The Slayer (Untamed Hearts #2)(131)

“Chu—” Luis called out to him.

“Get out of here.”

Chuito didn’t even turn back. He knew they would listen to him as he walked back into the house. There was something symbolic about closing the door on them, saving his old crew by pushing them away and walking into the house to kill their last connection to crime.

The Italians were all still standing there, their guns in their hands, their suits still nicely creased and unwrinkled, pretty and clean despite the pools of blood and dead bodies.

Cold.

Uncaring.

Looking away from the hushed, quick debate in Italian Nova and Tino were having, likely over the phone, because Chuito noticed Nova had it in his hand now. Whatever Tino was saying seemed to have an effect on Nova, because he turned away after a second and looked to Chuito standing there.

“Everyone get out,” Nova said and then gestured to Junior standing in the corner, now dressed. “Take him with you. Wait for us outside.”

Chuito didn’t pay attention to the Italians leaving. He just pulled out his gun as he stared at the two injured Russians lying on the floor in the middle of the fallen bodies of their brothers.

And Angel, his hands still behind his head while he knelt there, now quiet as he stared at the floor, as if silently praying for some sort of reprieve.

“Okay, motherf*ckers,” Tino announced from behind Chuito when the door closed and the last of their crew left them alone with the two Russians and Angel. “We’re gonna play a game of good gangster, bad gangster, and worse gangster. We’ll let you try and figure out which is which. That’ll make it more fun for everyone.” Tino stepped forward and looked down at the Russian he’d shot in the kneecap. “Who’s the informant?”

“I already told you I don’t know who the f*cking informant is,” Angel growled before the Russians could answer. His shoulders were shaking, taking some of the fierceness out of his voice. “These pendejos found me. They threatened me. I didn’t have a choice about any of this bullshit.”

“That makes you useless,” Tino said in a singsong voice. “Not a good place to be in this particular game.”

“What did they want?” Nova asked in a calm, even voice. “How’d they threaten you? Tell me what you know, and maybe we can make a deal.”

“What?” Tino snapped at his brother.

“Let me do my thing, Valentino.” Nova gave Tino an annoyed look and then gestured to Angel and said in Spanish, “You can lower your hands. Look at me, cabrón.”

Angel lowered his hands and looked at Nova. “I swear, they threatened me, Moretti. I didn’t have anything to do with this.”

Chuito let out a low, bitter laugh and glanced to Nova, who held up a hand to Chuito and then turned back to Angel. “You gotta give me more than that.”

“We’re not making a deal,” Chuito assured all of them. “He doesn’t know anything.”

“They said they needed you.” Angel made a point to look at Nova instead of Tino and Chuito. “They knew you’d muscled in on my business, and they thought I’d help them.”

“You have no honor.” The Russian from upstairs finally spoke. His hand was pressed to the wound in his thigh that Alaine had left him with, but he was sitting up, clearly determined to face this like a man. “You betray us? You better hope the Italians end you. It won’t be so easy if we deal with it.”

“You’ll get your turn,” Tino growled. “You motherf*ckers like being silent. Own your shit and shut the f*ck up.”

The other Russian was sitting up too, his voice tight as he said something to his friend in Russian that made them both clam up.

“And don’t worry,” Chuito promised both of them. “It won’t be easy. I think I can give you comrade motherf*ckers a run for your money.”

“I didn’t know!” Angel shouted. “They forced me! You hear how they are?”

“I helped your business.” Nova’s voice got icy. “I made it more profitable. Do you recognize I made it more valuable for you? That you were pocketing more green with me than without me. I gave you protection. From the heat. From other crews. I made you invincible, and you made a deal with these motherf*ckers to whack me? You could’ve called me. You allied yourself with them instead. Against me.”

“I didn’t know they wanted to whack you,” Angel argued, his voice shaking. “How was I supposed to know that’s what they wanted?”

“Really?” Nova laughed. “What did you think they wanted to do?”

“I don’t know, bro.” Angel glanced to Chuito, his face noticeably paling. “I can offer you something. I can do something. Just keep him away from me and—”

“What can you offer me?” Nova countered, the underlying vein of fury slipping into his voice. “This is my brother.” He pointed to Tino. “We came out the same f*cking womb, and seeing him hurt makes the only calm gangster in this room a little f*cking irrational. So what are you going to offer to make up for helping these motherf*ckers put him on his knees? For filming him? For making him do things that are going to haunt him?” Nova bent down and got in Angel’s face. “What are you going to give me to make up for it? I’m just dying to hear it. Make it good, ’cause you got one shot.”