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“You really know how to incentivize someone, don’t you?” I lecture her.
“Do you really think I’m going to incentivize you with sweet nothings while my sister is in the car?” she asks.
“I’d prefer it,” I’m quick to say.
“I’d rather you not,” Layla pipes up.
Although we might’ve laughed at it once, the somber mood is too heavy to break.
We’ve been driving out of the city for over thirty minutes now and ever slowly, the sun has begun to rise. I watch it as I focus on the sensation of Elanee’s thumb brushing over my hand, memorizing her touch.
We pull off the main road and drive down a thin dirt road along the river. Ten minutes later, we spot two cars parked under a leafless tree. Six men are waiting, all with cigars hanging out of their mouths. One casually dangles his hands over a bat resting across his shoulders.
Our cars come to a stop and the lights dim. There’s nothing here. Just a river, a lifeless tree, and more importantly—no witnesses.
Elanee’s grip tightens on my hand as her gaze lands on him. The Lion is only wearing a set of low-hanging jeans, so his torso, marked by various scars, is on display. I step to Luca’s side, still holding Elanee’s hand. Lorenzo partially stands in front of him, forever a shield. And the hounds and The Lion’s men size one another up. The Lion laughs as he points at the hound’s masks. “New York. It’s so theatrical. Where I’m from, men don’t hide behind masks.”
And then The Lion points to Luca and says in the way of an introduction: “You’re younger than what I imagined.”
“And you’re not welcome to conduct business on my turf,” Luca coldly replies.
The Lion smiles at that remark but then his expression twists when he notices Elanee and me.
“I wondered if you had a part to play in this. Perhaps I did underestimate you, you little shit. Do you know how much money you’ve cost me over these years?” he snidely demands.
“I thought I was nothing but a buzzing fly?” I arrogantly kick up a smile.
He offers a twisted smile that looks more like a snarl. “You went to quite the effort for a broken toy. But I can’t return to my boss empty-handed. So let’s make this easy,” he says looking at Luca. ”No weapons. Bare hands. Until the death. When I win, I get a little permission slip to continue my gun trafficking and you’re going to reimburse every fucking piece that you stole from me.”
“Not quite,” Luca says as he redirects his attention back to me.
“You’ll be fighting me,” I interject.
“But I don’t want in on your business,” The Lion says unfazed. “What could I possibly want with those tiny fucking cubicles you work in?”
“He’ll be fighting on my behalf?” Luca says matter-of-factly. Not that anyone would ever need to fight on his behalf, but that was our agreement.
“Isn’t this what you always wanted, paps?” I say to antagonize him.
His response is slow and calculated. Because The Lion cannot help but want to win any challenge. “I threw you away a long time ago, boy, because you’re weak, just like your mother. You should learn when to bow,” he says as he blows another puff of his cigar.
He’d caught me off guard last time, and with my body having sporadic numbing and paralysis, I was at his mercy. I just gambled that fate was on my side today. I begin to peel away my shirt, knowing that there’s no way The Lion will turn a challenge down, especially when he has an audience.
I cock an arrogant smile. “When I kill you today, my terms are that none of your men come after any of the families I’m involved with. No one is to come to New York.”
He laughs. “You actually think you have a chance, boy?” He looks between Luca and me and then his smile turns downwards when he realizes how serious we are. “Fine, let’s play this schoolyard bullshit. At least try to get a hit in.”
Cold fingers snake through mine, and I turn to face Elanee. “I told you to stay behind the hounds,” I grit. Her bronze doe-eyes focus on me, but I can tell it’s terrifying for her to stand so close to him.
“Come back to me. Promise me,” she says, looking up at me through thick eyelashes.
I press my forehead to hers, embracing the heat of her forehead, and inhale the same air that she breathes to give me strength. If my body doesn’t betray me, I can do this. “I’ll come back to you. Always.”
“This shit makes me want to puke,” The Lion says as he steps away from the cars and into the open space.
I kiss Elanee and release her hand as I walk over to him. I can’t stand the sight of him, but there’s something that feels off about the situation. He used her as bait to distract me from his other business. Maybe he didn’t anticipate I’d willingly align with the Italian mafia all for her.
He rolls his shoulders and brushes his loose, long, black hair over his shoulder. “Let’s see what you have then, boy.”
