Falling for an Italian Mobster

Ch 2: Pt 2 - Red Wine & Kills Shots

"You bitch!" I lifted my gun and aimed at his other knee. "I'm-"

"You're not getting out of that bed alive." I started calmly. "You can either give me what I want, and I put a bullet in your head, or I'll keep shooting until you die choking on your own blood. Either way, you're a dead man." I snatched his phone and tossed it to Emeril.

"You don't know who you're fucking with, whore."

"You've got a minute to give me the codes and passwords I'll need for that phone and your safe before you get another bullet." I cocked my gun and waited.

"If I don't check in by five, this place will be swarming-" I shot his left foot this time, chuckling when his toes went flying in a spray of blood. "You're fucking crazy!" He screamed, before rattling off the information I needed through clenched teeth.

"Think that's it?" I asked Emeril, not taking my eyes off the glaring, grunting man. He was getting pale, and his blood was starting to drip from the bed now.

"Plumber said there was only one safe in here, yeah."

"Run down and make sure everything works first." I waited, smirking at the man until Emeril came back. "Good?"

"Yeah, we're good." The man was dead before his head hit the pillow.

Downstairs, I pulled out the backpack inside the backpack I'd carried and emptied the contents of his safe into the bags while Emeril did one last sweep to make sure we got everything useful. On our way out, I snatched a few books and the two duffels of cash by his desk despite Emeril telling me to leave them when I met him out in the hallway.

"The dead man upstairs won't need it. I earned this money." I argued as we hurried down the hall to the side door. "Oh wait, the puppy!"

"Leave it."

"No!" He sighed before running down the hall to where the puppy was whining softly in its crate. A minute later, he was back with it tucked under his arm like a football. He snatched both duffels from me and shoved the puppy into my arms before steering me out the side door. We'd just cleared the tree line when a car came roaring down the drive, out of sight but close enough we could hear it. It wasn't even five yet, so he'd lied to us. Bastard. We moved further into the woods, and I crouched with the puppy behind a tree while Emeril kept watch. The moment the car hit the house and the men got out and ran inside, we took off running. Emeril, surprisingly, stayed right behind me despite carrying the duffel bags and a backpack.

I didn't let out a breath of relief until we were in the car and pulling out of the drive. Emeril didn't talk until we turned onto the highway. Then, all he did was laugh.

"What?" I asked, petting the little Doberman puppy.

"You surprised me." He connected his phone to the car and called Uncle Gonzalo. "You see the footage?" He asked when Uncle Gonzalo picked up.

"Footage?" I asked curiously.

"I had Emeril wear a bodycam." Uncle Gonzalo's voice answered, filling the car. "I wanted to see for myself if you were ready, or if it was all talk so you could take the easy way out of whatever Salvatore has planned at that reunion."

"So?" I pressed, glancing at Emeril. "How did I do?"

"Down to saving the puppy, you did everything I thought you'd do, kiddo. You're a natural." I fed the puppy some leftover bacon I had. "I'll have another assignment in a few days. Until then, get ready for that reunion you have." I rolled my eyes as he disconnected.

When we got back, Emeril stopped off at Walmart to get me a few things for the puppy. I couldn't go in because I had blood on my face from being too close when I'd shot the guy in the foot.