Ruthless Creatures by J.T. Geissinger

Nodding, she turns away and winds her arms around her
waist. I leave her staring out the window and head into the
kitchen, pulling out the phone and putting it against my ear.
The number is blocked, which is a good sign. Everyone
else who calls me is programmed in.
“Talk to me.”
“It’s done.”
The voice on the other end of the line has a slight Italian
accent. Massimo only lived in Italy until he was ten years old,
but still retains a hint of his motherland in his speech.
“Good. How?”
“A fight broke out in the lunch room. Made it look like he
was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Got caught in the
crossfire, so to speak. There won’t be any questions.”
Hearing that, I breathe easier. Until Massimo adds, “You
owe me for this.”
These pushy Italian fuckers. Always asking for more.
But I expected this. A deal as complicated as this one is
never straightforward.
“I’m opening up the ports for you, remember? You can
take up trade again, get the money flowing, when all the other
families are still locked down. That was the deal. We’re
square.”
His laugh is short and hard. “No. Knocking off the boss of
a family is too big to make us even. And you know all it would
take is for me to leak word of this and you’d be fucked.”
“No one would believe you, Massimo. You’re a
pathological liar.”
“I guess that’s a chance you’d have to take, wouldn’t you?
There’s always some ambitious malcontent in the ranks who’d
be happy to start a coup and install himself as the new king.”
He laughs again. “You should know.”
I’m not worried by this threat. I sense Massimo has
something else he wants. He doesn’t care about exposing me,