mafia hitman – Vintage City Publishing

November 10, 2019

VICIOUS CIRCLE – CHAPTER FIVE

“Manny, pull the car around. We’re leaving.”

Manny hadn’t noticed Dominic walk up. He was engrossed in a dirty joke Little John was telling. He looked at Dominic, then at Audrey. He stood up without a word, buttoned his jacket, and downed the rest of his coffee.

Dominic said, “Pull around the back to the kitchen. We’ll meet you there.”

“Excuse me?” Audrey said. “I have some packages in Joe’s car. We did some shopping earlier.” She wasn’t demanding about it, but Dominic got the impression she wasn’t asking either.

“Joe will bring them back. He’s only going to be another hour or two.”

“I’d like to have them now. There are two dresses that really should be hung up. I’d like to put the other items away before I go to bed.”

Manny glanced at Dominic, one eyebrow arched. Dominic stared back, an unspoken conversation between them.

“Get Joe’s driver to load them in the back seat,” Dominic said finally. “Then pull the car around.”

October 20, 2019October 20, 2019

VICIOUS CIRCLE – CHAPTER FOUR

The lines of resistance were thick in the air as Dominic walked toward them. A magnetic force buffeted him; two polar opposites being pressed together.

Dominic walked up and said, “You’re new.”

Joey answered, “This is Paul Romano. Paulie.”

Dominic glanced at Joey. “Nice tux, Joey. You going to perform magic tricks later?”

“Har har,” Joey said. “You’re always good for a laugh, Carelli.”

“When’s your father coming?” Dominic let his voice grow bored and dismissive. Maintaining a conversation with Joey was tedious work. Besides, he was more interested in watching Paul’s reaction.

The guy put up a calm front, but Dominic could see the turmoil beneath the surface. A flicker of his eyes, a slight twitch of his mouth. The man was keeping something locked up, and he knew Joey was too dim to pick up on it.

Joey said, “He should be here any time. He’s bringing his new girl. Wants to make an entrance and show her off.”

“I heard she’s younger than you, Joey. Does that bother you?” He smirked.

There were few things that gave Dominic satisfaction these days. Pissing off Joey was one of them.

September 21, 2019

VICIOUS CIRCLE – CHAPTER THREE

NOW:

Paul checked himself in the rearview mirror and found it hard to recognize the man staring back. The blond hair was longer than his FBI days and stylishly cut, but an occasional errant strand of hair threatened to stage a rebellion. Contact lenses had replaced his wire-rimmed glasses.

Gone were the days of bargain basement clothing and do-it-yourself tailoring. Now it was Italian silk suits, usually gray or light blue, Egyptian cotton shirts, and calfskin shoes as soft as cashmere. No tie, just the top two buttons of his shirt left open to show off the gold chain and dangling Italian horn, lest anyone question his lineage.

He had been living this façade for almost a year, gradually easing into the Tagliani family lifestyle. It was important he didn’t rush things, that he allow his employers to decide how quickly he rose in the organization. If Paul took one misstep, he knew it could be fatal. And his employers were cautious.