UPON ELIJAH'S ARRIVAL at the place where Lorenzo had brought Vittorio Mancini, he was immediately greeted by Taddeo and Vito, who were waiting for his arrival outside a small hut nestled in the overgrown part of the forest where they currently were.
"Mancini has been waiting for your arrival for a while, Il Capo," Taddeo said as Elijah walked straight into the hut, followed by Taddeo and Vito.
Inside, Elijah found Lorenzo and Casimiro. Elijah's gaze fell upon Vittorio Mancini, who was tied to a wooden chair, bloody and unconscious.
"He's still alive, Il Capo. He lost consciousness due to Penecarte the Second's persuasion," Lorenzo said.
"Wake him up," Elijah commanded coldly. Casimiro picked up a small bucket of water and, without hesitation, splashed it onto Mancini's face, rousing him from his unconscious state.
They heard his faint groan, and as he fully woke up, Mancini slowly looked up at Elijah, who stood before him.
"How's your day, Mancini? Long time no see, isn't it? The last time we met was when I declined your request to be part of my organization, am I right?" Elijah stated emotionlessly, his gaze fixed on Mancini, whose appearance clearly showed the torture he had endured from Casimiro.
"E-Elijah Pe-Penelton..."
"I came here personally to commend you because you made someone in my own fucking territory spy on me, something I didn't even notice. You played me for so long with that. How was it, Mancini? Did you enjoy watching me being fooled by one of your minions?" Elijah asked, his expression unwavering, yet Mancini managed a smirk.
"I enjoyed it very well, seeing you being fooled for years by Clemente was worth watching, Penelton. I'm delighted to see a Penelton clueless about how your enemies know all your plans or destinations. Who would have thought that the admired and feared figure in the mafia world could be toyed with—" Mancini couldn't finish his sentence as Elijah's hand clamped tightly around his neck in an instant.
"You may have fooled me for years with a fucking mole you put in my company, but what you fing did has consequences you need to pay."
"Ki-Kill m-me a-and my brother won't sit still if he finds out that you kill me..." Mancini gasped with difficulty, his eyes meeting Elijah's cold gaze.
"You think I'm fucking scared because you have a fucking brother who sits in a governor's position? I will deliver your corpse to him personally if you want," Elijah stated. Mancini was struggling to breathe due to Elijah's suffocating grip.
"You didn't just send a mole to my company; you were even planning to use my wife against me. Do anything you want, but leave my wife and daughter alone, Mancini. But you had no fear and still planned to use them. Killing you easily won't ease my fucking anger towards you," Elijah said, finally releasing Mancini, who immediately gasped for air and coughed.
"Casimiro, give me your gun," Elijah commanded plainly. Casimiro immediately pulled out his gun and handed it to Elijah.
"Your mole named Clemente is dead as of now and taking a trip to hell. I gave him a painless death, lucky isn't it? You don't deserve a painless death, Mancini; I want to see you in fucking pain," Elijah said, pressing the muzzle of Casimiro's gun, which he held, against Mancini's right thigh.
"Do you think I'll beg you just because you'll torture me before killing me? Do what you want, Penelton, but remember this: I'm not your only enemy. He came back to get revenge against you and Senza Pietá," Mancini said with a smirk at Elijah.
"Who?"
"Why would I tell you—ahhhhhh!" Mancini's loud scream filled the hut, echoing through the forest, followed by the deafening sound of a gunshot.
Pain was evident on Mancini's face as Elijah shot him in the leg, yet he could do nothing as he was tied up. Lorenzo and his men merely watched what Elijah would do next as he aimed the gun's muzzle inside Mancini's mouth.
"I don't care if I have enemies other than you, or if some asshole came back for me; I care no fucking less," Elijah said coldly. As he pulled the trigger, Mancini's life was extinguished as the bullet passed through the back of his head.
Lorenzo and his men were accustomed to Elijah's bloody killings, yet they were always in awe of his methods.
"You killed him immediately, Il Capo? You said you would torture him first?" Taddeo asked. Elijah tossed the gun back to Casimiro, who caught it instantly.
"I lost my patience," Elijah replied plainly, walking out of the hut, followed by the four men.
"Should we bury Mancini here, or should we deliver his body to Governor Mancini's doorstep?" Lorenzo asked.
"Burn his body and put it in a jar; give the governor a chance to grieve his fucktard brother," Elijah commanded. Vito approached him.
"Aren't you concerned about Mancini's last words?" Vito asked. Elijah gave him a blank look.
"Do you think I care whoever the fucking bastard he said that comes back to have his revenge towards us?" Elijah countered Vito as his phone rang.
When Elijah took his phone from his pants pocket, an unknown number was calling him. He didn't give his number to anyone; only Samara could call his private phone.
Elijah had a strange feeling about the unknown number, so he didn't hesitate and answered the call. Yet, Elijah didn't speak; he waited for the person on the other line to speak first.
"Elijah Penelton, you never fail my expectations. How's Mancini? Did you already kill him?"
Elijah couldn't recognize the voice of the caller, especially since he knew they were using a voice changer so he wouldn't recognize them.
"Hiding yourself in a fucking voice changer, afraid I might recognize you?" Elijah stated coldly, while Lorenzo and his men listened to him.
"Aren't you going to ask how I got your phone number?"
"What for? You already called me."
"You're still arrogant, Penelton, but that arrogance will be the fuse for your death and the destruction of the entire Senza Pietá."
"Are you trying to scare me? Just don't warn me with words because it won't affect me," Elijah replied, making the caller on the other end laugh.
"I know words won't affect you, Penelton, so I resorted to actions. Cortez, I mean your wife, is still the same even after she married you. She still showed her fierce side even after she survived a rain of bullets covering her shop."
Elijah froze when the caller mentioned his wife's maiden surname, Samara.
"You did what to my wife's shop?" Elijah asked emotionlessly.
"Why don't you just go to your wife? I'm sure she's busy cleaning her shop, wrecked by my men's bullets," Elijah's caller said until he disconnected the call.
"Who called you, Il Capo—" Lorenzo couldn't finish his question to Elijah as he quickly ran to his car and sped away from the area, leaving Lorenzo and his men puzzled.
"What happened to Il Capo? Why did he suddenly leave in such a hurry?" Taddeo asked, bewildered.
"I think something happened to Samara," Vito said.
"How do you know, Benitez?" Taddeo asked with a furrowed brow.
"There's only one person who can make our Il Capo wear and show his worried expression. Let's finish burning Mancini's body and follow him," Casimiro stated seriously, returning to the hut.
"Who called Il Capo? They managed to scare our leader," Lorenzo commented. As much as they wanted to follow Elijah immediately, they first needed to complete what Elijah had instructed them to do with Mancini's body.