Take Me Apart (Vitale Brothers Book 1)

The smell of cigarettes weighed heavily in the air as I stood by the dock. Even the salty smell of the ocean couldn’t force it away. My eyelids fluttered closed. I needed a second to get myself together. I was doing that a lot lately, trying to grab onto the control I prided myself on. But the moment I relaxed, the bluest eyes appeared before me framed by thick black lashes on a clean-shaven face. A sharp jawline that was perfect for nibbling on and soft pink lips that tilted up in a daring smile.

“Open the crate,” Benito said.

My eyes flashed open at Benito’s voice, and I forced it all down. If my brother noticed how out of it I was, history would repeat itself. I couldn’t go through that again.

Three of our men jammed crowbars under the thick wood lid and cracked it open. The cover thunked down on the ground next to the box as the contents were revealed. Or lack of.

“Fuck,” Gin groaned. Our eyes locked for a second before we both looked at Benito. He stood over the empty crate that was supposed to be holding the shipment of guns. Ones that we’d already sold.

“Open all the fucking boxes,” Benito said through clenched teeth.

Gin and I picked up a crowbar and headed for the other crates. All the men were out there popping open the boxes. One by one, they were showing up empty. There was only straw.

Gin headed toward me. “What the hell do you think happened?”

I shook my head. Maybe if my mind wasn’t scattered and my thoughts constantly bouncing back to a certain cop, I would have an answer.

The sound of a gun being fired echoed around us. We didn’t have to rush to know what had happened. I straightened my back and walked over to my brother as one of the men lay on the ground, rocking back and forth as he held his bleeding knee.

“You were in charge of the shipment. I cannot fathom how two hundred assault rifles and unmarked handguns go missing.” Benito stood over him, his gun steady as it was aimed at Benjamin’s face.

“I don’t know,” Benjamin squeezed out.

He’d been with us for a while, nearly two years, and he had to know Benito’s least favorite words were “I don’t know.” As if to remind him of that fact, Benito fired the next bullet into his other leg.

Benjamin let out an undignified scream that far surpassed the bang of the gun. He cursed as he clutched both bleeding legs. Blood splattered all over the ground and a few crates nearby. The sight was normal, and everyone stood there watching him as he tried to slow down his bleeding.

The angrier my brother got, the thicker his Italian accent got. “You expect me to believe that shit? Where are my guns?” Benito asked.

He looked at the others standing around, and they each avoided his gaze. Not good. My hands twitched. I’d be having fun later tonight. I could picture it now, the blood and screams of the truth finally coming to light. It usually filled me with a cold excitement that would last hours but it felt like nothing more than a fizzle at the base of my spine.

“So no one here knows?” Benito asked.

No one spoke up and Gin Rolled his shoulders back, looking just as angry. It took quite a bit to secure the guns and even more work to make sure they were delivered uninterrupted.

“Boss, I’m telling the—” Benito pulled the trigger, inevitably silencing Benjamin for life. His body slumped back against the ground. His legs fell at awkward angles as the bleeding slowed on its own. No one dared move.

“Anyone want to come up and talk, or is this going to be our night?” Benito asked calmly. His gaze swept over our men. There were a few who looked as if they were ready to bolt at the first chance they got.

“Try it and it will be the last step you take,” Gin threatened.

A fuck up is a warehouse being found, but this was deliberate. The amount of money we’d just lost was a heavy blow. First, the warehouse with the drugs, and now this.

“Who was under Benjamin?” Gin asked.

Two men stepped forward. “We were.”

Benito put his gun away. “The rest of you clean this shit up. You two, let’s have a chat.”

They nodded and followed my brother. I caught Benito’s gaze and knew to follow behind them. Gin stayed to oversee the cleanup. We wove through countless shipping crates, some belonging to other families. The two in front of me glanced around nervously.

“I wouldn’t try it,” I said as the one on the right’s steps faltered. He glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes widened as if he noticed me for the first time. He audibly swallowed.

“Boss, we only did what Benjamin said. We don’t—”

“Good, then this will be a quick chat, and you can go home to your wives,” Benito said.

It was a lie. He wasn’t letting them out; they’d never see tomorrow’s sun. They’d fucked up, and they knew it.

“Really, boss. I’ve given my whole life to the Vitale family. The organization is all I have.”

I tuned out the guy’s pleas; it was falling on deaf ears. Benito gave his all to the family and what we’d built, but he didn’t tolerate anyone trying to fuck over our family.

The guy on the right twisted his body slightly and if I hadn’t been watching since the moment we walked away from the docks, I wouldn’t have noticed. As his buddy pleaded their case, he made a run for it.

“Don’t kill him,” Benito said.

I sighed as I chased after him, the cool New York air crashing against my face. My lungs burned with the frigid air sawing in and out of them as I gave chase.

He turned around with his gun in hand. He was making this harder for himself. I dove to the side just as he squeezed off two shots.

“I don’t know anything,” he shouted.

Then why are you running? I didn’t ask out loud; I’d get to question him later. I waited until I heard him running again before chasing after him. I climbed on top of one of the shipping crates, the ice-cold metal burning my hands as I crawled over the top.

My gaze swept over the area, and I spotted him, his head poking out around a corner, waiting for me to come around. His gun was trained on the spot I would have appeared if I was still on the ground.

I took in a steady breath, raised my gun, and fired off my shot. The bullet cut through the air and landed in his arm. His gun dropped to the ground and clattered. I got up and jumped off the top, crouching as I landed.

I ignored the small ache in my knees. I was getting too old for this shit.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He was bent over, holding his arm.

I sauntered over to him, my gun still raised. He lifted his head, and our eyes met before I brought the butt of my gun down against his temple. He slumped over, and three more of our men turned the corner.

“Tie him up and get him to the warehouse.”

“Yes, boss.” They moved in unison.

I found Benito standing next to his car. “Tell me I don’t have to get the entire shipping yard scrubbed.”

I shook my head. “Single bullet wound.”

He nodded. “Find out everything. Someone is fucking us over.”

Gin jogged over to us, a light sheen of sweat coating his skin. “The guy usually on duty around here said he was dismissed multiple times in the past week. By our guys.”

Benito swore. “Loyalty mean shit nowadays?”

“We will get this under control, Benito,” Gin said.

It was rare Benito ever lost his composure for more than a split second. He took in a measured breath. “I know.” He met each of our gazes before getting behind the wheel of his car.

“I just hope it’s not a fiasco like two years ago,” Gin said.

My stomach turned and I nodded in agreement. He placed his hand on my shoulder.

“We need to get out of here. We’ve caused enough of a fucking scene. They’ve derailed the police as much as possible.”

The mention of police brought up Tex’s face in my mind. Gin whistled.

“Enzo,” he said in a warning tone.

“I know.”

He stared at me before nodding. I turned on my heels and headed for my car. Before I pulled off, I checked to see where Tex was. I had a single tail on him now.

Tex was working but he was far across town and a relieved sigh slipped free. I needed to get things under control. Soon.

I dug the scalpel under the nail and moved it back and forth slowly as muffled screams echoed around me. The fingernail came off, strings of blood and flesh sticking to the back of it. It was a decently clean take off. Beads of crimson bubbled up to the surface before running over and dripping onto the floor, joining the growing puddle.

The stench of urine perfumed the air, and I scrunched my nose in disgust. I glanced up at the man at my table. His green eyes were wide and red as he stared back at me, pleading without words.

“I’ve only gotten halfway through this hand, and you’re already calling it quits?” Disappointment drenched over my words.

He shook and nodded his head. “Still don’t know anything.”

I smiled. “Then I’ll continue.”

The other man was strapped to the ceiling. His eyes were dazed as he stared down at me. I could switch between the two going back and forth. The icy tendrils slowed me down, reminding me I didn’t have to rush. Answers were what I was after. Once I got them, I was free to do as I pleased.

I removed all of his fingernails from one hand and then the next. I messed up on the pinky as he started to shake on the table. Removing the wet cloth from his mouth, he spluttered and coughed.

“Who are you working with?”

He shook his head. “No one. I swear.”

I nodded and moved over to the one hanging from the ceiling. Blood dripped from the bullet wound in his arm. But with it elevated it had slowed tremendously.

My hand collided with his face, but the dazed look stayed in his eyes. I opened the cabinet we kept on hand and picked up the chainsaw at the bottom. It wasn’t my favorite, but it worked.

“Wh-what are you doing?” the one on the table stuttered.

I didn’t bother answering him as I pressed my finger against the throttle and pulled the cord to start it. The engine kicked to life, and the vibration rattled me down to my toes. If the guy on the table said anything more, I couldn’t hear him over the chainsaw.

Stepping forward, I held it up. As if I’d dumped ice water on him, the man suspended from the ceiling shook. The chains hanging from the ceiling rattled.

“What the fuck!” he shouted for help as he struggled, swinging around.

My fingers went numb the longer I held the chainsaw. I let him swing, but he lost control. His body started to move in a circle. Blood from his wound fell on my white shirt, making a crimson spot appear.

I focused on it for a second, drowning them both out and sinking into the bliss of chaos. Where some felt out of control, I felt normal. It was how I imagine everyone felt every single day, their brains not on fire and steadily trying to destroy them.

A slow smile curved my lips as I stepped forward and held the chainsaw out. He couldn’t stop his body’s momentum as he swung into the chainsaw. He got stuck, and the screams intensified as the chainsaw started cutting through flesh.

With him hanging, I couldn’t get enough pressure to cut through the bone. I pulled the chainsaw free, blinking away the spots of red in my vision. I had to wipe my eyes and glasses clean. Blood gushed out of the wound and I could make out the muscles and bone I hadn’t been able to get through.

His body swung back and forth limply. and I didn’t need to look up to know life was flickering out of his eyes. I moved over to his friend, letting the chainsaw die down so I could talk to him.

“He was meeting some cop,” the one on the table screamed. He shook his head, refusing to look at the other guy. “Please, we didn’t know this would happen.”

“What did you think would happen?”

“The guy was only supposed to take a crate or two.” His eyes bugged out as I pulled the string on the chainsaw. “Wait. Wait!”

The engine hadn’t started, and I stopped letting it recoil back. I cocked a brow.

“I don’t have a name.” He licked his cracked lips before coughing. “I swear. Please.”

“Who was it?”

He shook his head. “No idea. Only saw him once, and he wore a mask.”

“In other words, you’re no longer useful.”

“Wait, I could point him out.” He was grabbing at straws.

My head was shaking before he even suggested it. “Impossible to get every cop in New York to line up for you to pick out who you think it might be.”

I’d have to dig into all of Benjamin’s past work and see where and when money started to go missing, along with products. The chainsaw started up once more, drowning out the shouts and curses.

This is paradise.

Once it was all said and done, I stepped out of the room, cleaning the blood from my glasses as I slipped them on. Blood covered me from head to toe. I didn’t need to see my reflection to know what I looked like. A smile stretched my lips as I stood there in the mess of my making. It was the only time everything wasn’t overwhelming. No amount of noise, smell, or touch could deprive me of the calmness that coursed through me.

“Enzo,” Benito called out.

I didn’t jump, the reaction long ago beaten out of me. I turned to look at my brother. He normally never stuck around when I had to torture. A cigarette hung between his index and middle finger. The cherry glowed red before a tendril of smoke curled in the air.

I was so high off the moment of normalcy I hadn’t even noticed the smell. Benito pushed off the wall, his weighted gaze rooting me to the spot as he stepped forward. He took another drag as he stopped right in front of me. He was far taller than me, but my brother had never ruled it over me, at least not since we were children. I tilted my head back slightly.

“You still have that picture?”

My stomach clenched, knowing exactly which one he was referring to. I fought to continue meeting his gaze head-on. The normalcy was slipping away before I was ready for it to.

“Yes.”

Benito nodded and moved to walk past me. He placed a heavy hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “You know why I made you keep it, don’t you?”

“So I wouldn’t repeat my mistake.”

Benito’s hold tightened. “Are you?” I turned to look at my oldest brother. His gaze was unwavering. “Are you repeating your mistakes, Enzo?”

My heart rate slowed as my fingertips went cold. My instant answer should be no. However, Tex’s face flashed before me and how I’d let him walk out of my place. I hadn’t even checked him over.

“Enzo.” Benito’s voice dropped an octave. “Non mentirmi, fratello.”

My tongue felt heavy in my mouth, and the blood that covered me felt tight. I wanted to wash it all off. The longer I stood there with it on me, the more it felt as if I was in a closet-sized room that was shrinking by the second.

If I told him the truth, Tex would meet the same fate. Or he’d be taken from me, and that thought made breathing hard.

“Focus.” Rapid-fire Italian came from Benito.

To me, it sounded like garbled-up words with static being played over it. I opened my mouth to ask what, but that didn’t work either. My chest began to burn, and I stood there frozen, unable to talk.

“Breathe, fratello.” Benito pressed our foreheads together. “You’re my brother, and we will always have each other.“

“Familia is everything.”

Benito pulled back, and some dry blood clung to his light brown skin. He wasn’t bothered by it, but my eyes wouldn’t leave the spot until he cleaned it off. He wiped his hand over it, and the pieces fluttered to the ground.

“Do I need to get involved?”

I shook my head. “I won’t repeat the mistake.”

Benito’s shoulders relaxed. “Good.” He patted my shoulder before walking toward the exit. He stopped before he stepped out. “Find out who’s betraying us.”

I would. I just hoped it had nothing to do with Tex.