4.

RICARDO’S POV

The club was packed just as Luca had reported. “Fuck, the place is packed. The Bastardo must be earning millions but keeps turning in change and claiming that there have been no sales.” Enzo growled from his place at the front.

I turned to the Eagle’s eyes Capo, Orlando, who was seated beside me, “Seems like you are going to get a new shirt.” I nodded toward his designer shirt.

The Eagle’s eyes were basically a clean-up crew for the family. They were made of hitmen and enforcers who got their hands dirty when it was time and were the largest team in the family.

“As long as he won’t be breathing by the time I leave, it would all be worth it,” Giovanni grunted. He was a quiet man. Unlike Enzo, who fitted the role of the Capo more with his love for blood and violence, Giovanni was and looked the opposite of the position he held, but one should never be fooled as he was extremely ruthless, just as a Capo was supposed to be.

“He still has no idea we are here, right?” I asked Enzo, who nodded with a smile.

“Not one idea,” He smirked.

We entered through the back door, which Enzo skilfully opened, and we stepped inside. I was on my way to his office, but I met Bernado halfway, yelling at one of the dancers.

“Perla, why must you always make mistakes like this? If that man doesn’t pay, you better not come to work  tomorrow." He screamed at the girl, who was trembling like a fish.

“Bernado, it’s good to see you being the bum that you are." Enzo grinned, grabbing the nape of his shirt and pulling him off the girl. “Go along, sweetheart,” he told the young dancer.

“Boss Ricardo” Bernado stuttered with wide eyes. The girl scurried away, and so did everyone that was lounging in the hallway after a flick of my finger.

“I see business has picked up a lot,” I told him firmly, and his eyes began to dart around the hall. “I was in the area and decided to check on you, but you are doing way more than fine, aren’t you?”

He shook Enzo off and stumbled towards me. “Ah yes, yes, boss. I recently acquired a new dancer. I’m sure you’ll like her just like the people that now visit the club do. She has natural red hair and works those poles like magic. I can arrange a private dance for you."

Because I wanted to also see this dancer that had the people here addicted like she was a kind of drug, I nodded. “You go and inform her and also prepare the private room while I wait in your office. We have a lot of catching up to do before any fun.”

The oblivious rat’s eyes lit up in excitement as he didn’t think twice behind the meaning of my words before scurrying off the arrange whatever.

Enzo chuckled, “The fool has no idea, or he does, and is trying to snake his way out of this one. This way, boss.”

Enzo led the way to Bernado’s office, and I smirked, “He also got himself a very good upgrade." The office had been plain and a little bit smaller, but he had work done, and it now looked like a corporate CEO’s office. Nice work.

I took a seat behind the large table, which was a little too big for the space, and waited for him to come back. Bernado returns shortly, and he was panting like he had run a marathon to get here.

“This is such a nice office, Bernado. Got yourself an upgrade?” Enzo mocked, his gold teeth making even me uncomfortable with that smile he wore. 

Bernado began to sweat. He clasped his hands together and walked forward until he was in front of the table.

“Boss, the club just picked up, so I decided to use a small amount of money to make some necessary changes,” he stuttered.

“But you didn’t think to inform anyone of these new changes before spending our money?” I asked with a taut smile. 

“No, no, no. I promise I was going to inform Capo Giovanni this week, but I’ve been busy with the new large crowd we’ve been getting."

I nodded at Enzo, and he pounced on Bernado. The fool was big but had no single strength to fight Enzo’s hold. I watched quietly as Enzo sat him down and tied him to the chair with a rope, I had no fucking idea how he got a hold of him.

“Boss” Bernado cried out in fear, now shaking like a leaf as he uselessly tried to fight the ropes around him. “I promise I am not lying; I didn’t steal from you.”

“So, you’ve had no time in the last three months to tell anyone of these changes, but you had enough time to pay for your girl’s trip to Paris for a week, buy a small paper company under your wife’s sister’s name, and also buy a small building with the hopes of starting your own club?” I taunted, loving as he paled faster than I brought out my cigar from the case.

He was shaking now. He knew it was all over, and there was no going back from his mistake. “Come in,” I called when there was a familiar knock pattern on the door.

“Boss, please. It was the devil; I won’t do it again." Bernado eyes widened in terror when Orlando stepped into the room. Orlando’s presence meant a painful as fuck death, and he knew it.

Orlando removed his jacket, placed it on the table, and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. “I warned you personally when you were employed about stealing, didn’t I?” Orlando questioned just as he pulled his knife from his pocket. He always carried that pocket knife everywhere.

“It was a mistake." Bernado struggled furiously against the ties, but his struggles were useless.

The familiar screams of pain soon filled the air as Orlando removed all his fingers and skinned his hands of all the skin. It was an ugly sight. Bernado was crying, no screaming, and there was blood on the floor.

It was a practice to remove the fingers and skin from the hands of thieves. No one except those who had been tortured but were six feet under to warn anyone else knew about it.

Another knock came, and Giovanni entered with the man who would be the new manager. The man paled immediately when he saw Bernado.

“This is what will happen to you if you try to play smart with me.” I warned him and he nodded his head furiously.

“I wouldn’t dare to steal,” Diego, the new manager, stuttered with red eyes and a croaked voice. He looked ready to piss himself.

I got up and stretched out my hands. Orlando handed me his gun, and in a clean shot, I fired one to his head, putting him and my ears out of their misery. It was also another warning to Diego.

“We leave in thirty,” I said before leaving the office for them to clean up the mess. Time to see this new dancer.