Tangled Attraction

6

"How hot is that girl of yours? Did you enjoy the wedding?" Nino asked, taking our conversation away from the truth of his crime.

"If you're trying to provoke me, Nino. It's not working."

"I'm not provoking you, fool. I'm only getting to have one last decent conversation with my brother before he kills me. So, how was the wedding?"

I stand from my seat. I go to the table where the interrogation tools had been laid out. I take my suit jacket off and pull my gun out of the holster.

If I'm anywhere near him in there and he's free-handed, he will use that gun against me. I pull down the gloves, It slaps against my wrist filling in the silence in the chamber.

"She's beautiful," I replied. "A blonde. Medium height, but not nearly as tall as me. She's in New York now. It's a pity you can't meet her. She would have liked you."

"How hot is that girl of yours? Did you enjoy the wedding?" Nino asked, distracting us from the true nature of his crime.

"If you're trying to provoke me, Nino. It's not working."

"I'm not provoking you, fool. I'm only getting to have one last decent conversation with my brother before he kills me. So, how was the wedding?"

I stand from my seat and walk over to where the interrogation equipment is spread out. I take my suit jacket off and pull my gun out of the holster.

If I'm anywhere near him in there and he's free-handed, he will use that gun against me. I pull down the gloves, It slaps against my wrist filling in the silence in the chamber.

"She's beautiful," I said. "A blonde. Medium height, but not nearly as tall as me. She's in New York now, it's a pity you can't meet her. She would have liked you."

"A pity it is. How's her ass? I know you favor ass over tits. In any case, I don't have the foggiest idea why. Tits are everything."

I didn't plan on answering that question. He knows I could care less, as far as I'm concerned, women mean nothing to me. I never have the time to invest in them.

Claire is to be my wife in the months to come, he ought to know to deferentially discuss her. Respect is everything to me. When you give, I return.

I pick up the pliers that I planned on using on Nino's teeth. I know just how badly he cares for those things. He paid good money to get them fixed after I knocked them out the first time.

"Oh come on, Rocco." he began. "You're not going to kill me before sharing the juicy details, are you? Does she like you, do you like her? Don't miss anything out. I need to die a happy man."

I shake my head and open the soundproof steel doors to call in Salvatore and Manuele.

"Sweet." Salvatore rubbed his hands in excitement. An inducted boy like him gets too eager about things like this. Which usually means they grow up to find killing and torturing a sport. Once again, sloppy.

I go to put the code in for the gate. "Wait." Manuele stopped me. "Are you going to restrain him?"

I didn't say anything. There was no need for him to be restrained, If he was to try and fight me he knows I'll break every bone in his fucking body before killing him. I taught Nino everything he knows.

Nino held his hands up. "I know better than to not fight him. I knew this day was to come, so I'm ready."

His talking was starting to piss me off. How can he be ok with this? In the back of my head, I'm not okay with any of it. This doesn't seem right. I shouldn't be getting ready to kill the closest thing I have to a friend.

"On second thought. We'll make this a fair fight." I take my gloves back off and hand the pliers to Manuele to hold. "One last fight before you meet your death."

Nino shook his head. "I'm not going to fight you, Rocco."

Yes, he will.

I land a back-kick straight to Nino's mouth. The moment my feet hit him, I could feel his teeth leaving his mouth, once again. "Fuck." he groans. "Come on man don't make me do this!" He held his mouth after glancing at his remains on the floor.

I step up to him and swing my arms to punch the pretty boy features he loves so much. The intensity of the force doesn't faze my hands anymore. He spits out blood. Soon he realized that I wasn't going to stop until he fought back.

I always told him, if he was to die one day. He was to die bravely. I only hope he takes my advice this day. This isn't usually how things go in business. But this wasn't business, this was personal, and I planned on taking my anger out on him.

He steps up to me, attempting to take a swing. I dodged the hit and lowered myself. I shove his body against the cage. Blood dripped from his mouth the moment his head hit the bars. His free hands pummel my rib cage, leaving minimum damage.

I took his head and drove it down to meet with my knee. "Come on Nino!" I shouted. "Fight back! If you want to be a traitor, at least dare to fight your underboss. Show me the man you are. Die a fighter!"

Nino charges toward me. I don't give him a fair chance to do a thing.

Sweat and blood drip from him to my shirt. He breathes heavily, his pace is slowing down and his momentum is shallow. Just as I was about to punch him one last time before it was over for him. The sound of a gunshot goes off. Blood splatter on my face.

Nino stared at me and opened eyes. A bullet hole pierced his forehead. His body falls on me and I catch him.

He's dead.

My best friend, a brother that we took in as our own, is dead.

And I was dead too.

I didn't know what to feel, or what to think. All I could see was his eyes staring at me.

He didn't die a fighter. Why didn't he die a fighter? He went out without even knowing it was going to happen at that moment. He wasn't aware that he would be shot. Nino wanted to fight me back.

But he didn't.

I drop his body to the ground. I turn around and watch Manuele holding the gun he fired at Nino.

My gun.

"Sorry boss. I didn't see this coming to an end. I didn't think you had it in you to kill him."

I took the gun from Manuele's hand and banged it against his head. He groaned in pain as his forehead was cut open and bled.

"That was my kill," I growl. "Do that again and you're next."

I walk out of the cage. Salvatore stood watching the body bleed out from the head. He claps his hands at me. "That was well done, Rocco. Maybe next time actually torture him. Why am I down here if I didn't get to interrogate?"

I point to the saw and garbage bags. "You'll help Manuele chop the body and send it to get cremated."

Salvatore shakes his head. "Hell no. I'm not doing that shit. It makes no sense to chop his body up, he's going to be ashes soon anyway."

"Do you want to learn what it's like to be consigliere or not?"

"Yeah man, but this is beyond evil. I'll kill for you and Aldo. But this I can't do."

Manuele shoves garbage bags onto Salvatore chest. "Stop being a pussy and let's go," he said. He looked at me cautiously. He knows he pissed me off and I'm beyond livid that Nino betrayed me, so it's only right he looks at me apologetically. "Will you join us?"

"No. I have shit to do." I speak.

Before walking out the doors, I looked at Nino's lifeless body one last time before Manuele began to remove his limbs.

I leave the estate to go spread the news to my father and to see my fiancé-to-be.