“What do you want, Dante?” he asks, acting like we didn’t loan him one million dollars for the refurbishment of this place and his repayment is now overdue. He knows that his date for full repayment was yesterday, yet he continues to goad me, trying to showcase his power, of which he has none. I watch as his men reach for their guns, some of them shaking, because they already know that their end might be near. It appears that Dominic is the only one in this room that is disillusioned enough to think anything else.

I cackle at that, the smile not reaching my eyes. I want to shoot him, I do. Then I want to hang his body from the top of the stripper pole and leave him for his brother to find.

But that can’t happen today.

“You know what, Dominic? I’m sure we can talk later this week,” I say as I relax my stance, and I see his visible relief. “Boys, let's go!” I call out to my team, my eyes not leaving Dominic’s. He begins to smile, thinking he has won.

His men keep their guns out and ready, as my team and I walk backwards, making our way slowly to the front door, one of my men already outside signaling to my backup team.

As we reach the entrance, I see his men start to relax, and like a cobra, I strike.

I fire my gun at Dominic’s thigh, the bullet piercing his muscle and coming out the other side, embedding itself on the stage nearby.

“Fuuuuucckkkk!” he roars, clutching his leg, falling to the ground. “Well, don’t just stand there! Shoot him!” Screaming to his team, he waves his arms about, and only a blink later do bullets start flying.

My team fires to harm because we came here as a warning, not to start a war. Sebastian won’t be happy, but it appears that Dominic is taking that decision right out of my hands as his team shoots to kill. After all that Dominic has done to me in the past, I wouldn’t mind seeing his blood splattered all across the room, so my team and I rush out the door, dodging shots until we’re outside on the sidewalk.

We have mere seconds before the onslaught continues. Bullets fly through the air one after another, as each of his team race outside, clawing for the accolade of being the person that kills Dante Luciano, Sebastian Romano’s right-hand man. But their aim is as straight as their business, and they miss every attempt at making me their target.