Strapped: A Second Chance Mafia Romance by Emma Spring Read Free Book Online Page A

pull the gun out from my belt and point it at him.
    “No,” he throws his hands into the air instantly, finally understanding. “No, dude, I didn’t... I haven’t...” He’s practically pissing his pants, which makes me laugh loudly and mirthlessly. “I didn’t mean...”
    “Didn’t mean what?” I ask nastily. “Didn’t mean to involve the cops in something that was nothing to do with you? Didn’t mean to fucking behave like a dick? What?”
    “I... I...” A single tear rolls down his cheek, but I have no empathy for someone like that, so I point the gun and pull the trigger.
    Everything slows down in the way that it always does when I’m about to witness a death that’s been caused by me. The bullet leaves the gun and travels through the air, finally meeting its destination and snapping through Hall’s skull and sending him flying backwards until he hits the wall behind him. Blood splatters everywhere, making an incredible mess of this guy’s home, which gets even worse as he collapses to the ground.
    I step closer to him, just checking that he’s dead, and from the way that the back of his head has been completely blown out, I think that it’s obvious he is.
    “That’s what you get,” I whisper quietly to myself, justifying my actions. “Don’t fuck with the Carbone clan.” This is how all of Umberto’s enemies end up – dead – which is why I never want to become one.
    With that, I make my way quickly from the building, needing to escape before the cops show up. Someone will have heard the gunshot and filed a report, even with a silenced weapon, so it won’t be long until they’re here. I know that Umberto has the cops in his back pocket, but I don't want to be caught at the scene of the crime anyway. That wouldn’t be good for anyone.
    As I sit on my bike, and speed along the road, I make a decision to myself that I’m going to go and see Olivia after all. It might not be the smartest decision that I’ve ever made, but I need to see her. I need to get tonight out of my system, and the only way that I can do that is by seeing her.

Chapter 7

Olivia
    2 6th November 2010

    S crew that !
    I am not going to listen to my father’s stupidity when it comes to Marco – he doesn’t even know him, for crying out loud! I do. Okay, so maybe he’s made some stupid decision that has led him to be locked up, or maybe it was a case of mistaken identity, but whatever it was, I know my boyfriend, and I know for a fact that he’s a good guy deep down. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
    I wait until I know that my parents are both busy and distracted before sneaking out of the house to see him. I haven’t expressly been told that I can’t go out, but I know if I do they will be suspicious and it’ll cause more hassle than it’s worth.
    No, this is the best way for everyone involved.
    As I stalk determinedly down the street, pulling my coat tighter around me, I consider calling Marissa, just for her opinion on the subject, before sadly realizing that I can’t. It’s so sad that we used to tell each other everything, and although I still consider her to be my best friend, there’s no denying that her weird feelings about Marco have driven a wedge between us. She might be sort of okay with him at the moment, but me mentioning any kind of criminal activity will send her right back in the opposite direction. She will instantly think the worst, and that’s an opinion that I really don’t need to hear right now.
    I find my feet slowing down as I near the street where Marco lives. It’s just hitting me now that this is the very first time I’ve walked down here by myself, and it’s the first time that I’ve ever been truly terrified.
    I wrap my arms around me, and keep my eyes fixed solely on the ground as I step in time to my pounding heart. I know better than to judge people based purely on where they live, but I’m also perfectly aware of the stories that make it on to the news from streets