Chapter 110: A boom
Nico
Night had fallen a long time ago, and it was so close to midnight that the night cold had seeped into the air.
Martin stood beside me wearing a black jacket, but I couldn’t be bothered. Winter was coming, but there should still be about two months before the snow started.
Looking down from the rooftop we both stood on, we stared at the building right opposite the one where we stood.
"Are you sure?" Martin asked the second time around, and my glare was enough of an answer as he picked out his phone from his pocket and began dialing a number, speaking into it.
"You can go ahead and attack!" he said into the phone before ending the call and shoving the phone back into his pocket.
My gaze was focused more on the building in front of me though. It was a mansion, and entering the estate had been a hassle, but not as much as I expected.
Which said a lot about the success of the mission, something I did not foresee.
The only reason I was there was more to send a message to Vito than anything else, still staring down at the building as I watched shadows dart out of the nearby bushes and head to the entrance.
Gunshots reverberated in the air as guards died. It wasn’t a silent mission. I made it clear that they should be aware that they were under attack.
How long would the important people inside have enough time to sneak out the back or wherever they wanted to escape from.
Martin had even gone as far as to procure binoculars, something I didn’t care for as I stood and waited.
The urge to smoke a cigarette was stronger. Maybe it was the cold or the need for some warmth beneath the shirt I wore.
"No problems so far!" Martin said, and I almost rolled my eyes in annoyance. Even if there were, it wasn’t like it would be anything but an inconvenience.
"Vito won’t be here, and most of his assets would have been hidden away! He’s not stupid," I said even as the sounds of gunshots in the compound got much louder.
Martin continued to watch and I continued to wait, ignoring the screams that tore through the air and the intermittent sound of gunfire that followed.
Finally silence returned and Martin got a call, and I was close enough to hear the report.
"Vito is nowhere close, and most of the men around were just guards, but we were able to find someone suspicious."
"He says he has important information that could be useful to us," the guard said, and I heard Martin order that the man be brought outside before ending the call.
"We clearly anticipated it!" Martin sighed.
"Vito already chose a side. He can either stick with the king who dissected him or lose all his men. Without power, it’s just a matter of time before someone kills him and takes over!" he continued, and I nodded before ordering that we head down.
It didn’t take too long, and I wasn’t surprised to find out that the guards were already waiting downstairs in mass with only a couple of people missing.
The leader stepping forward the moment we got down to meet me as he began to speak, "Boss!" pointing at the older man who had been tied up and put on his knees.
Slowly I walked up to him, watching as he raised his head to look at me. There was fear in his eyes but something else I couldn’t put my finger on.
"Nico Romano! You’re Nico Romano!" he said, his voice trembling even as Martin who stood right beside me began to speak.
"If he has information about Vito’s businesses and the other shareholders then it would be very useful," Martin began even as the older man nodded his head.
"I have no loyalty to him. I’m simply an accountant and he pays me to do the job for him," the old man said, eyes looking right at me.
"I can tell you all I know! Please let me go!"
"What were you doing in the house? Were you the only one left?" I asked him, watching him vigorously nod his head.
"...I was sent to pick the last of the documents. The last thing I expected was for..." gesturing to all the men who stood behind him.
"He could be useful!" Martin whispered to me again from behind as I stared at the older man. He looked useful, but something about him bothered me. No reason, just a gut feeling.
"We could even put him to work. If we pay more then he could..." but I could still hear Martin’s voice in my head when I slowly reached into my side and pulled out one of the guns in my holster.
Stretching it out towards his head right before I pulled the trigger. The silence that followed the shot was all encompassing as I watched the man’s body fall to the side.
A hole in his head and blood continued to gush out of his lifeless body.
Martin was surprised, his breathing made that clear, but I didn’t even look at him as I returned my holster back to my side.
"Something was off about him!" I said, convinced that I was right.
But clearly Martin didn’t think so. "...you didn’t think interrogating him would have made that clear?" Martin asked with a stunned expression on his face as he moved to my side, but I ignored him.
Moving to get into the car and ordering the others to do the same, intending to leave. But even after I got into the car I couldn’t help the nagging feeling I felt in my chest.
But barely had we made it to the estate gates when a loud booming sound went off, bright enough for all of us to know that it had been a timed bomb.
Martin instantly sent people to check, but I knew the answer even before the man returned.
"Fuck! They’re clearly playing dirty!" Martin cursed, and he looked calm but I could tell that he was shaken, and he wasn’t the only one.
One mistake and we would all be dead.
The driver continued to drive, and again, I craved the feel of smoke in my lungs, and it was all I could do not to order Martin to get me a cigarette noting how slightly my fingers shook.
It was the cold, had to be.
