Take Me Apart (Vitale Brothers Book 1)

The sounds of the city were muted out in the suburbs. One could almost believe they were in a whole different universe. There were no blaring horns, the fog of pollution, or blinding neon lights. In another life, maybe I’d live in such a calm place. But that hadn’t been my fate. The constant noise and smells were home, one I’d grown accustomed to.

I pushed open the back gate, the wood freshly painted black and the bushes surrounding newly trimmed. Someone had a lot of time on their hands.

Toys littered the yard, a pogo stick, a firetruck near the swing set, and a shovel in a sandbox that had sand spilled around it. My eyes twitched as all of my focus was drawn to the uneven sand. It wasn’t important, and yet I walked over to the small box.

I needed something else to focus on, something familiar that wasn’t out of place and that didn’t drive my need to fix it or tear everything apart. I reached into my coat, and my fingertips brushed along the cool metal of my staccato 9mm. It was familiar and perfection.

My hand wrapped around the gun and pulled it free. The moonlight glinted off the top of it, even the sky was mesmerized by its beauty. I took in measured breaths, remembering step by step how I’d taken it apart and cleaned it. My fingers twitched along the gun as if they were moving with my memory.

I felt more in control by the second and turned away from the distraction and to the house. The back porch light turned on as the door opened.

“Just taking the trash out.”

The man I was there to see stepped out of his house. As if he sensed a predator in his presence, he went still, his gaze sweeping over the yard until his eyes fell on me. There wasn’t a need for me to introduce myself. Recognition surfaced in his brown eyes the moment ours met.

“Don’t do this here,” Johnny McDowell pleaded.

I was a monster, but I wasn’t a sloppy one.

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on splattering your blood on your freshly cut lawn. Tell them you have to go.”

Johnny made his way to the trash and dropped his bag in. I still held my gun out, but he made no move to run. He knew better. His family would be used as collateral, and Johnny wasn’t a man to place his family in harm’s way.

He walked back to the door, his shoulders set back and standing up tall at his full six-four height. If he wanted, he could fight me and run. However, we both knew how that would end. I’d been known to take men down twice my size.

Johnny opened the door, keeping his body outside as he shouted inside. “I’m headed out, babe.”

“At this time of night, Johnny?” Her high-pitched voice scraped against my eardrums.

I put my gun away, no longer needing an anchor so I could deal with mild annoyances.

“Don’t start, Linda.”

Johnny stepped back and glanced over his shoulder. Our eyes met briefly before he let the screen door close and headed for the back gate. Footsteps came from inside the suburban home before the back door was slammed open.

“When will you be back?” Linda shouted. Her bright green eyes landed on me, and understanding clicked. Her pink-painted lips pressed together in a fine line. “The boys—”

“Linda, get back in the house,” Johnny snapped.

She looked ready to argue, her pleading eyes never straying from me. “Boys need their father.”

If she thought she was pulling at my heartstrings, she’d be sorely mistaken. I wasn’t sure I even had one.

“Linda, go back in, please.”

She stared at me for a bit longer before she turned to her husband. Heartfelt goodbyes were another thing I didn’t understand about humans. She knew this day was coming. Even if it wasn’t me bringing death to her door, it would be something else. A car crash, a heart attack, anything.

“Johnny.” Linda’s voice broke, and Johnny glanced my way.

I showed nothing, neither caring if he drew this out or hurried it along. Either way, his end was near, and it would be at my hands.

He turned and marched over to her and pulled her taut against him. He was a good foot taller than her. Where Johnny looked as if he was in his mid-forties, Linda still had the youthful look of a twenty-year-old. I was nothing more than an observer. She clung to him, desperation in her eyes as he continued to peek at me.

She whispered to her husband, but it meant nothing. Johnny knew the result. He’d signed the dotted line. And I was there to collect.

Johnny pulled away and cleared his throat. “Get back in the house. I love you.”

Linda sighed and covered her mouth. Tears rolled down her cheeks and disappeared behind her hand. She turned away and hurried into the house. The door slammed shut, and Johnny let out a heavy sigh of his own. He stared at the house for another second before he turned away and headed toward the back gate.

He stopped and looked at me. I knew he would make some kind of demand. They always did.

“My family stays out of this.”

“That’s up to you,” I answered truthfully.

He turned and stared at me. Maybe if I was a child, his hard look would have scared me. But he was nothing more than a man who was used to having power and was now powerless.

“Let’s get this over with,” Johnny said.

We headed toward his car, and I slipped into the passenger seat. There’d been a reason I’d chosen him first out of all our informants. Johnny had been the best. If it wasn’t for his partner slipping up, he’d still be on the force. I didn’t suspect him of being the rat, but Benito wasn’t going to take my guess as a sure answer.

I directed him where to go. The further away we were from the city, the more the cold electrifying excitement tingled under the surface of my flesh. Johnny didn’t bother with small talk, and for that, I wouldn’t slice his throat and watch him bleed out. I could be merciful.

“Here,” I said.

We pulled up at one of the many abandoned buildings we owned under a few aliases. Johnny grunted and threw the car into park. His fingers drummed on the steering wheel as he made no move to get out.

Don’t be a runner.

“My family…”

“Depends on your answers.”

Johnny nodded and got out of the car. I followed suit, sucking in the stale air of the night. The stars sparkled in the sky, a sight that wasn’t available in the city or even the suburbs. Too much light pollution.

I admired them for another second before walking behind Johnny. My phone vibrated, and I sent the confirmation to my men. They’d be there exactly in fifteen minutes. Having a set time over my head made all the tension bleed out of my body. There was something about being confined in an organized square of time. I wouldn’t go past or end it too quickly.

“Have a seat.” I pointed to the only chair in the room.

He looked around, and I knew his eyes caught on some of the men already there. They walked around quietly, staying out of my way.

“I never mentioned my deal,” Johnny started.

“I know.”

His shoulders sagged as he sat down on the metal chair. The hole in the ceiling was perfectly placed over his head. Moonlight shimmered down on him as if death was there to greet Johnny and welcome him to the afterlife.

“Doesn’t change that you were dismissed from the force.”

Johnny scuffed. “Dismissed? More like fired. They couldn’t stick anything heavy on me but allegations. I was a damn good cop.”

“If that was true, I wouldn’t be in front of you right now.”

Johnny’s fists balled up on his thighs, and he glanced away. It was the truth. Why was he acting as if what I’d said was so wrong?

“My partner confessed to overlooking a few cases.” Johnny shrugged.

His partner had already been dealt with. Arnold Keys died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.

“Who’s looking into my family?”

Johnny shrugged. “All task forces were shut down after the fiasco two years ago. No one wants a blood bath. Too many innocents died with no justice.” The muscle in his jaw ticked as he averted his gaze from me.

That word held little meaning in this life. Revenge is what he meant. He was all about justice, except when it came to needing help with his sick son. Then all of a sudden, justice wasn’t so important.

I hate cops. They’re the worst kind of human trash. Tex’s face flashed before me, and my stomach twisted in discomfort. Maybe not all cops. It was one night and a toy I wouldn’t get to play with again. Deep down, I hoped that wasn’t true.

“What can you tell me?”

“I want my family to receive two months of what you guys were paying me,” Johnny shot back.

“All your kind does is take.”

I could make him talk, but Benito said no playtime. And right now, I might lose myself to the blood, missing any information he may or may not hand over.

“One.” I held up my hand, stopping his negotiations. “It’s already being generous. Unless you’re willing to sell your wife to us, I’d stop negotiating for more money they won’t be able to pay off.”

Johnny shut his mouth and nodded. He let out a sigh as he leaned back. The scrape of the chair against the concrete floor echoed around the room as he pushed it back.

“There were whispers about the new mayor wanting to bring down a crime family in order to get re-elected.” Johnny shook his head. “Fucking politicians. As far as I know, the chief shot down the idea of a task force for now.”

I stared at him, waiting to see what else he had for me. Johnny’s tough-guy act dropped as the minutes ticked by.

“The last bust on Bedford Ave? The tip came from some junkie. He was cracked out on meth. We let him go, but I heard he was picked back up.”

“Name,” I demanded.

Johnny looked everywhere but at me. It was like he could tell his time was nearly up. His leg began to bounce.

“I don—”

“Think. Remember, your family’s lives depend on your answer.”

He stopped moving and finally met my gaze. Anger flashed in his eyes as his brows dipped and his lips turned down in a frown.

“It was Carter, no, Clark, maybe Carl. It started with a C.”

I nodded, and two men moved forward at my signal. Johnny attempted to jump up, but they held him down. He’d put on a brave face only to chicken out now.

He was a disappointment, but they all were. I pulled my Staccato XC 9mm out and aimed for his head. Johnny gritted his teeth and met my gaze, his mouth opening, but no words could be heard over the bang of the bullet leaving my gun and piercing the air.

My hand snapped back slightly from the recoil, and I steadied once more before lowering it. Johnny’s head flopped back before rolling forward. Empty eyes looked back at me.

Blood dripped from the hole in the middle of his skull. The bead slid down around his slender nose and over his thin lips. It was mesmerizing as more joined it creating their patterns on his face before falling to his clothes or the ground to be soaked up.

I watched, basking in peace for another second before I went about the cleanup. We had people who did most of the work, but I preferred to make sure there was nothing left behind.

Sound trickled in. It was like a bubble had popped, and I heard the men around me talking and moving.

I stripped out of my clothes and wiped my face clean, getting rid of all evidence. One of our men walked in, holding a fresh pair of clothes. I’d prefer to shower, but it would have to wait. I’d have to deal with the way my clothes clung to my sweat-slicked skin and the way the warehouse stench wafted off me.

“Send it to the butcher,” I said as I slipped the beige slacks on.

The material wasn’t new, yet it grated against my flesh with every touch, setting my teeth on edge. This is not right.

Irritation settled in the pit of my stomach, turning over and over again as I forced myself to push past it. The shirt was no better, a light blue button-up I made sure to tuck in. I was handed the Aosta Italian melton topcoat and glasses that I normally wear.

Everything that normally made me feel calm was doing the opposite.

“Sir?” one of the men called.

I turned to see what he needed. A tiny voice in the back of my head screamed for me to rip my clothes off and burn them. I audibly swallowed and ignored as much as I could.

“Wife is calling.”

The retired cop’s wife. I sighed. Taking the phone, I forwarded the call.

“Make sure she knows to keep her mouth shut.”

He nodded, and I broke the phone handing it back over to him. A million ants were crawling up my arms and legs as needles poked my back and torso. I needed out of these clothes. I could feel them too much.

“And deliver the remainder of the money.”

Johnny had been bought for his kid’s surgery, and the Vitales always kept their end of the bargain. There was a reason no one ever ratted on us. Fear alone wasn’t enough to rule the streets of New York.

Johnny’s car would be returned to his family once it was thoroughly cleaned. Benito didn’t take chances, and neither did I. My car waited for me on the side of the road. Although everything in me screamed for me to run toward it and hurry the fuck up, I kept my movements controlled and measured.

The drive was quick, and I made it back to the hotel. I’d planned to go home, but for some reason, my on-fire brain decided the hotel would be best. I marched through the doors, and the bright lights assaulted me. I squinted through it, swallowing back my discomfort.

“Mr. Vitale, your guest left a message for you,” the receptionist said.

She didn’t question why I was back so soon. Normally when I closed the room out, I stayed away for a month or two. However, even if she’d asked me I didn’t have the answer.

“Has he been back here?” I asked, forcing every word out. I wanted nothing more than to stay silent and disappear into a quiet area.

“No, sir. Not that we have noticed.”

I stared at her, working on voicing the question. Words twisted, and my tongue rested heavily in my mouth, determined not to move.

“He questioned a server about you but nothing more. The breakfast was half eaten before he left in an Uber,” she supplied.

I turned away once I took the note, disappearing toward the elevator. My control and patience were that of a saint. Yet, the piece of paper burned against my fingertips, demanding I open it right then and there. It momentarily distracted me from my discomfort but the moment the elevator dinged and opened I ran to my door. All control went out the door as I snatched the clothes off my body. My flesh was itching and burning all at once.

Taking them off wasn’t enough, and I frantically moved to the bedroom. I tossed the note on the bed and started up the shower. I didn’t wait for it to warm. The ice cold was a reprieve from the overwhelming heat threatening to consume me. I knew it was all in my head, but it changed nothing.

Once I was fresh out of the shower and dressed, I made my way over to the bed. The envelope was still there, taunting me. I picked it up and opened it. A single little note fluttered onto the bed.

Something close to laughter broke free as I shook my head. I stared at the piece of paper with a smile on my face.

Fuck you.

Enzo: Ray Lends taken care of.

I sent the message to Benito and ground my molars as I placed my phone in the cup holder.

Another unsatisfying kill. It wasn’t enough, and I felt the edge of chaos closing in on me. Tension built between my shoulder blades, and the feeling of a needle piercing my flesh repeatedly grew tiresome. No amount of reading or meditation was helping.

I found myself on the other side of the city where a certain rookie cop lived. I checked my messages, and Tex was working. Five days since I’d last seen him, and strangely thinking about him and the night we’d had calmed the whirlwind of insanity inside of me. However, the memory was getting old, and I needed to do something about it soon.

Keeping tabs on him was my job, but I’d stayed away from him. He was the kind of toy I’d end up breaking too fast. Or get fixated on, and the last thing I needed to become obsessed with was a cop.

I knew it wasn’t a good idea, and yet I got out of the car and walked right up to his door. The apartment was easy to break into, boasting two simple locks that wouldn’t keep a teenager out. Then again, looking around, there wasn‘t much to steal. Anyone breaking in would either have to be desperate or obsessed with Tex.

Jiggling caught my attention, and an orange Maine Coon came out of a box that was far too small for it. I hadn’t taken Tex as a cat man, but lo and behold, the beauty sauntered up to me and meowed. I crouched down and scratched behind his ears, grimacing at the hair that clung to my fingers.

He needed to be brushed and bathed.

“Since I’m here, let’s see what your owner has been up to.”

I stood back up and let my gaze wander, but it looked as if Tex lived like a pig. Clothes were thrown everywhere, a few dishes in the sink, and a wet towel on the bathroom floor.

My need to fix it took over. Before I knew it, I was cleaning the entire apartment. To my surprise, there was nothing here that indicated Tex was even a cop. No badge or files lying around. Not even his police academy workout clothes. If I didn’t know who he was, Tex could almost come off as a regular guy.

Almost. Those startling blue eyes flashed through my mind, and I shook free of the hold he had over me.

Ringing cut through the peaceful moment, and I sighed as I pulled my phone free of my pocket. Benito’s name flashed on the screen. I knew I had no choice but to answer it.

“Where are you, Enzo?”

Telling him I was at Tex’s place wouldn’t go over well, but lying to Benito never ended well, either. I didn’t answer him, choosing to stay silent as I pet the freshly cleaned orange Maine Coon on my lap. The kitten purred and snuggled up closer.

“I need you in Manhattan. Two of them tried to run,” Benito said.

Without seeing his face, I knew he was angry, although my brother was always angry. I couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t. Maybe Giancarlo did because they’d been together from the start.

“Make them regret ever trying to run.”

The line went dead, and I sighed.

I picked the cat up. Its body was long, the back paws nearly to my knees.

“You be good.”

I sat him down and moved around the place. The dryer beeped, and I folded the towels I’d used but kept them separate from all the others. They were now the cat’s towels. I took one more look around, contemplating putting cameras and microphones around but nothing compared to seeing Tex in person.

As if he knew I was talking about him, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I smirked at the update about Tex. He was on his way home. Too bad I couldn’t stay and play with him tonight. I took the note he left me, adding my own and placing it on his bed.

Maybe another time.