Wrong Place, Wrong Time (The Criminal Connections Book 1)

Chapter 2

Malcolm "The Smile" Fiorelli

This chair is a pain in my fucking ass, quite literally. Though I find this whole predicament quite amusing, this chair is really fucking with my mojo. Thank fuck I wasn't taken alone, I would have been bored to death by now. Scarface, the angry fucker, is one of my favorite lunatics out there, even if his "people approaching" skills are questionable. The poor little girl looked scared out of her mind when Scarface addressed her, much to my amusement.

An unfamiliar feeling of concern tickles the back of my mind when they haul her out of the room. I know from experience it's safer here than out there with them.

"Wonder what they'll use her for when they realize she's not with us." Scarface wonders out loud, still looking at the door. "This could be some elaborate scam to test our empathy for children, maybe she's actually with them." He might be a raging lunatic, but he does have his smart moments. A snort comes out of Isaac, who's currently tied to a wooden pole.

"Damn, didn't expect there to be space for logical thinking in that angry head of yours." Isaac flashes his pearly white teeth, looking thoroughly impressed. Scarface clenches his jaw. If he wasn't tied up at the moment, he definitely would have knocked a few of Isaac's teeth out and that would be the beginning of a war. Isaac loves his teeth, he's got an unhealthy obsession with those pearly whites growing in people's mouths. Rumor says he collects them. I've never had the chance to ask him myself.

"Thanks for the backhanded compliment, dickhead."

"You're very welcome, my love. Nico, anything to add?" Isaac pulls Nico into the conversation, but he just shrugs his shoulders, looking uninterested. Nico is not much of a talker. Some may say that the cat's got his tongue. I cut the bickering off with a smile and a laugh and add; "Nah, I saw her outside the hotel with her big suitcase. It doesn't look like she belongs here. Besides, she looked petrified and absolutely flabbergasted when she was eyeing us down."

"Who the actual fuck uses words like 'flabbergasted' you old fuck?" I almost forgot how opinionated Scarface is, but he only makes me smile harder.

"We're the same age, Damiano." I use his actual name, knowing it'll piss him off. His dad always used his first name, and he was a proper cunt, not that I'm much better myself, but the kid's got daddy issues now - so what better way to push his buttons?

"Shut the fuck up." He growls at me. My smile widens even further, mission accomplished.

"Back to the girl, you think they'd hurt a kid? She doesn't look older than twelve." The concern leaks into my voice and I clear my throat.

"Are you going soft, old man?" Damiano smirks at me, the fucker sees right through me. I shrug halfheartedly.

"She's just a kid. I haven't been in a situation like this with one before. If they're going to do half the things they usually do to us, to her, I don't think they'll let her live very long when they figure out she really isn't with us and knows nothing." Damianos smirk falters a bit, I know he's thinking back to when his younger sister was killed in practically the same situation. He is a big softie behind all that anger, he just doesn't realize it yet. The anger in his eyes returns as suddenly as it faltered.

"The fuck are you thinking so hard about, tooth fairy?" He spits at Isaac. Healthy coping mechanism, check.

"I thought you'd never ask, love. Let's make them continue to think she's with us. As long as they look at her as the weakest link and they think she knows something of value to them, they won't kill her, don't you agree, Nico?" Nico rewards him with a rare grunt of approval.

"Besides, her teeth are gorgeous, that's enough for me to want her to live, I need to know which toothpaste she uses." They obviously don't call Isaac 'The Dentist' for nothing, always thinking about teeth.

"Sounds fun, I'm in." I add. I look towards Scarface and quirk my eyebrow at him.

"Fucking fine, but if she turns out to be one of them, I'll kill her myself. I don't give a fuck that she's a kid." He spits out angrily.

"Attaboy." I send him a wink and a broad smile.