Noble Intentions: Season Four by L.T. Ryan Read Free Book Online Page B

too much, and the leg buckled. As he was going
    down, Paolo shifted his weight and dropped his knee into the middle of the other man's back. Milano grunted as the air left his lungs, and a rib or two
    cracked.
    The dislodged knife fell and bounced inches past Milano's outstretched arm.
    Paolo rose up and dropped his knee into Milano's back again. Then a third and fourth time. The man stopped reaching for the knife. Paolo rolled off Milano
    and fell to his side, the knife behind him. He scooted until it was within reach. His hands, numb from being bound for several hours, gripped the weapon
    and secured it. He then rolled into a sitting position. He brought his hand down to his calf and felt the wound. It wasn't as bad as he thought.
    Superficial. No real damage.
    Milano managed to put his hands under his shoulders and pushed off the ground.
    Paolo drove the heel of his boot into the guy's face, further dislodging his broken nose. With Milano face down in the dirt and gravel again, Paolo focused
    on cutting the cord that bound him.
    Idiots.
    He'd have used thick rubber handcuffs to secure one of them. No way out of those. But rope. Simple. Using hands that felt nothing, the blade sawed through
    the cord like a spoon through a frozen stick of butter. It took a bit of work, but every movement meant progress. Finally, he sliced through and brought
    his hands around. He cut the remaining rope off, then massaged his aching wrists to restore blood flow to his fingers.
    Endrizzi had managed to move a few feet, collapsed and rolled to his back again. The outer edges of the light cone created by the BMW's headlights
    enveloped his head. Blood flowed from the guy's mouth, down his chin and cheeks. He looked like a deranged killer clown.
    Paolo stepped over Milano's still, lifeless body, driving the toe of his boot into the side of the guy's head for good measure as he did so. The guy didn't
    respond. Paolo continued toward Endrizzi. Stopped a couple feet away. The man was in bad shape. He'd probably die if Paolo left him there. No point in
    letting nature take its course, though. He bent over, grabbed a handful of Endrizzi's hair, and pulled backward, exposing the flesh of his neck.
    Then he began stabbing. Five. Ten. Fifteen times. Finally, he plunged the blade into the side and yanked across, severing the carotid.
    Paolo didn't stand around to watch the man bleed out.
    Milano laid with his chin perched on the ground. He had witnessed the slaughter. When Paolo spotted him, the guy attempted to roll to the side and crawl
    away.
    Paolo thought about locating the pistol lost in the grass, or perhaps finding Endrizzi's .22. He didn't want to get too close to Milano. The .22 was out of
    ammunition, though. And the pistol could take minutes to find.
    As he cautiously moved forward, he stumbled on a large rock. It was about a foot wide and twice as long. He slipped the knife into his pocket and picked up
    the little boulder.
    "Christ," Milano said, now on his back, looking up at Paolo, who held the rock over his head. "No, man, come on."
    "Should have let me out and driven off," Paolo said. "Or killed me instead of dicking around."
    "Come on, Paolo. I'm married to your sister, for Christ's sake."
    "And you were willing to kill me."
    "It was an order. What'd you want me to do?"
    Paolo answered by slamming the rock into Milano's forehead. In case that wasn't enough, he hoisted it up in the air again and whipped it back down, nearly
    splitting Milano's head in two.
    He left the rock and the men where they lay and walked over to the idling BMW. Light flooded the ground when he pulled the door open. He noticed his pants
    and boots were covered in blood.
    "Shit," he muttered, reaching inside and pushing the trunk release. He went to the rear of the vehicle and studied the contents of the trunk. While there
    wasn't much, what he saw gave him an idea.
    He fished through Endrizzi's pockets and came up with a wallet with three hundred in cash, and a