Becoming the Street Boss - Hayley Faiman Page 0,40

once. He snaps his lips closed, but the girl continues to scream.

Thankfully, Luca makes his way to the girl and sinks down to his haunches in front of her, lifting his hand to cover her mouth and muffle her cries of agony.

I have no doubt it’s traumatizing to see your mother’s brains cover your sofa and the wall behind her. I was traumatized that my mother was shot in the middle of the street while I was at school and I didn’t even see it happen.

“She was a liability,” I state. Gallo nods his head a couple of times. “This happens again and I will not hesitate to make another example out of someone else in your family. Honest to fuck, I like you, Gallo. I did not want it to come down to this, but I had no choice.”

“You didn’t,” he rasps as he nods his head a few times.

Crouching down in front of him on my own haunches, I look at him straight in the eye. “We good, Gallo?” I ask.

He nods his head quickly.

“We gonna have any more problems like this?”

He shakes his head, his eyes focused on mine and not moving.

“Good. I’ll be watching. Don’t worry about the body or the mess. I’ll have it all cleaned up. Her body will be delivered to the mortuary so that you can have a proper burial. Don’t make me come and do this again, next time, I think my message will be delivered in a completely different manner,” I state before I shift my gaze over to the girl, then back to him so that he knows exactly who my intentions will include next time.

Without another word, my point clearly made, I stand to my feet, cracking my knuckles. Jerking my chin toward Brando, I walk away from the house. “You got this?” I call out to Luca on my way out.

“Got you, Boss,” he replies.

Once we’re outside, I notice that there are already a couple of black cars parked down the street. Lifting my hand toward them, I wave them in. Clean-up crew. Best in the fucking business is what they are, because they’ve been trained to be. Fucking machines is what they are.

Brando and I walk together in silence. “You give me a ride back to my hotel?” I ask.

He nods his head, clearing his throat. “I’ll take you back to your wife,” he murmurs with a small laugh.

“Shit night to do all of this,” I say as I sink into the passenger seat of his car.

He groans as he sinks into his own seat before he starts the car. “No shit, man. Sorry it came down to this.”

“Knew I would have to teach some lessons when my boss raised the collection percentage. Hoped it could have waited until after my wedding weekend,” I admit with a sigh.

I give him the name of the hotel, then lean back and close my eyes for a moment, opening them back up on a long sigh. Brando nods his head as he drives toward the hotel. The ride to the hotel is quiet. As soon as the car comes to a stop, I don’t jump out right away.

“You good?” I ask Brando, turning my head to face him.

I watch as he grips the steering wheel tightly, his fists turning white. He inhales deeply through his nose, then lets it out of his mouth. He shakes his head once, then nods before he turns to face me.

“I’m good. It’s not something that I ever want to happen, but she knew what she was doing,” he says.

“Want you to keep an eye on their movements for me. Update me if I need to be updated.”

Reaching for the handle, I open the car door, unfolding from the seat before I turn and dip my chin, looking down at him.

“I’ll take care of it, Massimo.”

“You’re invaluable to me, Brando,” I say. “I’ll be rewarding you for your quick action.”

I don’t wait for a response. Instead, I straighten and head toward the front doors of the hotel. My wife is waiting for me upstairs and since the sun is now out and it’s officially daylight, I’m thinking that I may not be able to just slip in beside her.

PIPPA

I sit up with a gasp. Looking around the bedroom, I notice that I’m alone in the big fluffy bed. I wonder not only how I got in bed, but also where Massimo is. The last thing I remember, I was resting against his chest in