Kristev with some fucking news about Adriana.

"Where is she?" I ask, answering the call on the second ring.

"With us, boss."

Good. But even after hearing this news about Adriana, my face is pulled together in a frown. I'm still mad at her for pulling the fucking trigger at me and being careless enough to get kidnapped. She has no idea how much I hate knowing some fucked up asshole could have his hands on her when she's not here with me.

"Bring her here to me." I'm not letting her leave this time. She would have to kill me to step her feet outside my house.

I end the call and walk back to the bar table to grab the box of Cuban cigars. A trickle of smoke escapes into the air as I take a quick drag of the cigar I light.

Daniel has been quiet to me since the day we fought, and I'm too proud to reach out to him first. But I sure do miss his company both at the warehouse and at my house. He is my fucking brother, but he should reach out first. He has always been better than me with things like this.

I stare at the screen of my phone like I had mentally told him to use his damn phone to call me. My phone rings almost immediately. But it's an unknown number instead. I reluctantly slide the answer icon as I puff a cloud of smoke out my mouth.

"Alessandro."

It's him.

"Daniel?"

His voice is stiff and full of anger.

"Ginerva is here with me. Aldo's men captured us both."

I toss the cigar into the ashtray instantly. What the fuck is happening? "Fucking hell!"

Daniel grunts as I hear a thud from his end. He's breathing heavily on the phone now.

"Meet us at Axes and Aces at 96 th Street, East Harlem, in the next hour if you want us to still be alive."

"Daniel!"

"Come alone."

"Daniel!" I yell again.

The phone beeps as the call ends. I slide the ashtray angrily until it falls off the counter and makes a mess on the floor.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

I grab the keys to my car and hurriedly walk to the front door. "Ivan, Baldwin."

"Yes, boss," Ivan answers. He leaves Baldwin and Gunner, who are loading the bodies into the back of a black van. Baldwin joins Ivan after a moment.

"Get your guns and follow me. Axes and Aces, East Harlem. Now."

I slide into my car and start it in a rush. I'm driving out of the gate when I spot Ivan entering his black sedan with Baldwin by the trunk through the side mirror. Baldwin brings out two machine guns and walks to open the back seat door.

Heading down the road, I make a turn to the main street. The evening has a crowd on the street, trooping into bars and clubhouses to unwind for the weekend. I should be fucking sipping from a bottle of vodka in my house right now.

Aldo's recent attacks have caught me off-guard because he was never a threat to us. With my father almost retired from the dealings, the other rivals must think I'm too weak to keep the Malgeri empire on top. They are all fucking wrong.

I'll have Aldo as a lesson for each one of them. He doesn't get to stay alive after coming after my family.

I dial my father's number to make sure he is safe. My eyes are on the road before I take a few seconds to peek at my phone. He picks up on the third ring.

"Father, where are you?"

"It's Tarik, boss," one of our men answers.

"Where is he?"

"In his room, boss."

"Go fucking check on him." I listen to his footsteps through the phone. A knock follows after a few seconds. I can hear my father's voice from the other end.

"Get him out of there, Tarik, to the safehouse now."

I end the call as I make a quick turn to 96 th Street. The street is dimly lit, with only a few street lights working. I slowly move the car, looking at the top of the buildings in search of Axes and Aces.

An abandoned casino building by the end of the road has a banner hanging on top of the building reading the same words. I reach for the gun in my safe box and check the bullets. I slip it into the back of my jeans, knowing I have enough just before Baldwin arrives. Ivan's car isn't in sight yet as I step out of the car and walk to the front door of the building.

The door's unlocked as I push it open with one hand. It's dark inside, with a strong smell of dust. I slip my pistol out, holding it in front of me as I walk further into the building. The lights suddenly turn on. I cautiously turn around, looking at every corner to be alert. I hear a muffled sound from the left end of the room.

There's a pool table covered in dust, and I slowly follow the sound. Cards are scattered on the blackjack and poker tables.

"Show your fucking self!" I flick off the safety and place my finger on the trigger. The muffled sound grows louder as I slowly reach the end. I make a quick turn and see my mother tied to a wooden chair. One side of her head is bleeding. Her mouth is sealed with a gag, and her hands are tied behind the chair.

" Madre ."

"I'll shoot him if you get any closer," a voice says. I turn to see Daniel walking from the other side with a gun pointed behind his head. His hands are tied behind him. The tip of Daniel's mouth twitches with his jaws clenched. His eyes are furious.

"Alessandro." The man with the gun smirks as he walks Daniel out to meet me.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"You'll know soon enough when I take everything from you and make your life miserable." He makes a click sound and I get surrounded by armed men. Six of them, with their guns pointed at me. "Or you'll die trying to," he continues.

My mother is staring at me with worried eyes. I can't make out the words she's trying to say with the gag muffling the sound.

"It's me you want. Leave them out of this."

"Actually, it's Adriana I want, but killing all of you would make the plan easier. My men failed to get the job done before so I am taking it into my own hands now."

He has a black suit on, tight on his arm muscles. His blonde hair is packed in a low bun. "Aldo wouldn't have to wait any longer," he adds.

I keep the gun pointed at him.

Daniel's face is bruised with cuts, and his shirt is torn unevenly with the rags hanging on his body. His hair is in a mess across his face.

"Now, where is Adriana?"

"Go fuck yourself."

He checks the watch on his left wrist. "Where is Adriana, Alessandro?"

Where the fuck is Ivan?

"I don't have a bloody clue."

"Great." He points the gun at Madre and shoots her leg. Her screams come out muffled.

"You son of a bitch," I grunt, moving forward to punch his fucking face. A man behind me reaches for my arm and I connect my fist to his jaws.

"Ah, ah, you wouldn't want to do that now."

"Fucking take me instead."

"There's no fun in that, Alessandro. Answer me, or I shoot her brains out next."

"Stop fucking pointing the gun at her. She doesn't have anything to do with this."

"Answer me!" He raises his fucking voice at me.

The front door slams open, with bullets flying in the air. How fucking early! Goddamn bastards.

I run to push Daniel out of the way as I close the distance between the shooter and me. Daniel grunts as he falls to the ground on his side.

"You fucking cunt," I grunt as I punch his face. He drops his gun with a bloody nose. I keep him on the ground with my fist bashing into his skull. A dagger slips out of his suit, but I don't stop punching him. I'll make him pay for hurting Madre. My knuckles burst as I continue delivering hard punches to his face.

"Ale!" Daniel yells.

I turn to see one of them pointing a gun at Madre. He is about to take the shot when I pick up the dagger on the floor and toss it into his face.

His eyes bulge out as he holds his throat. His blood splattering from the hole the dagger settled in.

Daniel frees himself from the rope tied to his wrists and runs to meet Mother to free her from the chair. One of the men comes rushing at me, pushing me to the ground. I grunt as he stabs me in the arm.

"Fuck!"

He tries to stab me again but I hold his hands just before he pierces my flesh again. The sound of a gunshot and a scream fills the room.

" Madre !" Daniel yells.

The man hovering over me doesn't let me see what's happening. It doesn't sound good.

"Fuck you!"

I turn his wrist, forcefully driving the knife into his chest. He yelps as I stab him deeper before pushing his body off mine.

My mother is lying on the ground, covered in blood. Her own blood seeps from the wound on her chest. Daniel is by her side with shaky hands.

The man in the suit tries to get up with his gun pointed at Daniel now. I snatch the pool stick from the table and strike the gun out of his grip. He yells from the impact on his fingers.

"You killed my mother."

I strike him harder with the stick. He groans as it lands on his back. Daniel closes her eyelids with his fingers.

She's fucking dead. Madre !

"You killed her!"

I forcefully shove the tip of the pool stick into his chest. He holds the stick with his eyes wide. Blood seeps from the corner of his mouth.

"Rot in hell." I drive the stick deeper into his chest, twisting it as it goes.

"I want Aldo's fucking head!"