The Slayer (Untamed Hearts #2)(81)

“You think Nova will actually smoke your father after the old man dies?”

Tino shook his head. “Nova doesn’t want to kill anyone. That’s what people don’t understand about him. To him, shit like that is sloppy. Uncreative. He doesn’t want them dead. He just wants to punish them for the rest of their lives. To make sure they know he won. That’s what it’s all about to him. Winning. Life is a big poker game to my brother.”

Chuito considered that and then nodded. “I could be down with that idea.”

“Yeah, I thought you might be.” Tino laughed. “Sometimes you remind me of him. Only without the bloodlust. I don’t ever see Nova leaving a bloody, dead body in the streets. No friggin’ way.”

“Man, you talk to me after you lose a brother,” Chuito said with a glare. “See how humane and neat you are then.”

“Take it back.” Tino crossed himself. “Nova’s still in deep. You can’t talk about things like that. I’m serious. Take it back.”

“I’m sorry. I take it back.” Chuito went ahead and crossed himself when Tino kept glaring. Then he sat down and looked at Tino from the other bench. “No one’s gonna take him out, Tino. You’re mafia. You never go down.”

“We go down all the time.” Tino looked haunted, as if just the mention of losing a brother terrified him. “I already told you that, especially when he’s stuck dealing with the f*cking Russians.”

It turned out the Russians hadn’t been the reason Nova was stressed out.

A week later Jules and Romeo ran away from Garnet because Tino’s father put a hit out on Romeo for flaking on a gambling scheme they wanted to use him for. A scheme Nova tried and failed to talk the family out of.

Romeo ended up with two mafia bullets in him for running, but he lived.

Tino’s father hadn’t been so lucky.

Nova killed him.

Without finesse.

He killed the guy who sold out Romeo and Jules too. There was nothing neat about Nova shoving a gun into his own cousin’s mouth and blowing his brains out.

Even guys with class lost their humanity when they were faced with almost losing a brother. That mob hit nearly killed Jules too, and she just happened to be pregnant with Romeo’s twins at the time.

Nova and Tino’s nephews.

Italians, like Latinos, took that shit very seriously. One didn’t f*ck with women and children and live to tell about it. Nova’s circle of nonexpendables had grown, and that incident nearly took out all but one of them. His response was swift and frightening, especially when he managed to escape going down for it.

Yet he still kept his job as underboss, working for his grandfather, the man whose son he’d just killed. Tino thought it was because they still needed Nova to run things. He was just that good.

Chuito thought it was because he was pretty f*cking efficient at sending one very clear message anyone would be able to read.

Don’t f*ck with Nova Moretti.





Chapter Thirty


Garnet County


November 2012

Crime was a virus.

It was contagious, and no one was safe from it.

No one.

Once it infiltrated, it started to spread outward, from one hand to the next, insidiously sweet and easy. The rules of the underworld were much more primitive than civilized society. Law enforcement was just another obstacle. One of many enemies trying to break into the cave. Defying them wasn’t an issue when it was survival of the fittest. Protect home first, and the organization second.

The underworld understood that in a way the rest of society didn’t.

Most organizations had rules revolving around that one rule.

Do not f*ck with women and children.

Ever.

A made man in the Italian mafia could get whacked for screwing with another member’s wife. If he touched one of his brother’s wives, the gloves were off. The wronged man could kill him, and chances were the other members weren’t going to complain too much.

A Latino gangbanger could get smoked for the exact same thing. Mess with another man’s chica, and it was a sure bet it wasn’t going to end well.

The Russians were different, but Chuito was inclined to agree with Tino about them. Not having families. That shit was just weird.

What the f*ck were they here for anyway? If not to protect their caves?

Alaine would probably have a f*cking fit if she knew Chuito thought like that. His mother would too. So would Jules.

But Jules wasn’t complaining about Nova taking out his father to save Romeo’s life.

Chuito’s mother hadn’t said a f*cking word about Marcos and Chuito avenging Juan and Tiá Camila’s deaths either. She knew. She just kept her opinions to herself and let them go on being primitive cavemen.

Chuito wouldn’t consider himself sexist. He loved women. He respected them. More often than not, they were smarter, kinder, and undoubtedly the better half of the human species. One gave birth to him and another held his heart, which was why he felt like they deserved to be protected by the big, mean cavemen God stuck them on this planet with.

And that idea wasn’t unique to Chuito.

Most alpha males could be reduced to that pretty easily, especially if they’d already caught the crime virus without knowing it. There were different strains, some more infectious than others, and Chuito had been in bed with the Italians for a while. He knew their particular strain was the most contagious.