Miles Away (Carrion #1)(72)

As Miles exited the store, Letty waved goodbye sheepishly to the shop clerk who was clearly traumatized by their visit. The clerk stared at Miles with deer in headlight eyes as he walked out of the store. As soon as they were out of the shop, Miles pulled on his t-shirt and waited for Letty’s approval.

“Nice,” Letty remarked as she threw up the OK sign with her fingers.

Holding his hand out for Letty to take, Miles said, “C’mon.”

“Where are we going now?” Letty asked.

“You’ll see…”

And just like that the night went on without a hitch. Miles was not a man that liked to live in the past. He learned from it. Miles had an impeccable memory. He didn’t rehash old hurts, he let them condition him. Miles let the pain of the past motivate him. He was not a forgive and forget kind of guy, though. Miles was a vengeance, vindication and victory kind of guy. The two execution attempts on his life today had only served to strengthen him. Dante Sabotino and Anthony Schiabetta did nothing but piss off a sleeping dragon. There was something inherently dangerous about people who lived in the shadow of a mighty and lethal force and lived without fear. Letty might be frightened, but Miles wasn’t. He had since been desensitized from witnessing so many acts of violence, degradation and utter disrespect of human life by the hands of his father. Michael Capadonno and his men used to strike fear in Miles’s heart. Those days were long over. The execution attempts acted as an activation agent. He knew who was behind them. That would be three times now that his own father tried to have him killed. As the old baseball rule goes, three strikes and you’re out. Miles now sought to take the heart of the man who had given him life.





CHAPTER FORTY




RAINE CAPADONNO SAT on a barstool smoking a cigarette as she kept a close eye on the double doors of the Destiny Nightclub. The pulsing beats sounding from the dance floor usually energized her, but tonight they were giving her a headache.

“What are ya drinkin’, babe?” Rumor asked her cousin as she approached her from the opposite side of the bar.

“I’m not. I’m waiting for this douche bag to show up with my money!” Raine spat with a miserable look on her face.

“What douche bag?” Rumor replied with a worried look on her face. As she waited for Raine to reply, she slipped her long black curls off her left shoulder. Wearing a pink off the shoulder top, she had a tattoo of the name “Ruin” branded across her chest.

“Jackie Villano!” Raine complained as she dropped a cigarette butt into the ashtray.

“Told you not to sell to him…” Rumor said as she rolled her eyes. She clicked her long acrylic nails against the surface of the bar.

“He better f*ckin’ pay me for all the H I gave him or I’ll set the f*ckin’ dogs on him!” Raine threatened, her eyes going wild as she eyed the crowd of the club.

“You think these *s would learn, especially after what your dad did to Ant’ny! Pay or be dealt with. Loser shoots all his money into his veins anyway.”

“He’ll get his,” Raine insisted. “Don’t worry about that. I always get my way.”




“Blow on these for me, baby…” Miles said in a sultry voice as he held a pair of dice near Letty’s mouth.

As the other casino patrons cheered them on, Letty gently blew on Miles’s dice. A second later, Miles tossed it on to the craps table as the crowd cheered louder.

“He wins again! Lucky f*cker! Whaddya say?” the dealer asked. “One more round?”

“No, brother. Time for me to bounce,” Miles said, realizing that he had drawn too much attention to himself already.

“Oh, scared?” the dealer asked.

“Never,” Miles said in a self-assured voice as he let the dealer scan his points card.

“Godspeed, my friend. That’s one hell of a night,” the dealer said.

“I’ll say,” Miles said as he glanced at the total on the dealer’s scanner.

In a matter of an hour, Miles had won over five thousand dollars. As Letty and Miles walked from the table, Miles winked at Letty.

“I learned a thing or two while I was away,” Miles said with a sly smirk.

Letty laughed. “Yeah! I see that!”

Standing in line to cash his winnings, Miles’s attention was caught by a black vintage Cadillac that had rolled out front of the casino. Pulling Letty close to him, Miles kept a protective hold on Letty as he grabbed his cash and veered out of sight.

“Where are we going, Miles?”

“Let’s go check out the jewelry store.”

Letty’s head damn near spun around.

“For what?” Letty asked with a million-watt smile.

“I just won 5K. I want to get you something pretty.”

“You don’t have to do that, Miles,” Letty said, not wanting to spend his money.

Turning around on his heels, Miles gave Letty a serious look. “Trust me, Letty. You’re going to want this.”

As Miles led the way to Herschmann’s Jewelers, Letty tried to maintain her composure. Tried and failed. She had a smile on her face that could light up Times Square. Miles, hearing the giggles that were ripping from Letty’s mouth, turned around again with a smile. Letty sucked her lip in, but it was too late. Miles had seen the exuberant grin on her face.