Storm's Cage Mary Stone (classic reads .TXT) đ
- Author: Mary Stone
Book online «Storm's Cage Mary Stone (classic reads .TXT) đ». Author Mary Stone
The unbridled panic dulled as the sparks of fear were washed away by the flat blue hue of Russelâs irises. Just before the manâs lids fluttered closed for the last time, the final ember fizzled out of existence.
As Joseph released his iron grip, Russelâs body slumped into a graceless heap. For good measure and to work out his lingering aggression, Joseph gave Russelâs neck a good stomp. The satisfying crunch as his heel connected with bone brought a smile to his face. That bastard wouldnât be harming any more innocents.
âWhat the hell was that?â Joe Dalessio yelled.
Joseph spun around to meet the mobsterâs incredulous glare. With a derisive snort, he brushed off the front of his jacket. âHe was a loose end.â
Dalessio threw both arms out to his sides. âA little heads-up would have been good!â
Forgetting his promise to play nice, Joseph narrowed his eyes and leveled an index finger at Dalessio. âI donât want to hear that from you, you got it? Not when your shithead cousin was running a kiddie porn ring in the basement of one of your warehouses.â
âWho the hell do you think youâre talking to?â Joeâs hand cocked back to strike.
âTouch me, you sorry sonofabitch, and I will make sure it is the last move you make.â Josephâs tone brooked no arguments. âI bailed your dumb ass out once, but test my patience, and I will bury you.â
Dalessioâs arm trembled, but even as rage burned in his eyes, he made the smart choice and let his arm drop. With a step back, Joe shook his head. âI didnât know what my idiot cousin was up to.â His posture relaxed as rage was extinguished by disappointment. âNone of us knew about that. Not me, not Emilio. No one!â
The capoâs nonthreatening stance was a clear sign he had gotten the message to stop acting like an entitled prick, but Joseph didnât believe the story Joe was trying to feed him, not for a second.
âNone of you knew? You thought a farm that grows corn and soybeans turned that kind of profit? Believe me, I know how much kiddie porn sells for, and itâs a hell of a lot more than crops!â
Dalessio hissed with disgust as he scrubbed his hands over his face. âI figured he was moonlighting, but I also figured he was having them mule drugs or cut coke in their downtime. NotâŠthat.â He spat the final word like a poison. âBelieve me, Iâd have had a few things to say to Alton if that Fed bitch hadnât killed him. Sheâs the same bitch who took down Emilio. Only a matter of time before she pisses off the wrong guy, andââ
As the hairs prickled along the back of Josephâs neck, he snapped up a hand. âNo. None of you are going to touch her. If you do.â He tapped himself on the chest. âIâll gut you with my bare hands, understood?â
A muscle twitched in Dalessioâs jaw, but he didnât speak.
With another step away from Russelâs corpse, Joseph straightened his suit jacket. âYou and your people have a hell of a lot more on your plate than just one federal agent. Your cousin had a fourth guy in his little kiddie porn show. A CPD detective.â
The strain on Dalessioâs face vanished as his eyes widened. âWhat? A cop?â
âYes. A cop. And that âFed bitchâ you mentioned, well, sheâs looking for him.â Joseph used all the patronizing snark he could muster. âSo, I suggest you and your people start doing the same. Because the âFed bitchâ is very, very good at what she does, and if she gets to him first.â He scoffed, knowing full well what she was capable of and that they deserved every last bit of the retribution she could bring down on them. âMy guess is sheâll take him down, along with another chunk of the LeĂłne family.â
âShit.â Dalessio shoved a hand through his hair. âI donât know who the hell it could have been.â
âFigure it out.â Joseph tightened his black tie. âAnd when you find him, may I offer a suggestion?â
Dalessioâs expression was a mix of incredulous curiosity. âWhat?â
âKill him.â For emphasis, Joseph drew a line along his throat with an index finger. âBecause if you donât, and if that âFed bitchâ finds him, youâre going to be up shit creek without a paddle. And this time.â He paused in the doorway. âDonât expect me or The Shark to bail your asses out. This is a business relationship, and lately, you all havenât been holding up your end of the bargain.â
Joseph didnât wait for a response before he turned to make his way to the front door.
Maybe he couldnât rid himself of the LeĂłnes, but he could make damn sure they knew who was running this show.
22
As Amelia slowed to a stop at a red light, she glanced to the manila folder in the passenger seatâthe result of her sleepless night.
Though sheâd only gotten four hours of shut-eye, she was impressed that sheâd managed any. Aside from peering out her curtains and checking the deadbolt every twenty minutes, sheâd dedicated her restless night to researching the old Portelli case.
Alexâs request that she review the pending murder charges against his lieutenant, Gabriel Badoni, had taken a back seat to finding the corrections officer responsible for Carlo Enricoâs death. Now that the prime suspect was in the wind, however, the murdered inmateâs case had ground to a halt.
She hoped the end of the investigation meant she could return to the shoebox-sized office with Zane and the new agent from Public Corruption. At least while she was there, sheâd be away from Joseph Larson.
Not that she could avoid him forever. Or even for an entire day.
No. Iâve got work to do. Iâm not thinking about that asshole right now.
Amelia tightened her grasp on the steering wheel and forced
Comments (0)