Riding Dirty: Luciotti Crime Family (A Bad Boy Mafia Romance) - Kara Hart Page 0,1

and he would admit it, in time. I just needed to get him to break. I lived for these kinds of games.

I got up from the chair and began walking around the living room.

“I’m tired,” I said, opening a cupboard where some expensive china sat, waiting to be used. I took the plates out and threw them against the ground, one by one.

“Hey.” The guy whispered. I gave him a sharp glance and he quickly shut up.

“I’m tired of walking into houses and hearing the same damn story every time. How is it that no one knows about the money?” I opened another cupboard and threw out the contents. Puzzles, some old pictures, a couple loose toys. “And yet, they always talk eventually. Because I’m the best at what I do. And I’m intuitive. Do you know what that means?” I had turned to Julian who was now trembling against the wall, particularly bloody now.

I turned around and saw the big piano that had been collecting dust for years. I walked over to it, slowly, gazing at Julian and his gang of morons. “I used to play, you know,” I said, running my finger along the dust of the piano. “A few concerts here, a few concerts there. I was actually very good.”

“Just pay him, man.” Julian’s friend whispered to him.

“Shut the fuck up!” Julian hissed. “Can you let us go, sir? My ass, it hurts a lot!”

I opened the back of the piano. Inside was at least five kilos of pure and unadulterated heroin. Alongside the big bags were bricks of cash. “It’s Christmas, after all!” I yelled out, turning around.

“Look, sir, we don’t know what the hell Julian has been up to. We just want to go home and forget this all ever happened.” One of them pleaded.

“Right. You are just innocent bystanders. It’s unfortunate that I don’t care, isn’t it? Now you’re all involved. Wrong place, wrong time. And so it goes.”

“Please, don’t do this!” Julian yelled. “Take the money! Take the drugs.”

“I don’t want your filthy drugs. Do I look like a drug dealer to you?” I grabbed the knife and set it against the back of his neck.

“No! You don’t! You don’t!” He screamed.

“That’s right. I’m not a drug dealer. Now that we’ve figured out where my father’s product is, I think we’re almost done here. Don’t you?” I smiled, running my hands over each choice of weapon.

“Now, you have three wishes. We have the knife. I promise it’s as sharp as can be. We have a pair of wire-cutters and lastly, we have my little mini bat, which is one of my favorites actually. The gun won’t do. Pick a card, any card.”

“What do you want from us?” Julian asked me turning his head.

“I came to kill you. As a warning to anyone else who wants to fuck with my family. I came to take your life.”

“Oh, God,” he whispered.

“Okay! Wire-cutters it is.” I smiled.

1

Dahlia

“Ouch!” I muttered, jumping back from the surprise pain. I looked down at my finger. I small prick of blood trickled out. “Dammit, I always do this,” I said. The house was quiet and empty. Jen had left for school already. Of course, she left without waking her mother up.

I set the roses I was trimming down on the table and walked to the bathroom to get a Band-Aid. It was just a small puncture, nothing a little peroxide couldn’t handle. I walked into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. I noticed my face turn pale as I opened the mirror-like door. “Shit,” I mumbled, feeling dizzy. I grabbed onto the toilet for balance, but soon gave way to the feeling and sat down.

“Come on, Dahlia. You’re okay. You can get through this. Just breathe.” I whispered aloud. Since coming to this town, I had no one in my life. No one, except for my daughter. We left Seattle for a better existence, but Monroe, Michigan was a bit of an adjustment. Leaving family behind wasn’t exactly the breath of fresh air I hoped it would be. But leaving the ones who wanted me dead was a necessity.

Did Jen really leave without telling me again? She was getting to be that age where she would just run off to explore without telling me. Still, it wasn’t safe for her to just walk to school. Sure, this was a small town, but every small town had its set of delinquents. And for whatever reason, she wasn’t well-liked by her classmates.