“Got a feeling all our asses would be in jail if you'd triggered the blast a minute or two later,” Lev said, wagging his finger. “The girls were on their way. Just them and their handlers. Gioulio changed plans at the last minute.”
I shrugged. “Might've been a mercy if they'd died there. You guys got me out of prison, quick and easy. Those girls he's got chained up? They're the ones who're really suffering. The bastards keep them in cages like dogs 'til they're brought out to suck and fuck.”
“Yeah. If only that was the only thing going on at Gioulio's parties.” Daniel stopped short of listing the sadistic shit we'd discovered.
It nailed me in the fucking chest to this day. No, we weren't out to play hero. Killing the head of the Ligiotti family and taking their business was priority number one. It was a selfish goal to enrich our family, secure ourselves. But just between us brothers, we'd hoped killing those fucks with a well timed explosion would set the women free too.
We'd slaughtered their asses before the women showed up, so that was something. None of the girls died that night. It even gave the bastard pause from everything we'd heard, rattled him so bad he let the sex ring languish for a couple months. Too bad it didn't last. Gioulio started pimping them out to a new line of Chicago scum the day after I went behind bars. The city's filled with fucking rats, always ready to come outta the woodwork and do favors for anyone willing to satisfy their psycho needs.
“Look, Anton, we've been working on the logistics of a follow up hit the whole time you've been behind bars,” Daniel said, reaching across the table to freshen his mug with more hot water from the samovar in the center. “Hell, we would've taken that bastard out ourselves by now if we didn't have to worry about somebody killing you dead on the inside in retaliation.”
“You should've done it anyway. I could've handled myself in there.”
A white lie. Yeah, I knew how to fight. I'd broken the bones of any fuck who tried to get smart or slip their dick into my ass in jail. But there were other tortures I didn't handle so well.
Solitary was hell. All three times I'd been there, my mind went crazy, wondering if I'd ever see a human face again. It was worse being caged with a cellmate, which was fucking plenty to deal with by itself.
I had to be out in the world. I was too used to business and play, killing and fucking, laughing with my brothers and looking for a chick worthy of expanding our family with my wild seed.
Never again. I'd never let those fuckers drag me back to that place for defending my family and butchering some dirty bastards with lived like angels and pleasured themselves like pigs. I'd do this shit with my brothers, accomplish the mission ahead, or die trying.
“Whatever. What happened – or didn't happen – is all done. We're here tonight to figure out how we're gonna dig Gioulio's grave.”
“Right,” Lev agreed. “Is that where the sweet ass hanging out in your bedroom comes in?”
“We should've drugged her and dumped her on the way here. Bitch is Ligiotti trash. I'm glad she was there to help you out, but I don't understand why the fuck you wanted to keep her here. She's a risk.”
“Because she's gonna be our Trojan Horse,” I growled, half a heartbeat away from slamming my fists on the table again. Couldn't believe how callously my brothers were talking about that girl. Vengeance is some poisonous shit.
“Yeah? And have you got a plan, or are you just bullshitting as you go along?” Daniel quirked an eyebrow.
“Nobody knows what we're up against like I do, D. I read about her old man and his asshole brother. I know what happened. And I definitely know the right questions to ask to get her on board.”
Lev shook his head, downing the shot of vodka waiting in his glass. “You think she'll turn that easy? Especially when the hard questions are coming from you? Why the fuck should she trust anything coming outta your mouth?”
I nodded, anger bristling in my veins. “She will. You forget I've already sat down a time or two with this girl. She knows me.”
Not to mention laid her down, pinched her ass, made her gush and twitch on my hands, I thought. Fuck, what I would've given to do a whole lot more with her that instant.
“I know what makes her tick. She's not complicated. Her uncle never told her shit about the family business. Fucker tried to keep her outta it. Not outta kindness neither. He's got plenty to hide to keep his ass whole, prevent any shakeups in his crew. It's up to me to show her all the dirty laundry that's been stuffed in her closet all these years.”
“Just remember we're trusting you on this, brother,” Lev said. “You're trying to turn blood against blood, and history tells us you've got stiff fucking odds of pulling it off.”