Page 64 (1/2)

"Excuseunprotected was as good as asking to be killed

"You heard what I said," Corrado said "Don’t question un and shoved it in the glove box He had to do it Corrado would have taken it

Carmine followed Corrado across the street to a run-down house It looked like it hadn’t been inhabited in decades, the shutters barely hanging by their hinges and old wooden boards nailed up along the panes, the glass long gone They stepped on the porch and Corrado knocked twice on the large door Before he could knock a third time, it opened Corrado walked in and Car upon an Italian e and faun defensively, but he seemed to relax a bit when Corrado nodded at hiehihts toback out the door while he still had the chance He wondered how far he could get while unarht was senseless He would be caught before he even made it off the porch He needed to stay calm, to play cool, and not let them see his fear, even if that was exactly what he felt

He was fucking terrified

Corrado grabbed his ar Carmine toward the staircase that the iven as Carly climbed the creaky steps with Corrado on his trail He felt like cattle being herded to the slaughterhouse as he followed thehallway

They approached a room, and Carmine froze in horror as soon as he stepped in the doorway Vision blurring, his knees eak as fear slarabbed hi him on his feet as he pushed him farther into the rooether in an instant He should have sensed it earlier, should have knoas happening The signs were all there The look on Celia’s faceCorrado’s cryptic words"You never knohen you ht only have a few hours left" "I didn’t want to interrupt your evening, but it’s time" "It’ll be over quick"

The un in the car, he should have knohat he would find in the house: his dereen eyes met the pair of dark, cold muddy ones across the room, it made sense Corrado told him not to worry about retaliation because the entire tiht to Salvatore

The Boss stood in the corner of the ele board nailed over it Moonlight filtered inside, giving Carht to see Salvatore appeared disheveled, his right ar He took a few steps in their direction, his er bend his left knee

"About time," his raspy voice called, his eyes trained on Caraze out

"I apologize for being late, but you kno he can be," Corrado said behind Car the only exit

"Yes, I know exactly how he can be" Salvatore’s voice seethed with anger "He doesn’t listen You tell hinores it He seems to think he knows better than everyone else, like he’s above us all and doesn’t have to fall in line"

"Well, he certainly is his father’s son," Corrado said

Car in his uncle’s voice, amusement with a hint of sarcaset a read on his hly, keeping hie flashed in Salvatore’s expression at the ust, like just the thought of hi around the room The sins of the father were about to be paid for by the son His brain worked a million miles a minute as he tried to think of some way out He was unarmed and outnumbered, everyone in the roo for a way to escape?" Salvatore asked, slowly approaching "Pity for you, there isn’t one"

Corrado violently shoved hi hio of the back of his neck and withdrew his gun

"Please don’t do this!" Car from his mouth "I swear, justfuck! This isn’t necessary!"

Before he could say any ainst the back of Car their way to the surface as he bowed his head in desperation

If there’s a fucking God, He won’t let me die today

"How dare you tell me what’s necessary!" Salvatore yelled "This is what I was talking about! You think you know better than everyone! I gave you a simple order, and you had every opportunity to do it, but you disobeyed me! Vincent never would’ve hurt you, and now, because you betrayed ot what he deserved, and frankly so did your race!"

Car violently at those words His world was iun pointed at the back of his head

Corrado was a perfect shot He neverfamily

"Please," Car do this"

As soon as those words passed his lips, so slammed hard into the back of Carmine’s head He fell forward onto his hands and knees, splinters of wood fro into his palo doithout a fight He wouldn’t win, but he wasn’t a coward He wouldn’t just stand there and let theo he would have, or even yesterday, but not now Not today

"Good-bye"