Episode 3

I made a fist and punched the face of the idiot who was tied to the chair in front of me. The strong, precise blow made him swing sideways and spit blood, along with a few teeth, onto the floor.

“You bastard!” he hissed, rubbing his tongue on his split lower lip.

It wasn’t a good time for me to get angry. I had been on edge for the past few days, ever since Gilliam and those old bastards put a damn collar on me as if I were a dog to be trained.

Moral of the story: I was engaged, and in a few hours, I would meet the woman who had been chosen to be mine.

I leaned over the idiot, and the smell of urine, sweat, and blood wafted up to my nose.

“I'm going to rip every tooth out of your filthy mouth, and then I'm going to rip off each of your fingernails and crush your bones until they turn to dust.”

"I let out a laugh at the joke that crossed my mind."

“You love to sniff, don't you, Camilo? See, I can give you the dust from your bones to supply your addiction, what do you think?”

I looked at Camilo, at his hands tied on the table, and then back at his face.

“You won't do that, you bastard...” he gurgled, his eyes widening as the four fingers of his hand were ripped off.

In a quick, sharp movement, I pulled the axe from the table and lowered it onto Camilo's hand, amputating the four fingers of his right hand. Blood splattered everywhere, staining my face and clothes.

“Holy shit! Damn you! Bastard!” he screamed, arching his back against the chair to lessen the pain.

I gathered my fingers and turned to one of my men.

“Burn it and make the powder. Quick, before he dies,” I ordered.

Like a bunch of useless fools, they looked at each other, lacking the courage to pick up the severed fingers.

“If nobody picks this up, I'll add yours to the dust,” I hissed through gritted teeth.

Romeo stepped forward and finally took the fingers from my open palm, hiding his disgust before disappearing in the direction of one of the rooms.

I pulled up a chair and sat down facing Camilo. I took a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped the bloodstains from my face.

“You're going to smell the best powder of your life,” I scoffed, smiling coldly.

“But... I can have mercy if you tell me the names.”

The bastard had entered our territory, raped one of the women from our clubs, and detonated a load of cocaine. He wasn’t alone, but only he had been stupid and slow enough to be caught.

Gilliam wanted the names of his accomplices, and I would make the last moments of Camilo’s life hell until I got the answers.

He said nothing, his dark eyes just staring at me, coated in hatred.

I picked up the knife from the table and twirled the tip, toying with the instrument.

“You know… I’m going to tell you a secret.

"I smiled, leaning in to whisper."

"I’m getting married,” I announced."

Camilo’s eyes widened and he showed, for the first time since he had been caught, genuine interest in the matter.

“What?” he questioned in a roar.

I confirmed with a nod.

“Oh, you know, tying the knot with a single woman, being the one in the suit in the middle of the red carpet.

"I rolled my eyes and rested my feet on the table."

"It seems that, thanks to you damn traitors, my dear brother has decided that I need a nice collar to adorn my neck.”"

Camilo opened his mouth in a perfect “o.”

“You…

"He swallowed hard."

The blood gushing from his severed fingers was weakening him with every passing second.

— You’re going to unite the families? You bastards! Balbino won’t like that one bit.”

I spread my hands across my chest and raised my eyebrows, compressing my lips.

“Oh, what a shame! I would send him an invitation, but I don’t want to bother the good man, so I’ll leave him out of the wedding.”

— I rubbed my jaw with the tip of my index finger.

"Although… he was informed about my engagement dinner, which will be taking place today. Gosh, I feel guilty about that.”"

Camilo shook his head and smiled humorlessly.

“You think you’re so much, Dominique, but you’re nothing but a fool. You’re a scared idiot who does what his older brother tells him to do.”

I sighed and threw the knife at him, piercing his arm as I pinned him against the wooden seat. He screamed as skin, muscle, and bone were ruptured.

“There’s something in the Camorra that the ‘Ndrangheta don’t understand, Camilo, and it’s called brotherhood. But I’m not surprised that you don’t know what it is, you’re nothing but animals.”

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