Miles Away (Carrion #1)(92)

Hitting the gas pedal, Miles catapulted the car forward as another mob moved eastbound on Grove Street, turning right onto Hemlock Street, Miles caught his breath. As he slowed the car down in front of the La Fortuna night club, he came to the realization that he was completely surrounded. The mobs converged in front of the nightclub, surrounding Corina and shouting angrily at Miles. Directly behind him, Knox’s car pulled up.

“Don’t you get out of this car, Miles!” Letty yelled, fear rattling in her voice. “Don’t you do it!”

Miles looked behind him and met his eyes with Letty’s own. Tears streaked her face as she looked up at Miles with a pleading gaze. Shaking her head, Letty pleaded again. “No, Miles. Please. There has to be another way.”

Reaching for her hand, Miles kissed her palm gently. Bringing her hand to his cheek, Letty’s hand brushed against Miles’s beard. After a breath, Miles let go. Giving Letty a nervous look, Miles asked, “Do you want your son back or not?”

Letty began to tremble under the weight of Miles’s intense stare. A sob was building, but it seemed to be trapped. Even in this moment, Letty was far too stubborn to break down completely.

When Letty didn’t answer him, Miles gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Then let me get him for you. No matter what happens, Letty, remember,” Miles said as he reached his hand out to her. Placing his hand gently on her chest, Letty’s heart thumped under Miles’s touch. “I have always lived in here.”

Breaking from her gaze, Miles turned and exited the vehicle with a pair of twin Berettas in his hands. Only then did Letty finally break. Thrashing against Landon’s grip, Letty wailed.

“No, stop it! He’s going to get himself killed!”

“Letty… Letty… LETTY! You are not going anywhere! Miles is a big man, he can handle himself! Let him get your son and your father. Everything will work out. Everything will be fine. Just stay calm. Getting upset is not doing you any favors!”

“But, Landon, I just got him back. We just got him back,” Letty said as she sobbed into Landon’s shirt.

Stroking his hand over Letty’s hair, Landon comforted his brother’s longtime love as best as he knew how. “We’re all going to walk out of this a little crazier, a little more paranoid, but very much alive. You have to believe, Letty. If you don’t have hope, you don’t have anything.”

Letty gasped as she looked out the window in fear, as Miles came face to face with Dustin and Knox. With a gun in the air, Miles set off a blast.

“I’m here, f*ckers! Send out the hostages. NOW!” Miles screamed.

Nunzio Rigatti smiled broadly as he navigated through the crowd.

“Miles Capadonno… we meet again.”

“Hey, shithead,” Miles said with a laugh. He pointed at Nunzio’s bruised face and hands. “Get in a fight with your sister?”

Nunzio didn’t appreciate Miles’s humor, but he didn’t bother responding with an insult.

“How nice of you to join us here at the House of Rigatti. La Fortuna, the birthplace of this thing of ours.”

Miles looked back at the night club, “Eh, I was expecting more. You really should spruce the place up the next time I come.”

Nunzio scoffed as Knox rolled his eyes.

“Do all of you Capadonnos have to be such *s?” Nunzio asked.

“We inherited it from our father. Can’t help it,” Miles admitted. “Now if you want to see how much of an * I can be, keep me waiting a little f*cking longer. Let’s go, old man.”

Giving Miles a hostile glare, Nunzio stood silent for a moment. Running his hand along the length of his jaw, Nunzio sized up the new Boss of the Capadonno crime family with a calculating stare.

“Capadonno…” Nunzio said as he approached Miles. Pushing a stubby finger into Miles’s chest, Nunzio said, “You’re not as bad as everybody claims you are. You have a weak heart. Your father would have killed me by now.”

A sly smirk broke onto Miles’s face. Secretly, he thought, That’s because my old man was the love child of Ted Bundy and Lizzie f*cking Borden.

A tall man in a gray suit emerged from La Fortuna. Behind him, another man emerged with a black pillow case over his head. In his arms was a small child with a terrible gash across his forehead. Miles’s eyes tracked G from seventy feet away. As his eyes fell upon the nasty red gash across the toddler’s face, Miles drilled his eyes back to Nunzio’s face.

Seeing the twisted smile on Miles’s face, Nunzio snarled at him.

“Did I say something funny? What the f*ck are you laughing at?”

Reaching into his back pocket, Miles pulled something out concealing it in his palm.

“You hard of hearing old man?” Miles asked with a dark smile growing on his face.

Nunzio stared at Miles pretending he didn’t remember the threats Miles had delivered from his jail cell.

Screwing his eyes to Nunzio’s face, Miles growled, “What did I say would happen if that child was injured?”

Nunzio stood silent as he watched Miles carefully.

“What did I say would happen if that child shed one f*cking tear?” Miles shouted.

Nunzio dropped the fa?ade as quick as a bad habit. Snarling, Nunzio’s puggish face turned a violent shade of red.

“What do you care? It’s not like it’s your kid!”