When I turned to face him, the dour expression on his face caused me to still. “What happened?”
He started pacing. “There was an incident downtown.”
My heart stopped. “Is Layla hurt?”
“No. No, it’s not like that.”
I scowled. “Then what?”
The old man stopped and looked up at the roof. “You brother and Lucio had a run-in with some of the Mancuso men.” He turned to face me. “Apparently, it didn’t end so well.”
“Meaning it turned into a bloodbath.” It wasn’t a question. When things didn’t end well, it usually meant someone died. “Antonio and Lucio okay?”
“Yes. They’re fine.”
Nothing about his demeanor gave me the impression that everyone was fine. In fact, the grim look on his face, the way his shoulders were slumped forward said to me that I wasn’t going to like the next part of this fucking story.
“What happened?”
He took a deep breath. “I think it best you wait for Antonio to get here.”
What the…? “Are you telling me Antonio is on his way back here? Jesus Christ, the fucker has balls, I’ll give him that.” I stormed to the bedroom door. “He better have Layla with him if he wants to live to see another day.”
“Dante.” My father’s voice boomed through the room in a way which could not be ignored. “Layla is not with him.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “Then he’s a dead man.”
“There will not be bloodshed in my house. Do you understand me?”
I hung my head, the weight of my father’s authority no longer doing anything to tame the rage which possessed every part of my being. For me, there was nothing but Layla. Not anymore.
Without looking at him, I said, “Antonio made his decision when he decided to work against me instead of with me.”
The sound of tires racing across the gravel came from outside the window.
“Antonio,” I whispered.
My father rushed forward and grabbed my elbow, spinning me around to face him. “Your life is about to change, Dante. Are you ready for that?”
I remained emotionless, like a fucking robot programmed to kill until it had achieved its goal. “Without Layla, I have no life to change.”
With a concerned look, he cocked his head to the side, his face paler than ever. “We’ll see about that…after you speak to your brother.”
The tone of his voice, the apprehension in his eyes, made me nervous. My spine itched with unease.
My father stepped back. “I ask you to leave your gun here in this room.”
I laughed. “Dad, I love you. I respect you. But that’s not happening.”
I walked out of the room. My resolve to get my woman back strengthened with every step I took. The gun at my back made me feel more confident about my resolution not to let anyone get in my way.
If you have to slit the throat of every motherfucker who gets between you and your woman, you do it with a fucking smile on your face.
I wanted those fucking words engraved on my headstone one day. Those were the words I would live by for the rest of my life.
Antonio got out of his car as I stepped outside. “Is she with you?”
“No.” He remained standing by the car door. “She’s not.”