Chapter 70: Drugged

The Hamilton brothers are two fucking psychos.

So freaking psycho they both married the same woman.

I still haven’t figured out how the hell that arrangement works. Maybe I don’t want to.

I’m not built for that kind of lifestyle. I don’t share my shit.

Never have.

Apparently, the Hamilton brothers have a kink for it, they’ve always shared their women. And that isn’t even the weirdest thing about them.

They’re annoying pieces of shit I have to do business with from time to time, but at least they pay well. Very well.

And I’m all about money.

How else am I supposed to keep buying my sports cars?

Besides, the Hamilton brothers run half of the city while I run the other half.

We’re business partners of sorts.

Not friends....Never that.

We just have an understanding. They stay out of my territory, I stay out of theirs. We work together when money demands it, then go our separate ways.

Simple.

At least, it used to be.

Apparently, they want a dip in my sauce now.

Sending armed men after me and my wife is one hell of a way to make that clear.

My fingers tighten around the steering wheel as I pull up outside their house.

The place is loud as hell. Music spills through the open doors, bass vibrating through the pavement. Expensive cars line the driveway, and men in suits stand around with drinks in their hands while women move between them.

A party.

Of course.

The Hamilton brothers are throwing a fucking party while sending men to kill me.

I step out of my car.

I don’t bother with security, I don’t need it.

The guards at the entrance recognize me immediately and move aside without asking questions.

When I walk inside the music gets louder.

People glance at me as I pass, but nobody stops me.

They know who I am and more importantly, they know whose house this is.

I find the brothers in a private section toward the back.

Antonio, the eldest, is sitting with his consigliere, drink in hand. Salvatore isn’t far away.

When I get close Antonio looks up. The moment his eyes land on me, a grin spreads across his face.

He says something to his consigliere before standing and walking up to me.

"Ahhh, my man Lysander."

He walks toward me with his arms slightly open.

"It’s been a while, hasn’t it?"

He reaches me and shakes my hand firmly.

I give him the same energy.

"Not long enough for me.

His grin widens.

"Come, come. Let’s have a sit-down."

He gestures toward another room and I follow.

We move away from the noise until the music becomes nothing more than a dull vibration behind the walls.

I find a chair and sit.

Antonio sits across from me and he chuckles.

"You know, you’re lucky you’re a made man and a Don yourself."

One of the many reasons I hate the Hamilton brothers....

They talk too fucking much.

I lean back.

"Get straight to the point. Unlike you, I have a club to run and I’m busy as hell."

Before Antonio can answer, the door opens and Salvatore walks in.

He looks almost identical to his brother, except for the long scar cutting through his eyebrow..... a scar I gave him.

He takes the seat opposite me.

"Perfect," he says. "Now let’s talk business."

Both brothers sit there, one on either side of me.

I look from Antonio to Salvatore.

"If by business you mean shooting at myself and my wife, then sure."

They chuckle.

Together....at the exact same time.

That eerie little habit of theirs makes my skin crawl. They have a habit of doing everything in sync.

They exchange a glance.

Antonio claps his hands once.

"Let’s get some drinks before we get to the hard part."

A server appears almost immediately. He places a bottle of scotch, three glasses, and a bucket of ice on the table.

Then he disappears.

Antonio twists the bottle open, he pours three drinks.

One for himself, one for his brother and one for me.

The brothers pick up their glasses, they don’t say anything.

They just look at me. It’s obvious they want me to drink.

I stare at the amber liquid.

Fuck it.

I’ll need it for this conversation anyway.

I pick up the glass and swallow the entire thing in one go.

The burn slides down my throat, calming me a bit.

I place the glass back on the table.

"Happy?"

Salvatore smirks.

"You spoiled our business, you see."

I frown.

"What business?"

Antonio laughs softly.

"Oh, please. Don’t take us for fools."

Salvatore leans forward.

"We know you killed Genovese."

My expression doesn’t change. I don’t give them anything.

"Is that why I’m here? Is this some sort of interrogation?"

"We lost millions because of you."

Salvatore points a finger at me.

"I had business going with him, and you killed him."

"Even if I did kill him.....That fucking prick deserved it."

"True."

Antonio nods casually.

"But you cost us money."

I sigh.

"How much?"

Salvatore blinks.

"What?"

"Send me the bill."

I lean forward.

"If it will stop you whining at me, I’ll pay it."

I pause.

"But understand something."

My voice drops.

"You crossed a line when you went after my wife."

Neither brother speaks.

"For that," I continue, "you’ll have to pay."

Salvatore’s smile slowly returns.

"The Luciano girl.....She’s a beauty, I hear."

My jaw tightens until it hurts.

He keeps going.

"Such a sweet pussy. I’d give anything to have it wrapped over my dick or have her on her knees while I fuck hee face."

Something inside me snaps and I’m on my feet before I even realize I’ve moved.

My hand grabs the back of Salvatore’s head and I slam his face into the table.

The glasses jump, the bottle rolls falling to the ground and shattering.

Antonio doesn’t move.

I pull my fist back, ready to put it straight into Salvatore’s face.

Then something strange happens,. The room tilts and my fist freezes in the air.

I blink.

The walls seem to move.

"What the..."

I release Salvatore and stagger backward. My hand catching the edge of the table.

My breathing changes and my vision swims.

I shake my head hard, trying to clear it.

What the fuck is happening?

I look toward Antonio. He’s still sitting there.

Calm, far too calm.

Then he smiles.

"I see it’s working."

My stomach drops.

"What is?"

Antonio leans back in his chair while I try to straighten but my legs don’t cooperate.

The floor seems to shift beneath me.

I reach for the gun beneath my jacket but my fingers barely make it there.

Salvatore laughs but the sound is distant and muffled now.

My vision blurs.

I look at the glass sitting in front of me.

The scotch.

And understanding hits me a second too late.

"You..."

My tongue feels heavy, my body feels heavier.

Antonio watches me with that same fucking smile.

"You should have stayed out of our business, Lysander."

I try to move but I simply can’t.

The room spins violently and the last thing I see is the two brothers standing over me.

Then everything goes black.

———-

When I come back to, the first thing I notice is the cold, the second is the ache in my skull, the third is the fact that I can’t move my arms.

I open my eyes slowly.

For a few seconds, everything is nothing but a blur of shadows and dim lights. Then my surroundings begin to sharpen.

My hands are tied tightly behind the chair, the rope biting into my wrists. I test the restraints instinctively, pulling once but it doesn’t give.

My shirt is gone, leaving my upper body exposed to the cold air.

I look down at myself, then slowly lift my head.

A familiar voice cuts through the silence.

"Ahhh. I see you’re back."

Antonio is standing directly in front of me with a gun pointed at my face.

He gives me a little wave with it.

"Welcome back."

I stare at the weapon before looking at him.

"You know," I say, my voice rough from whatever the hell they put in my drink, "if you wanted me naked, you could have simply asked."

Antonio’s lips twitch.

Before I can say anything else, he swings the butt of the gun into the side of my head.

Pain explodes through my skull as my head snaps sideways.

For a moment, everything goes white. Then the room slowly swims back into focus.

I taste blood.

Something warm runs down the side of my face.

I lift my head as blood drips from my temple onto my shoulder.

And strangely enough, I welcome the pain.

I revel in it.

Antonio watches me carefully.

"You’re enjoying that?"

I spit blood onto the floor.

"You hit like a fucking child."

He laughs.

"You know, it took a while to get you here."

"Knock me out, you mean?"

"Yes. That."

He walks around me slowly. His footsteps echoing against the concrete.

"We wanted you dead a long time ago."

I follow him with my eyes.

"Even before you became the Don," he continues. "But you were always too difficult to deal with."

I say nothing.

"You’re just too hard to drug."

Antonio stops behind me.

"We kept trying, though."

He steps back into my line of sight.

"Every meeting. Every dinner. Every drink."

A smile spreads across his face.

"We tried."

I lean my head against the chair.

That explains the headaches and occasional dizziness. I’ve had every time we met over the years.