Ruthless Queen

by K. D Clark

  He nodded and quickly got up, leaving the room. Cassandra leaned back against the chair letting her breathing slow, reaching across the desk she picked up the blunt lighting it and inhaling letting the smell fell the room. After a few puffs she looked over at Gio who had stayed silent standing against the door like a body guard.

  “Whose that guy running for Mayor right now?” She asked

  “Johnson?”

  “Yea, I’ll need to speak with him.”

  “You think they got that much information?”

  “They’ve been following him for two week and Lucas is so blood thirsty he brushed it aside.” She shook her head taking another drag, “He’s out of his mind.” She mumbled to herself. The office fell silent except for the pounding from the music downstairs.

  “I think I got a lead.”

  Cassandra’s ear perked up. “Yea?”

  Giovanni nodded. “I don’t wanna jinx it but I think I’m getting close.”

  “Good because the longer this goes on the more money we’re losing. Its getting ridiculous. A sit down you think?”

  Giovanni shook his head moving from the wall he sat on the leather couch. “I don’t know Cass, I think there’s something off with these guys their too good, too organized.”

  Cassandra froze setting the blunt on the ashtray, she was starting to feel the anger building again in her chest but the weed seemed to be keeping it at bay. She never had issues with another Boss or organization stepping on her toes. It was rare that another family would come after her unless they wanted war. “Organized?”

  Giovanni nodded his head. “I know thats not what you want to hear…”

  She cut him off. “Lets not get ahead of ourselves alright. Lets get one of their men. Find out what they know and we move from there. Alright?”

  “Alright.”

  “You going down to the bar? Your Boy Toy has been hanging around there.” Gio asked.

  “He’s not my boy toy.”

  “Then what is he?”

  “None of your damn business.” She snapped.

  “Cass, you know a guy like him couldn’t last. Not in our world, were not exactly 9-5ers.” She stayed silent picking her blunt back up. “You serious about him, huh? Ready to settle down buy a house pop out a few kids. That’s not the world we live in.”

  “When I want your opinion, I will ask for it.”

  He opened his mouth to speak but she shoot him a glare. He stood from the couch and left, letting the office door close louder than necessary. She finished her blunt and rolled another. While things seemed to be falling together in her personal life they were falling apart in Cosa Nostra. Leo stepped inside the office not bothering to knock. He sat down next to Cassandra. She passed him the blunt, he inhaled twice and then passed it back. They continued like that neither of them saying a word.

  Finally she said. “Do you know what being a Boss is?”

  He shrugged. “Tell me.”

  “It’s babysitting, but instead of children its grown men and sometimes you have to kill them.”

  Leo’s face cracked into a grin, “You’ve never babysat have you?”

  She laughed. “Nope.”

  “I know it doesn’t mean much, but I like your new friend. Clean cut guy but doesn’t seem to take your bullshit.”

  “Hey!” She protested.

  Leo shrugged. “Just saying, your not the easiest person to handle.”

  Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Leo.”

  He nodded and stood up from the chair. “I’m going to make a round but I’ll be following when you leave tonight.”

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  Once Leo left Cassandra decided to go down to the bar. Its funny how only being apart from Andre for just a few hours tugged at her heart. It was like just being in his presence made all the worries and stress disappear for a brief moment. She could easily spot Andre out of the crowd by the way his confidence seemed to radiate off him. It was like everywhere he went he owned the place and no one could bother to correct him. The muscles in his back flexed under his suite jacket as he took a swig of his drink at the bar. The man sitting next to him on the bar stool looked about the size of a football player. Short hair, dressed in dark jeans and a button down shirt. As if feeling her presence the guy turned around and smiled showing his bright white teeth. He then turned around and hit Andre on the shoulder. Andre turned around his eyes full of desire as he scanned her body in the tight dress.

  “Hey.” She said once she reached the bar and stood on the side of Andre. He hooked one arm around her waist keeping her close as he took another swig from his drink.

  “This is Matteo, Matteo, Cassandra.”

  Matteo smiled sticking out his hand. She shook it.

  “So you own this place huh?”

  Cassandra raised her eyebrow at Andre. She didn’t like people to know what businesses she owned or really anything about her but he just shrugged giving nothing away.

  “It appears so, what do you do?” She asked

  “Basically follow this man around and do what he tells me to.”

  “He helps me manage the restaurants, real estate, etc.” Andre explained. Andre pulled out his phone, checking though his emails.

  “Is that a new phone?” She asked noticing the slick black iPhone that had replaced the white one he usually had.

  “Yea the other one broke.”

  “Wasn’t it brand new?”

  He shrugged.

  “So Cass, I can call you Cass right? You know any other attractive women about your height likes to have a good time?” Matteo asked scanning the crowd.

  “Excuse him, he’s a little upset because the assistant he made me hire blew him off.” Andre said.

  “She didn’t blow me off she just had something come up.”

  “She blew you off.” She and Andre said at the same time.

  “You guys don’t understand the dating world is cutthroat.”

  Cassandra smirked. “You know what then lets find you a women tonight.”

  She grabbed his arm pulling him off the bar-stool and dragged him on the dance floor.

  * * *

  Andre watched in awe sipping on his whiskey as Cassandra inserted herself and Matteo into a group of women. It was a odd sight seeing her with a group of other women when she mostly spend her time with men. She seemed to fit right in obviously putting on a show for the sake of Matteo. She looked beautiful tonight with her hair falling in long waves over her back. Her tight dress hugging every curve. She didn’t seem to notice all the eyes that stared at her every night as she walked through the club with her head held high. Most guys were probably intimidated and he wouldn’t blame them Cassandra could be down right scary when she wanted to be but when she wanted to turn that switch off, she did it with ease. Andre watched as she smiled and laughed at something one of the girls said. He had never seen her so carefree in her own club. This is the Cassandra he had fallen in love with. He accepted all parts of her, and the fierceness in her eyes when she got mad turned him on like nothing else but her laughing and enjoying herself right now made him want to scoop her up and take her back to the apartment, never letting her leave.

  10

  Chapter Nine

  Two Weeks Later

  Cassandra’s heels clicked against the concrete floor as she made her way inside the abandoned warehouse. Giovanni had called earlier with some good news and she had dropped everything to rush over to the warehouse. It was located about 20 miles outside the city. No neighbors could hear the screams of the men they tortured and eventually killed. She had given instructions to keep the man alive until she got there. She wanted to hear everything directly from him. It kept things simple. The smell of blood filled her nose as she got closer to the back of the warehouse. The smell usually didn’t bother her but today it was making her nausea. She spotted Giovanni first, leaning against the wall. His usual suit was traded out for a pair of dirty jeans and a black t-shirt. He always wore black
so that the blood stains weren’t so obvious not that it mattered, everything would be burned afterwards. He twirled a pair of pliers in his hand looking like the dominate scary man that was her underboss. He looked up at the sound of her heels coming forward. His face was blank, eyes cold but his lips tipped up in a sadistic smile when he nodded his head towards the young man in the chair. The man was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt similar to Giovanni but compared to Gio’s size this man looked weak and fragile. His head was drooped forward and blood trickled down from his mouth, no doubt a result from the pliers Gio was twirling. His blonde hair fell in front of his forehead Cassandra reached her hand out and grabbed a fistful of his hair. Tilting his head back to get a look at his face. His eyes were barely open he was almost unconscious because of the pain.

  “I found where they kept their supply at. All I had to do was wait for this piece of shit to show up.” Giovanni said.

  “Has he spoke yet?” She asked not taking her eyes off the man..

  “Oh yea, barely had to do anything, I was a little disappointed. I expected to be here for hours.”

  She let go of the man’s hair letting his head droop again. She straightened up and looked at Gio.

  “Are they organized?”

  Giovanni nodded once. The man opened his mouth to speak but before he could Cassandra hooked her heel under the chair and pulled, sending the chair falling to the ground along with the young man. A loud crack sounded as his head his the ground but there was no blood. His eyes flashed opened and his face twisted with pain as tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Giovanni kept quiet as Cassandra circled the chair. She placed her heel at his chest feeling the young mans chest rise and fall, gasping for air.

  “I don’t like torture. Not my thing. I prefer to get what I came for and leave it at that. But this man,” She tilted her head towards Giovanni. “He lives for this shit. I’m aware you have already seen a sneak peak of his potential. I am not above torture but it would be a lot easier for you to tell me what I want to know.”

  The man nodded, his eyes wide open with fear. This was going to be easier then she thought if this really was a organized group this man was new. It usually took hours of torture before a made man would speak.

  “Who do you work for?” She slightly lifted her heel off the man’s chest so he could talk better.

  “I was…a…Hell’s…Angel.”

  “The Hell’s Angels aren’t selling dope in Chicago i’m not stupid and I don’t have time for your games. Gio.”

  Giovanni started to push off the wall and walk towards the man. The man quickly shook his head back and forth.

  “Wait, wait I was a Hell Angel. Not anymore.”

  Cassandra put up her hand. Stopping Giovanni in his tracks. She looked down at the man squinting her eyes. She didn’t know much about the mafia in Canada but she knew there was only two places someone from Hell’s Angel would go either the Westend game or one of the Montreal crime families.

  “Montreal?” She guessed.

  He nodded.

  “Why?”

  “The war just ended in Montreal we lost a lot of business deals.”

  “So you came here thinking you could get some leads, show off to your boss.”

  That would make sense. Many men climbing their way up through the ranks will do something stupid like that. Trying to impress their boss and end up in a stupid situation like this but the man shook his head. She dug her heel deeper into his chest close to breaking the skin. He winced.

  “Talk.”

  “My boss is here and some men. The goal was to team up.” He paused trying to catch his breath. “With you.”

  Cassandra’s eyes narrowed confused by his confession.

  “And your Boss thought that the way to do that was to steal my profits?!” She spat suddenly angry. That’s not how things worked in the organized crime world. Unless you wanted war.

  The man shook his head again. “The plan was you.”

  Cassandra froze heat radiating off her body.

  “What did you say?” She slide her heel up to his throat pressing lightly as a warning, more tears trickled down his cheek.

  “He wanted…to get close…to you.”

  Cassandra kept her face emotionless but inside she felt like she was going to vomit. She couldn’t have prepared herself for what the man said next as he struggled for air.

  “His name is Andre…you know him as Andre…Murphy but he adopted the name Rizzuto several years ago.”

  It was like someone had taken the air out of her lungs. She struggled to breath just as much as the man on the floor beneath her heel. She looked behind her at Giovanni. His face impossible to read but his eyes narrowed. In a flash Cassandra grabbed the gun at her back and shot the man between the eyes. The gunshot echoed off the walls as blood splatted over her legs and dress. She couldn’t even begin to care about the corpse laying on the ground eyes wide open. She knew when the truth settled in it would hurt. It would rip her apart and cause the heartbreak that she had tried so long to avoid but right now all she felt was rage. At herself for being so stupid and at the man who was smart enough to trick her. He fooled her and she fell for it. She had spent her whole life being groomed for this life and one man was able to snake around her and steal her money. While he slept peacefully in her bed, unworried about her finding out the truth, today that would change. Giovanni cleared his throat bringing her out of her daze.

  “Clean this up, I’ll take care of the rest.” She said turning on her heels she left the warehouse and climbed into the backseat of the SUV.

  * * *

  By the time Leo pulled up to her parents house her hands were shaking with anger .The long drive had given her time to think which was the worst possible thing for her right now. She hated to feel betrayed and to think that Andre was the reason Calvin died on the streets. She couldn’t think that way she knew soon all her anger would be directed at the person who deserved it. The man that had laid in her bed while she slept soundlessly. He was stealing money from her pockets and killing her men. He had the nerve to comfort her the night Calvin died and act like he had no idea what happened. She had been fooled, but when she got back to the apartment tonight she would make a spectacle out of him. Maybe it was time to remind people why she was the Boss. She knew people feared her but obviously not enough. She didn’t bother to knock as she walked into her parents house and swiftly made her way up the stairs to her fathers office. Leo was silent during the car ride. Probably feeling the anger radiating off of her but his curiosity had gotten the best of him as he followed behind her. She barged into the office. The door slammed against the wall. Her father sat with a folder in the middle of the desk waiting for her. She couldn’t bring herself to pick it up she knew what it would contain. Instead she paced.

  “You told me papa, you told me! Over and over you told me not to let any man be my weakness and what did I do? I let a snake crawl into my bed and fuck with my head while he went out and killed my men! He killed Calvin. He stole from me, he was trying to use me to make money for Montreal.”

  Her father nodded once towards the chair but she was too angry to sit now she wanted to run all the way back to the apartment and put a bullet through Andre.

  “You told me he was OK. You gave me the green light!” She spat.

  Her fathers eyes narrowed on her, his face cold. It was quite frightening how in a instant he could change from her loving father to the man who ruled the mob for many years. She had seen the face of the mob Boss many times over the years as he groomed her for this life.

  “Stop your pacing, sit down and read the damn file. You’re being emotional and thats what got you here in the first place.”

  Her heart dropped to her stomach because his words were true. She had let her guard down. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes trying to calm herself down. Her father was right. She needed to think and she couldn’t when all she seen was red. What had this man done to her? She didn’t freak out like this. That’s
what made her such a good Boss. Yet here she was a total mess. Sighing she sank down into the chair across from her father. He pushed the manila folder towards her. She didn’t want to pick it up. This folder would tell her things about a different Andre. One she did not know, one that had manipulated her and but a bullet through Calvin, even if he didn’t do it personally. When she didn’t move to touch the folder her father sighed pinching the bridge of his nose trying to be patient.

  “His name is Andre Rizzuto a part of the Rizzuto crime family. Not born into but worked his way up. He started in the West End Gang. He was known to be a big earner. Made the gang thousands and when he became part of the Rizzuto family he turned that into millions. The boss at the time Jon Rizzuto treated him like a son. Andre isn’t know to be a killer but he is known for his brutal ways. More likely to play with your head. Made a man cut his own arm off once telling him he would be forgiven if he did so. One week later he put a bullet through him. A war broke out last year. Jon Rizzuto died. The FEDS believed that was the end of it, but Andre stepped up. He made an agreement that ended the war and came over here to find more ways to make money. Some stuff was true about him. He really did graduate with a business management degree and owns all the real estate and restaurants.The Montreal gang is keeping a low profile right now no killings in a couple months just gambling it seems like.”

  “When did you find all this out.” She asked.

  “Last week, I never stopped looking into him.”

  “And you decided to tell me just now?” She felt like a child again. Her father was always trying to teach her life lessons in the most cruel ways.

  “You needed to figure it out on your own.”

  Cassandra stayed silent letting everything sink in. Her heart broke in a thousand pieces but she knew what she had to do. It was simple she had to kill Andre. She had to show everyone that a snake can not crawl into the bed of a Boss. Especially since she was a women, men already doubted her emotional well being. She had killed many men some that didn’t deserve it but she knew this would be difficult but necessary. She said nothing to her father as she stood up, ready to end this. It would hurt so bad but she would grieve and move on. She had worked too hard for this to turn back now.