Part 46 (2/2)

”Someone whose death will ensure this war finally gets started and goes all the way, until both families are destroyed.” The priest said, ”This morning, I paid a condolence call on Danny Dapezzo's boss.”

I drew in a sharp breath. ”You stole Don Carmine Corvino's lighter?”

”And when the Corvino boss dies,” Buonarotti said, gloating, ”the family will go apes.h.i.+t.”

”The war will commence,” Max said grimly.

”Nothing can stop it,” Father Gabriel said with satisfaction. ”Not if the don is murdered. The family will blame the Gambellos, and they'll do anything to destroy them then, even if it leads to their own destruction.” He shrugged. ”That's just how these people are.”

”No!” I said. ”You've got to stop! You've got to stop now! now!”

”Be quiet!” the priest said.

”So far, only wiseguys have died,” said. ”But if you go through with this, innocent people will die, too.”

”Shut the f.u.c.k up,” Buonarotti said.

”Sooner or later, it'll happen! Gabriel, listen to me!” I cried. ”How can you do this?”

”I'm ent.i.tled,” he said.

”Ent.i.tled?”

”Yes,” he said reasonably. ”I lost my father in childhood and no one ever punished his killer.”

”He should have chosen a different profession!” I snapped. ”You demented demented, warped, bloodthirsty, craven-”

Buonarotti hit Max. Max fell on the floor, and the mobster kicked him. Max groaned and lay there in a daze.

”What are you doing?” I shouted.

”I told you to shut up. You keep talking,” Buonarotti said, ”and I'll break the old guy's ribs.”

I stared at him in mute horror.

Buonarotti said to the priest, ”That's how you make a broad shut up, genius.” how you make a broad shut up, genius.”

Father Gabriel looked distressed. He said to Buonarotti, ”That was unnecessary.”

”You're the one b.i.t.c.hing about how all her yapping gives you a headache.” The mobster grimaced. ”Now I'm getting one, too.” the one b.i.t.c.hing about how all her yapping gives you a headache.” The mobster grimaced. ”Now I'm getting one, too.”

Gabriel gave himself a shake. ”I've got to finish my work.” He nodded at Max's p.r.o.ne body. ”Get him out of here.”

”What should I do with him?”

”Kill him, of course,” the priest said dismissively.

”What?” I blurted. ”No!” I blurted. ”No!”

Buonarotti pointed the gun at Max. My throat constricted. Nelli crouched low on her haunches, growling.

”Not here here,” Gabriel said irritably. ”You know how I feel about violence. Take him somewhere to do it. The dog, too.”

”How am I gonna take a vicious dog somewhere?”

”Oh, all right,” said the priest, as if dealing with an annoying administrative problem. ”You can shoot the dog here, but then you've got to remove its body.”

”Are you kidding me?” Buonarotti said. ”This dog weighs more than the old guy does!”

”These kinds of problems are your department, not mine,” said Father Gabriel in exasperation. ”So think of something.”

”What do we do about the broad?”

”We keep her alive for now. Leverage against the cop.”

”Oh. Right.”

”Tie her up before you go,” Gabriel said.

”No,” I said automatically, backing away as Buonarotti took a step toward me. I said automatically, backing away as Buonarotti took a step toward me.

Nelli barked and moved toward him. He pointed the gun at her. A shot went off, the sound exploding through the room. I screamed Nelli's name . . . and was surprised to see Buonarotti flinch and whirl to point his gun at the door-just as Lucky came flying into the room, gun in hand, his painted face contorted in a snarl of predatory rage as he launched himself at Buonarotti.

There was a cloud of feathers in Lucky's short gray hair and a dusting of dirt on his clothes. Souvenirs, I figured, of his recently decapitated doppelgangster. He flew across the room and hit Buonarotti with such force that their bodies careened into Nelli, who got knocked into the altar.

”No!” the priest cried, as feathers, dirt, and chicken blood flew all over the place. A candle toppled over and went out. Two facing mirrors fell against each other with a cras.h.i.+ng sound and broke. Rising to her feet, Nelli cut her paw severely on a piece of broken gla.s.s and yelped as Lucky and Buonarotti, locked in mortal combat, rolled on the floor nearby, trying to kill each other.

Nelli limped over to me, trailing blood, and I looked at her paw. Lucky and Buonarotti rolled into us. Lucky's foot shot out and inadvertently kicked my arm.

”Ow!”

On the other side of the men's tangled, writhing fight, Max dragged himself across the floor to the altar. He pulled a large silver amulet out of his pocket, and laid it at the base of the altar.

”No!” Father Gabriel cried.

I saw the priest reach for his ax. ”Watch out, Max!” Max looked up and rolled away just in time to avoid the blade of the ax, which Gabriel brought down with enough force to suggest that he was learning to overcome his aversion to killing his victims with his own two hands.

Buonarotti and Lucky were kicking and flailing, rolling all over the floor between me and Gabriel. Nelli and I were trying to get around them, but they were moving too fast and violently. Nelli was hampered by her injured foot, and I was hampered by not being able to levitate.

Gabriel raised the ax again. I screamed. Max raised a hand and uttered a hoa.r.s.e command, better prepared for this blow than the first one. The ax froze in mid-strike, and Gabriel cried out in pain, dropping it.

Buonarotti kicked Lucky in the face. The old hit man fell backward and his gun flew out of his hand. Buonarotti climbed to his feet, nose bleeding, and pointed his gun at his foe.

”No!” I screamed. Everything in the room came to an abrupt standstill. I screamed. Everything in the room came to an abrupt standstill.

”Good-bye, Lucky.” Buonarotti pulled the trigger.

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