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“Bu-but they’re whores,” Lenny stuttered.
“And? What’s your point?” Roman demanded, towering over the man.
“That’s what they get paid for,” Lenny answered, like a complete fuckwit.
Abel kicked him in the back, sending him sprawling once more. “You stupid fuck. You could have walked away from this. But not anymore.”
Roman agreed. Lenny was already a walking dead man. His fate had been sealed the moment he touched Angel.
“What? You can’t be serious? Over a cunt?” Lenny yelled, aghast.
“Not just any cunt,” Salvatore intoned. “You also touched Dr. Hawthorne.”
That caused murmuring to break out in the peanut gallery, plus several curses in multiple languages, and some spitting on the ground. Angel was well-liked and respected by many.
“I didn’t. I would never,” Dane promised frantically. He wasn’t as stupid as he looked.
“You didn’t,” Roman agreed. “But that doesn’t absolve you of your other sins.” He whistled, and several men stepped forward. Roman nodded towards three of them at random. “The boys here are going to teach you a lesson in manners. After today, you’ll know how to treat a woman right. And you’ll never step foot in Omertà again.”
Roman watched impassively as the three men beat Dane with their fists and feet. The man’s pleas and eventual sobs fell on deaf ears. Lenny watched in growing horror, his predicament finally dawning on him. Roman only called a halt to the lesson when Dane passed out. Unconscious men couldn’t feel pain. Then he turned to Lenny. “Did you like the show? Your ending won’t be so happy, I’m afraid.”
“Happy...?” Lenny repeated, watching as Dane was dragged away. The blood trail left in his wake was a stark message to everyone in the room.
“Tell me what you said to Angel that made her feel the need to break your balls,” Roman demanded, loosening the cuffs on his shirt.
Lenny swallowed audibly. “Nothing. She overreacted.”
At least he didn’t try to lie about Angel beaning him in the nuts and throat, Roman thought silently.
“Is that right? She doesn’t seem the type to overreact,” Salvatore commented, circling Lenny.
“As someone who has been on the receiving end of her ire, I can attest that she chooses violence when she feels threatened,” Abel said. He moved in closer, locking Lenny inside the three of them. He leaned in close to Lenny’s face. “How did you threaten her?”
“I did it for you, boss. She disrespected you. She always disrespects you. I was just standing up for you.” Lenny did his best to justify his actions.
“You did it for me? Because you’re so loyal to me,” Roman stated flatly.
Lenny nodded frantically. “Right.”
“Then you’ll have no problem doing me a favor,” Roman pointed out. He pulled out one of his guns from his ankle holster. It was a small Diamondback DB9, but it was effective. “Shoot yourself in the head and save me the trouble.”
Lenny’s eyes widened, and he looked at the gun Roman held out. “What?”
“You heard me. Go ahead. Take it,” Roman urged.
Lenny looked at him like he was crazy, making no move to accept the weapon. “I’d take the easy way out if I were you,” Salvatore suggested. “The other way will be much messier.”
“And much more painful,” Abel added, cracking his knuckles.
“You’re really going to kill me over some bitch? Is she that good of a lay?” Lenny added stupidly.
Roman lost it for a moment. The charming veneer he donned on a daily basis so he could be civil, and a functioning member of society, sloughed away. He gripped Lenny by the hair and brought his knee up, smashing the man’s nose against his kneecap. Lenny screamed, blood sprayed, and Roman pushed him away before kicking him in the ribs over and over. He paused to catch his breath, watching Lenny writhe on the ground.
Lenny groaned but managed to speak. Every word dug him into a deeper hole. “I’ve worked for you for three years! You’d kill me over a few words with a woman. She’s—”
“MINE!” Roman yelled. “She’s MINE! And nobody touches what is mine.”
“Yours? But...” Lenny looked around, clearly seeking help, but none was forthcoming. In fact, the rest of Roman’s employees had a hard time meeting the doomed man’s eyes. “I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know, boss. Since when? Fuck, no one knows. It ain’t just me. But I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay? I’ll apologize. I’ll make it right,” he all but begged, gripping his broken ribs.
