I was sick of this mess, sick that my own people were being used. Their lack of loyalty hurt, and hurt deeply, but there had to be a reason. These people had been with me for a long time. I hurried into the warehouse that was heavily protected by my men.
The smell of dirt, cement, and blood rushed to my senses, alerting me I was close.
“All but one won’t talk.” Niccola stepped out of my way as I raised the knife and slashed one man’s neck, clipping his artery. He was new and had already sidestepped on some of his duties, so he was on his way out anyway. Blood sprayed, and I felt some of it splash my face as I watched him drain white. I felt no empathy for him whatsoever.
The others who watched were like family, so I when I turned my attention to them and dabbed my face with my handkerchief, I hoped they’d remember where their loyalty lay.
“Are you sure you want to keep your silence?” I shrugged.
“Please, sir,” the oldest spoke up, “we’ll talk.”
“Good.” I glanced at Niccola and flicked my wrist. “Separate and question them.”
“Yes, boss. The other one is in there.” He pointed down the hallway, and I glared at the others, daring them to lie before I left with a hiss.
My shadow loomed over my shoulder and followed me, flickering in and out with the gaps in the lighting. It was as if my soul was unable to make a full connection when I was here. It allowed me to do my job without a conscience. I didn’t always handle the kills myself, but with how far out of hand all this was getting, I wanted to use my presence as a tool to get them to speak up. These men were my family, their families were my families, and hurting them wasn’t something I wanted to do but had to do.
I nodded at Donatello as I stepped inside the round room. No corners to cower in, no shadows to hide within, just a place that left nowhere to go. Before we got started, I needed to make my point. No matter how you looked at it, he had betrayed me and the family. I stepped forward and rammed my fist hard into his stomach, then I stepped back and waited for him to catch his breath.
“You want to talk, Antonio?” I took my time and fixed my tie, drawing his eyes to my pristine attire. It was a necessary reminder as to who he was dealing with.
“I-I,” he stumbled, “I need you to promise my family won’t be harmed.”
“You should know I have no interest in hurting your family.” I had never and would never hurt women and children. That was a line my father and I stood firm on.
“When the man in white asks you to do something, you have to do it.” He tried to stand, but his knees nearly gave out, and he used the wall for support.
“Who is this man, and why do you feel this way?”
“I don’t know who he is, but when my brother said no to him, they took my niece, and she hasn’t been seen since.” He stiffened when I stepped closer. “He doesn’t just hurt us. He hurts our babies.”
“They have Val?” It was the first time I’d heard of this. “Why didn’t you come to me?”
“I wanted to. I was so afraid for her, but when I tried to protest for her life, he did this.” He pulled up his pant legs and showed me his battered kneecaps.
“Antonio,” I sighed and rubbed my tired eyes. “Bucket and water,” I ordered Donatello, and he rushed to retrieve the items, returning a moment later. He turned the bucket upside down and handed me the jug of water.
“Sit,” I ordered Antonio, who wasted no time easing his battered body to sit. I handed him a plastic cup and watched him down the water. He needed to see that I wasn’t a monster like the man in white. He needed to be reminded of the protection I offered. He had been honest with me and had provided information, and in turn, that deemed a reward.
“Thank you,” he huffed in relief. “I’m sorry, sir.” Tears pooled in his eyes, and I could see his sincerity. “The dockyard is not what it used to be. The men are scared to go to work there because of him.”
“You have no idea who this man is? What does he look like? Tell me everything you know. How is he getting past all our men?”
“He’s tall, wears a white suit, white tie, white everything. Like he’s impersonating an angel, but he’s anything but.” He squinted, and his mouth turned down as he took a minute to think. “You never know when he will appear. His men leave messages on our windshields and then follow us until we are off your territory. They wait until we stop at a stoplight or something and then pull up on their motorbikes and force us to follow them to a location where he will order us to do things for him.”
Stefano.
“What location?”
“It’s always a different place.”
That was smart. It made it harder for us to track him.
“What did he want you to do?”
“I was supposed to deliver something to the market.” He nodded to Donatello, who held out a stained envelope. “I didn’t look at it. I didn’t ask any questions, I just took it, but before I could drop it off at the entrance of the market, I was picked up and brought here.”
I nodded once and tucked the envelope into my jacket pocket.