Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
But instead, I stuffed my gun in my waistband. Then I dragged the squealing, naked man past the pool. Across the patio. And over to the ledge at the edge of the building. Hoisting him high up in the air, I smiled at him. “Any last words?”
“Go to hell,” Roselli choked out in the weakest voice ever.
“Drop him,” Julian growled, his hand cupping the grip of the gun on his waist. “Drop that motherfucker or I’ll blow his fucking brains out.”
I flung the little man out into the open air.
A deafening scream ripped through the night as I strode away, not even looking back.
From far below, there was a dull thud and the sound of a car alarm going off. I supposed it was too much to hope he’d landed on his own Bentley.
Slater jogged up. “Is he gone?” He pumped his fist when we nodded. “The girls are all tied up, and Eddie’s long gone. Time to get the hell out of here.”
As we retraced our steps down the back stairwell, I knew I wouldn’t trade these last few minutes for all the money in that bank we’d been planning to rob. I just couldn’t put a price on this mix of satisfaction and relief. At long fucking last, Nick Roselli was gone. A giant plunge had sent him where he belonged—to hell. He couldn’t threaten anybody anymore. He couldn’t lay a hand on my boys, me, or Maggie. The hits he had put out on us were history, just like he was.
32
JULIAN
Fucking beautiful.
The whole scene was a thing of beauty. The way Rock had hoisted that asshole over the edge would be etched into my mind forever.
I wished I could have stuck around and watched the ensuing mayhem for just a couple of minutes. But all I could do when we got out of that hotel was steal some glances at it in the direction of the blue and red flashing lights down the street.
I could imagine it, though. It was a wise guy’s worst nightmare. Dons in their fancy suits and tuxedos, surrounding a smashed car and a ruined body, yelling at their lap dogs. Gesturing frantically. Making phone calls. Proving that they weren’t as unflappable as they claimed to be.
Except for Don Gambini. I somehow thought that he might be taking this all in stride. Of course, since he’d sanctioned the hit, he’d had a heads up.
The drive back to the cabin was wild. We were laughing and high-fiving each other. We wouldn’t even wait to get to the mountain to celebrate properly. Or that’s what we claimed. But I think that each of us were most eager to see Maggie.
Rocco stopped to pick up more booze on the way back so that we could enjoy our victory.
Victory… I repeated that word in my head many times over. I couldn’t believe it. The powerful mob boss was gone, and we were still breathing? Up until a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have believed it. It was true; I thought the odds were stacked against us. We didn’t have Roselli’s resources. We didn’t have his manpower or his connections. In the end, though, we had prevailed.
I hopped out the moment Rock parked next to the cabin. I picked up the case of whiskey, its top nudging my chin as I looked up ahead. The moonlight revealed a strange sight. Maggie was near the side of the cabin, leaning against the wooden fence that surrounded the yard. Even in the dim light, I could see the tear tracks on her face.
I dropped the whiskey, but Slater ran past me, getting there first.
“Maggie, what’s wrong?” Slater was quick to ask. “We’re all here. We made it. We’re okay—and Roselli’s dead.”
“I know. His death’s all over the internet. I just,” she sobbed and sucked in a deep breath. “Can’t believe you did it.”
“We did,” Rocco bragged, a smug smile on his face. “He’s gone. It’s all over.”
“Come here. All of you,” she requested, unfurling her arms, more tears streaming down her face. We all wrapped our arms around her small figure, her subsiding sniffles the only sound my ears could pick up.
“Thank you,” she croaked, her body shaking. “I’ll never be able to repay you for what you did for me.”
“Not just for you,” I corrected her. “That fucker wanted to kill us, too, remember?”
“Yeah,” she nodded, looking up at us. “Thanks for the reminder, but you still saved my life. Again.”
“Enough with this sentimental stuff,” I said, rubbing her lower back. “Let’s go inside and drink our asses off. I think we deserve it, don’t we?” If the whiskey had survived me dropping it, that was.
“You bet your ass we do,” Rocco agreed, winking over at me.
“I’ll get the ice,” Slater stated, entering the cabin first.
“What are they saying online about Roselli?” Rocco asked, Maggie passing him by.