Miles Away (Carrion #1)(18)

I want to go forth. I want to stop him. I want to prevent Michael from causing anyone harm, but in that moment I am frozen solid. It isn’t my tremendous fear that is stopping me in my tracks. I’m not a dumb girl, you know. When Michael Capadonno has a hissy fit, you do not want to get in the way. When a mind snaps, it is deaf to reasoning. In Carrion, New Jersey, the color of money isn’t green. It’s red. Crimson red, to be exact. Crime scene red, if you will. Don’t believe me? Take a look around. The rich and the powerful, didn’t get there through hard work. They earned their riches by the edge of a blade and the cock of a gun. Look at my boss, for instance. Michael Capadonno. Retired hitman for the Capadonno crime family, Underboss and one of Carrion’s most feared men. Don’t let his sly smile fool you. The man is a cold-blooded killer.

Michael stood quite calmly in the hallway despite his obvious rage. His hands lay gently on the cherry wood, his fingers carressing the smooth surface of the table. Dropping his hands to the top drawer of the console table, his thin fingers gripped the ornate bronze handle and jerked forcefully, pulling the drawer open with a bang.

Fuck. I know what’s in that drawer. Fuck Fuck Fuck. Don’t do it, Michael. Don’t f*cking do it! Don’t make me lose my shit!

But despite the mental messages that Letty was sending to Michael, their connection was firewalled. Michael pulled a black handgun from the drawer. Giving himself one last glance in the mirror, all semblance of compassion had been stripped from his face.

“Michael!” Letty cried out, hoping that he would listen. Something in Letty’s heart told her he wouldn’t, but then he did something that she did not expect. Holding the gun at his side, he turned around and gave Letty a look of deep sorrow.

“Please stay here,” Michael said in a voice as smooth as silk. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Gulp.

Letty watched as Michael vanished from the doorway. A moment later the arguing ceased, and instead of cursing at Anthony, Rainey began pleading with her father. As Michael held his gun to Anthony’s head, Raine tugged on her father’s shirt sleeve, begging him to spare Anthony’s life.

“You got rocks for brains, son?” Michael screamed as he cocked his gun.

“No, Daddy, no! Please, Daddy!” Raine screamed, the sound of her desperate voice tugging hard on Letty’s heart strings.

“You come into my house! You come into my house and disrespect my daughter… disrespect ME!” Michael spat, the gun lodged in Anthony’s left eye.

“Mr. Capadonno… Uh…” Anthony stammered in a shaky voice.

“You shoulda asked your daddy about me, kid. I ain’t the one to f*ck with!” Michael screamed.

Letty could see their shadows on the wall. It was a dangerous dance. A wicked waltz. Michael had a gun held to Anthony’s head as Raine circled around them, trying to talk some reason into her father.

“Please, Daddy, I love him!” Raine pleaded as she grabbed onto her father’s shirt.

“Rainey! Go upstairs! Not another god damn word!” Michael demanded as he cast a lethal glare at his youngest daughter.

Goosebumps rose on Letty’s flesh as she listened to a sob rip from Raine’s throat.

“Daddy, please!”

“Renata Andrea Maria Capadonno! NOW!”

Letty’s chest heaved as panic set in. Air wouldn’t circulate through her lungs. Her heart thrummed in her chest, threatening to kick out at any second.

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God…” Letty muttered under her breath.

Raine’s heels clicked loudly against the marble floor, beating a staccato tempo through the house. She brushed through the parlor not even giving Letty a glance. Tears blinded her sight as she rushed through, hysteria ripping from her as she left her father alone with Anthony. Raine rushed to the winding staircase that led to the second floor with her hands covering her ears and wails ripping from her chest.

Her hands are covering her ears.

Michael’s voice belted out over all the calamity.

“Lemme give you a history lesson, son!”

Pop! Pop! Crash!

Two gun shots ripped through the massive house bouncing off of every surface and threatening to shatter Letty’s ear drums. It took a moment for Letty to register what was happening. As she heard Anthony Spinelli’s body crash to the floor, it had hit her. She had just witnessed a murder. As the cruel realiziation hit her, and her own blood ran cold, Michael Capadonno’s raw voice rang out, “Nobody f*cks with a Capadonno!”

Letty stood completely still as the gun shots still rang out in her ears. Her breath was shallow. Her terrified heart pained with panic.

Michael grumbled to himself, “Asshole.”

Letty flinched as Michael re-emerged from the foyer. He walked casually to the console table in the hallway and tucked away his weapon. Picking up his cell phone off of the console table, Michael pressed a series of numbers. Bringing his black iPhone to his ear, Michael had an impatient look on his face.

“C’mon pick up the f*ckin’ phone!” Michael said as he rapped his knuckles against the hard wood of the table.

“Aye… It’s me. Clean up crew. Get your ass over here and bring a mop. Bring Dante and Fish wit’ ya, too. Forget it. Don’t worry who, just f*cking have your asses here in twenty!”