Page 9 of In Ruins
ENZO
“Ahhh, please stop!” the man currently bound to the chair groans out, begging with tears streaming down his face. He’s Russian, and I have no idea why they’re suddenly attacking us. But I’m going to find out. They have no business being in Chicago in the first place.
I cock my arm back and punch him in the jaw. Another one of his teeth flies out of his mouth as blood continues to drip down his face. He can barely open his eyes because his whole face is swollen, bruised, and bleeding, his body not faring much better either.
Even my knuckles are bloody and raw from the beating I’ve been giving him for the last hour. My jabs are vicious, the screams coming out of him music to my ears.
If you think that’s harsh, it’s nothing compared to what I’m actually capable of. Though I am starting to think I’m going soft or some shit. I mean, why else would people try to fuck with me when they know my reputation? At least once every few months, some asshole comes by thinking they have the balls to come after me. All that shit serves only to test my patience.
I’m not sure why these idiots think it’s a good idea to go up against me and then have the audacity to turn into snivelingidiots when they’re being punished for their deeds. It doesn’t make any fucking sense to me.
The least they can do, while I’m doling out their punishments, is have some fucking dignity and act like men before their time comes to an end. It only pisses me off more to see them begging and crying for mercy when there is none to give. Especially when it’s their actions that land them in one of my torture rooms.
Like right now, this asshole is getting on my nerves. You can only listen to someone beg and cry for so long before it gets annoying. Usually, I’d torture them longer to make sure everyone gets the message, but I’m just not feeling it today. I’m utterly bored, and this one is too much of a whiny bitch for me to have any real fun.
Deciding to end this shit early, I go over to the table where all my torture instruments are and grab the Bowie knife before walking back over to him. He looks at the knife in my hands through his swollen eyes, and fear twists his face. This clown doesn’t know a thing about me if he thinks his crying will sway me. I ignore him and slowly run the blunt edge of the blade against his face.
“Please! Please, let me go!” he cries. I want to stab him in the head so I won’t have to hear him any longer.Did I mention already that it’s annoying as fuck?
“Now, why the fuck would I want to do such a thing,stronzo?”
“Please, sir, I-I have a family,” he sobs. Like I give a fuck. I pull my knife back and examine it like I have all the time in the world. A second later, he pisses himself, and I look at the asshole with nothing but disgust.
“Is thisstronzofor real right now?” I ask my men, laughing. They all chuckle along with me. Everyone already knows he’s not making it out of here alive today.
I turn to look back at him, letting him see the darkness in my eyes. I want him to see the killer in me. The one people whisper about because I’m fucking ruthless when it comes to the enemy. I give him a deadly smirk before speaking again. “Why do people always tell me they have a family when they’re moments away from dying, like that’s somehow going to change my mind? If you didn’t want to be in the fucking position you’re in right now, then you shouldn’t have fucking come after me!”
“Fuck you!” he sneers. “They won’t stop coming for you?—”
“Let them! I’ll kill every last one of you Russian fuckers!” I snap, cutting him off. He needs to be taught a lesson, and I need to make an example out of him. “They must not like you very much because they sent you here to die. I can see why, though. You’re pathetic as fuck.”
Being at the top is cutthroat as hell. In business, especially Mafia business, someone is always attacking. You always have to be on guard, or you’re dead. Being the assassin for the family and one of the best, I might add, I’m usually the one who gets to have all the fun and deal with the assholes when they come after us.
I take one last look at his battered and bruised body, deciding it’s time to end his misery and his existence. When you’ve killed as many men as I have, well, it just gets a bit boring after a while. All I want right now is to go home and relax with a glass of cognac.Shit! That makes me sound like I’m an old man or something.
Before anyone registers what is happening, I slice his throat. The move is so fast that it takes him a second to comprehend what just occurred. His eyes widen in surprise, well, as much as they can while swollen, as he begins to gurgle and choke on his blood gushing from the wound. It sprays me as it pours free. I revel in the fact that this is one less asshole I have to deal with.Nothing makes me feel as exhilarated as snuffing out an enemy’s life.
I stand there and stare at him, not feeling an inch of sympathy. It doesn’t take long for him to succumb to his fate, and when he’s dead, I walk away.
“Dispose of him,” I tell my men over my shoulder as I head for the door, quickly making my way into one of the shower rooms to clean up and wash the blood off me. I intend to go to the house right after to see my parents. Lord knows if I don’t make a visit soon, Ma will send a search party after me.
When I’m dressed in new clothes, I leave the bloodied ones in a pile on the floor for my guys to dispose of. I’m ready to leave, so I head out the back of the warehouse to my car. I get in and start the drive to my parents’ house, but a couple of minutes later, I change direction to head to my office instead. I need to get some work done before I deal with the mind field that is my parents.
I park my car in the building’s garage and head for the elevator before taking it up to my floor. My office is on the top floor of our building, right where I love it. Our family owns Andretti Real Estate & Construction, one of the largest companies in this country and globally.
I can already feel the stares on me as I walk off the elevator. Every time I come into the office, my employees gawk at me. They act like I’m not here every other day, and seeing me in the flesh makes them lose their minds or something. Or maybe they’re trying to figure out if all the whispers and rumors about me are true.
“Hi, Mr. Andretti. How are you today?” Vi asks.
“Hello, Vi. I’m good. How are you doing today?” I ask, and she blushes.
“I’m great! Do you need me to do anything for you?” she questions and bats her lashes at me.
“Actually, there is. Can you call Nadia and tell her to come to my office right away?”
“Yes, sir. I’m on it,” she says, as I continue on my way. I shut the door behind me and take a seat in my chair, getting some work done while I wait for Nadia to arrive.
Nadia and I have had a casual arrangement for some time. I was clear with her from the beginning that this would only be a temporary arrangement, since I didn’t do relationships. She was okay with that at first, but lately she’s been getting kind of clingy, which means it might be time to end this agreement between us. But it will be after today, since I want to fuck her one last time.
