Chapter 96
The late afternoon sun slanted through the dusty windows of the pizza shop. Valentina stood behind the counter with Tony, sleeves rolled up, hair twisted into a careless bun. She was reading off delivery addresses while Tony scribbled them down in his notebook. The ovens hummed in the kitchen.
The bell above the door chimed.
Inferi walked in. His eyes were wrong. Behind him, three men followed, hands tucked into jackets.
“Everybody out!” Inferi shouted.
His men moved instantly. Tables scraped violently across the floor. One was kicked over, plates shattering. A chair cracked against the wall. People screamed. Pizza slices flew in the air. The OPEN sign was flipped to CLOSED.
Customers fled. The door banged repeatedly as bodies pushed through it. Within seconds, the warmth of the shop was replaced by fear.
Veronica turned, grabbed Valentina by the arm, and shoved her down beneath the counter. “Stay there!” Veronica hissed.
Valentina’s heart hammered. From beneath the counter she could see only shoes.
Veronica stepped out from behind the counter, chin lifted.
“Vee!” Valentina whisper shouted, panic clawing up her throat. “Vee! No!” Her fingers trembled as she pulled out her phone. Marco. She typed fast, thumbs slipping.
911 at the shop.
She did not know if he would see it in time.
“What do you think you are doing, Inferi?” Veronica demanded.
“I brought a package. Make sure it’s sold.” He gestured lazily. One of his men stepped forward holding a small, tightly wrapped packet of meth.
“And for that you had to chase away my customers?” Veronica asked, fury threading through her composure.
“Needed to drive my point home,” Inferi replied.
Veronica met his gaze. Her hair framed a face carved from defiance. She was not as tall as him, but she held herself like a queen defending a small, crumbling kingdom. “Inferi, I have tried my best to be civil with you,” she said. “To handle this situation like a sensible business woman p>
“Oh you mean the way you threw yourself at the devil this morning. Yeah, I saw you and I know you wanted me to see you. What did you give the devil in exchange for that act? Your soul p>
She had hoped to intimidate him. To make him think she had protection.
Now she understood she had miscalculated.
It was then she realised the plan didn’t work.
She had gambled with fire and expected smoke.
“Inferi,” she said, keeping her voice steady though her pulse thundered at her temples, “believe it or not but I was trying to save your life p>
His nostrils flared.
“We went to school together,” she continued. “Whatever path you chose to follow after High School, is none of my business. But we were friends once. I urge you to leave my shop right now and take your hooligans with you p>
He moved faster than she expected. He pulled a knife from inside his jacket.
Gasps erupted from behind the counter. Rosa’s hand flew to her mouth. Tony swore under his breath, frozen in terror.
Inferi stepped closer until there was no space left between them. His hand gripped her jaw, tilting her face upward as the blade rested just beneath her chin, close to her necklace.
Cold.
“You always thought you were better than everyone even back in school,” he said quietly.
Veronica’s breath slowed. She refused to give him the satisfaction of panic.
The blade pressed harder. A thin sting bloomed against her skin.
“Well,” Inferi murmured, his lips inches from her ear, “I run this block now. You will do exactly as I say p>
“James.” She had not called him that in years. “You cannot be this stupid,” she said. “I cannot push your poison now even if I wanted to. You just announced to my customers in the most childish way possible that Scalese Pizza Parlour isn’t safe, you stupid dimwit p>
“Don’t worry about customers,” he said coldly. “You just do as I say p>
“James, I am begging you,” she said. “You do not want this to be your exit out of life p>
She was not bluffing.
Inferi’s hand moved.
The crack of his palm against her face split the air.
Her head snapped to the side. The impact exploded against the same cheek that had only just begun to heal from the last encounter. Pain burst behind her eyes. She screamed.
“Take the goddamned meth!” Inferi shouted.
“I’ll take it!” Tony stepped forward. He was shaking but he stepped forward anyway. He extended his hand toward the packet. His eyes darted to Veronica.
“Tony, don’t!” Vee snapped.
Inferi’s patience snapped.
He lunged and fisted his hand into her hair, tangling in the strands at the base of her skull. He yanked hard, forcing her head back until her throat was fully exposed.
The knife returned to its place beneath her skin.
This time he pushed harder.
The blade pierced to break the surface. A thin bead of blood welled up and slid down.
“You got fire, uhn,” he breathed against her ear, his grip tightening. “I’m going to fuck you the hell up. You think I’m playing with you p>
“Inferi!” Tony stepped closer despite the tremor in his legs. “I’ll take it. Just let her go. Come on.” His hand was still outstretched, palm open, offering himself up as the compromise.
Inferi’s mouth curled. “This one here has some sense p>
He shoved Veronica away from him. She hit the floor hard, her shoulder striking tile slick with spilled sauce. Pain flared through her ribs, stealing the air from her lungs. Before she could gather herself, one of Inferi’s men stepped forward and placed the packet of meth into Tony’s shaking hand.
Veronica forced herself up on unsteady legs. Her cheek burned. Her throat throbbed where the blade had tasted her skin. Her hair hung loose and tangled from where he had yanked it. She lunged forward, snatched the packet from his grip and ripped it open. The pills spilled across the floor.
“I am not pushing your goddamned poison,” she spat. “You fucking asshole p>
“Crazy bitch!” Inferi roared. His hand cracked against her face again. Harder. Her head snapped sideways and she tasted blood. Before she could steady herself, his boot slammed into her side. The impact drove her back to the floor. Pain radiated through her ribs.
“Do you know how much that costs?” he shouted.
Veronica curled slightly on the tile, breath ragged.
The door of the diner opened.
The bell above it chimed.
“Can’t you see the fucking sign?” Inferi snapped, whipping around, fury still coiled in his shoulders.
Then he froze.
Luciano stood in the doorway.
His presence altered the air in the room.
Behind him, just inside the threshold, Marco stood with his hands clasped calmly in front of him.
Inferi’s anger drained from his face so quickly it was almost grotesque.
“Luciano p>
Veronica’s head snapped up at the sound.
Through the haze of pain, she saw him. For a second she thought she was hallucinating. A mirage conjured by desperation.
But he was real.
His eyes found her immediately.
They darkened with fury so contained it became lethal.
He took in everything in a single sweep. The overturned tables. The spilled pills on the floor. Tony’s pale face. The smear of blood at her throat. The swelling bruise blooming again on her cheek.
His jaw flexed once.
Inferi attempted a smile. It failed halfway.
“You know who I am?” Luca asked. He stood there with his shoulders relaxed, one hand resting casually near his belt, dark eyes fixed on Inferi.
Inferi swallowed. “Of course… of course p>
Luca’s lips curved into a faint smile. He reached into the inner pocket of his tailored jacket and pulled out his wallet.
“How much is your meth worth p>
“No, no… we’ll just pick them up.” He gestured quickly to his men, who immediately crouched to scrape up what they could from the filthy tile.
“Its no problem,” Luca said mildly. “How much?” He stepped closer.
Inferi hesitated. He could feel the trap but he did not know where it was.
“About one thousand dollars p>
Luca nodded once. He opened his wallet and removed stacks of bills. Two thousand dollars. He held them out between his fingers with a polite smile.
“Consider it covered p>
Inferi stared at the money for half a second too long before greed won. He took it. “Thank you, Luca,” he laughed.
Veronica watched the exchange from where Valentina knelt beside her. Her cheek throbbed. Her ribs screamed every time she inhaled.
She watched Luca hand over the money.
This was the same man who had nearly stabbed his own brother for daring to call her a slut. The same man who had promised hell and brimstone if anyone so much as thought of touching her. She had seen the violence in him then.
And now he was smiling. Paying off the man who had just humiliated her.
The contradiction hollowed her out.
Luca maintained that faint, courteous smile.
“Go,” he said gently. “This is a business place p>