Mad Max - Sapphire Knight Page 0,38
up at my flat shortly after I’ve phoned him. I close my bedroom door as Ismerlda’s sleeping peacefully and I don’t want her disturbed with us moving this body. Andre takes one look at the bloody corpse still on the floor and says, “I’ll call a few of the guys to set up outside your place and keep watch. Any suspicions on who he was working for?”
I wave him off. “No need. The dead bloke worked for Vincenzo.”
“He put a hit on you? Does he have a death wish?”
I shake my head. “No, this wanker was here with Ismerlda. He posed no threat to me. I killed him anyhow.”
He silently shakes his head, dragging the deceased fella onto a plastic sheet. “Should I go nab her friend to keep her company? Is she a mess over his death? I don’t hear anything. Figured she’d be freaking out.”
“Leave the woman alone. My bird is asleep in our bed. She’s calm and needs for nothing.”
He stares at me skeptically. Not that I can blame him. He’s seen me go off the handles several times. He’s probably silently wondering if Ismerlda’s still breathing. Had she been anyone else, she wouldn’t be.
“What? Just say whatever you’re thinking, mate.”
“I’m surprised is all. She’s still marrying you after the kidnapping, and now this as well? Most women would be terrified and calling the authorities.”
“Of course. She believes she’s saving her father, amongst her other family. She’ll do what she needs to. The female is strong and stubborn. Far more than I initially gave her credit for. Perhaps this marriage won’t all be a disaster after all.”
“With the wedding this week, I still think it’s a good idea to have extra men around, looking out.”
I agree. “So long as any tossers know whom she belongs to. I won’t hesitate in killing them if they touch her. I don’t want them speaking or looking her way. I’m liable to hurt them if I catch them.”
“Right.” He finishes wrapping the body in thick plastic and duct tapes it in place, then moves to the door, peeking his head out the front door into the hall, calling for another member to help him. They each grab for the corpse, one at the head, another at the feet, and leave through the stairwell. It’s always empty. As for the cameras, Andre’s good about that sort of thing. He’ll make sure the footage is scrubbed along with retracing his steps for any blood or other incriminating evidence. I wouldn’t have him work so closely with me if he was an imbecile.
With a sigh, I lock the thick steel door and unbutton my shirt on my way to our bedroom. I toss it into the hamper along with my pants for disposal, then lose my socks, briefs, and singlet to the hamper for the cleaning lady. She handles the regular wash along with dropping the others at the cleaners. I opt for a swift shower to wash away the remaining blood, not wanting to dirty my fresh sheets. After it’s all said and done, I eventually crawl into bed next to the headstrong Italian beauty three hours later. For the first time since she’s moved in, I don’t silently stew beside her, listening to her breathe.
Cleaning up bodies has taken away too much time in my life, yet I’d do it nightly, if it meant I could touch Ismerlda as I did tonight. The memory of her earlier, creaming around my fingers, is what I drift off to.
“Her father dies,” I immediately lead with the change of plans as we sit in on another meeting with none other than Dante fucking Vendetti. I suppose I should be pleased with the prospect of us discovering a mutual ground we can work together on rather than going to war with the New York mob. Doesn’t mean I’m thrilled with being in the tosser’s presence today, or any day for that matter.
“Hm. I thought your fiancée’s papa was a crucial part of your bargaining for the other famiglia’s whereabouts. Didn’t you say you needed him for a vote?” he states, and I nod.
“Indeed. However, she’s to be taught a lesson.”
He grunts but says nothing in return. He needn’t comment on it though. I already heard a full spiel from Thaddaeus about me potentially messing everything up. He should have more faith, as I know what I’m doing, and in Ismerlda’s case, how far I can push her. “I’ve discussed your proposition with my fratelli. The Capo