Milo stood there for what seemed like forever, trembling. His face was pale.
Salvatore stood a few feet away, his hands in his pockets. He didn't look angry, but he looked so bored.
He was waiting for Milo to make a choice. Could Milo pass the test? He didn't mind taking him along and training him, but he needed to make sure Milo would be useful to him.
And he waited for what felt like an eternity.
Milo just stood there.
Salvatore gave him time. He understood the weight of the situation. When he went through it for the first time, it was hard too.
But he wasn't as weak as Milo was right now.
Next to him, Joe stood with his arms crossed. Joe's face was hard. He looked at Milo with pure annoyance. His patience was thin. He looked at Milo as if he were a waste of time, like a piece of trash that needed to be thrown away.
Milo gulped. He looked at the two men in front of him. They looked miserable, trapped. They were looking at him, begging with their eyes for him to put the gun down.
Milo looked back at Salvatore. He wanted to see if the man was joking. He wanted to see if this was just a trick to test his courage.
But Salvatore's eyes were steady and dark. He was serious. He really wanted Milo to pull the trigger.
"Do it," Salvatore said. His voice was calm.
Milo, trembling, tried to lift his arm higher. He tried to aim at the man on the left. But the more he looked at the man's face, the more he wanted to cry.
He could see their skin was gray, pale. He knew they were going to die soon, but he didn't want to be the reason. He didn't want to kill them.
God, please, help me... Milo prayed in his heart.
"Milo," Salvatore reminded him that he was waiting.
Milo took a deep breath. He tried. But...
"Sir... they... they're scared," Milo said, on the verge of tears. His voice was breaking.
"Of course they are." Salvatore sighed.
He checked his watch. "I don't have time for this, Milo. Either you shoot them or leave."
Milo took a deep breath. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second and then opened them. He tried to lock his elbow. He tried to find the strength to pull the trigger.
Milo... you can...
Salvatore looked at him with a small nod, appearing relieved that the young man was finally going to do it.
But then, Milo's arm dropped, making Salvatore sigh in frustration.
"Ahh... I... I can't," Milo said. He started to sob. His whole body was shaking violently. He looked down at the gun as if it were a failure.
He had failed.
Salvatore walked closer. He stood right in front of Milo. "Why? You just need to pull the trigger. It's simple. You move one finger, and it's done!"
It wasn't that easy, Milo thought. How easy it was for that man to talk.
Milo wiped his tears. "They... they're crying," Milo said softly.
"Seriously, why do you need to care about people who are going to die?" snapped Salvatore.
Joe let out a loud sigh. It made Milo flinch. He looked at Salvatore and shook his head. "What do you expect? Do you want to risk him telling everyone?"
Salvatore didn't look at Joe. "Who's going to care what he says?"
He looked back at Milo. "So, are you giving up?"
Milo was still trembling. His hands felt like ice. He hated the thought of Nero. He hated that mansion, everything in it. But he looked at the two men in front of him.
He couldn't kill them.
He just couldn't.
"I'm sorry… I can't do this," Milo sobbed.
Salvatore clicked his tongue and reached out to grab the gun from Milo's hand. He pointed it at the men.
But before he could pull the trigger, Milo grabbed Salvatore's arm.
"Sir, sir, wait!" Milo cried.
Salvatore stopped. He looked at Milo's hand on his arm and then at Milo's face. "What?"
Milo swallowed hard. He looked at the men, trying to find a way to save them, or at least a way not to see them die.
"Please, can't you ask them again?" Milo asked. "I'm sure they'll give you anything you want. They don't want to die, I'm sure. Could you give them one more chance?"
Salvatore let out a short, dry laugh. "Oh, you poor thing. How are you still alive in this world with a heart like that? Do you really think they don't deserve to die?"
Milo swallowed. "I think... I think no one deserves to be killed like this. They're tied up and can't fight back."
Salvatore looked at Milo for a long time, hopelessly.
"When you face life and death every day, you'll never think that way again," Salvatore said.
He looked at Milo seriously. "Not everything that looks innocent deserves your pity. If they're paid to kill you, they'll do it without a second thought or any mercy. If you let them go today, they'll try to kill you another day."
Milo looked down. He just didn't understand why people needed to kill each other. Then he looked back at Salvatore again.
He was determined to give them a chance. He didn't want to believe that the world was full of nothing but killers.
Salvatore smirked. It was a cold, cruel expression. "Fine. Joe, take the tape off their mouths."
Joe walked over and ripped the silver tape off the men's mouths.
Immediately, the two men started screaming and begging.
"Please! Don't kill me! I've told you everything! I swear!" the first man yelled. His face was covered in tears and snot.
"I have a kid! Please don't kill me! I beg you, Salvatore! I'll pay you back! I'll do anything!" the second man cried out.
Salvatore stood over them. He looked down at them with a blank expression. "Both of you tried to plant a bomb in my car. I know you have information about where that bastard Macron is hiding. And yet, you've spent hours pretending you know nothing. Do you still prefer to die for a man who isn't here to save you?"
Both men shook their heads frantically. "I don't know where Macron is! Please trust me! He doesn't tell us anything! We're just drivers! Please!"
Salvatore clicked his tongue. He looked at Milo for a split second, then back at the men.
"Fuck off," Salvatore said.
In one swift motion, Salvatore pulled the trigger. Before Milo could even blink, a series of loud gunshots filled the garden.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blood splattered onto the grass and onto the white stone wall. The sound was so loud that Milo's ears started ringing.
He fell back against the wall. "What?!"
It happened too fast. He didn't even have time to catch his breath.
When he finally opened his eyes and looked, the two men were lying on the ground, covered in blood soaking into the green grass.
The man who said he had a child was lying with his eyes open, staring at nothing.
Milo felt a wave of nausea hit him. His stomach churned. His heart pounded fast. His head started to spin.
They were dead.
Salvatore had killed them.
After a moment, he felt a deep, sudden sadness. They were dying, what about their families?
But what could he do? He didn't even know how to control himself. He was shaking so hard he couldn't stand up. He scrambled backward on his hands and knees, unable to look at the bodies.
He had just witnessed a murder. A real, cold-blooded murder.
Salvatore didn't even look at the bodies. He wiped a small drop of blood off his cheek with the back of his hand.
"Clear them," Salvatore ordered Joe.
Joe nodded and signaled to some guards. They came over with black plastic bags.
Salvatore turned and walked back toward the mansion. He didn't look at Milo. He didn't say anything else. He just walked away.
Milo wanted to sit down and cry, but the sight of the guards handling the bodies made him move.
He stood up on his trembling legs and ran after Salvatore.
"Sir..." Milo called out as he reached the hallway.
Salvatore stopped and turned. "What?"
Milo looked at him. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what. He had failed the test. He couldn't kill.
Milo looked at Salvatore's shoes, then at his calm face.
The thought of Nero Hartley made his body tremble even more.
But at this point, he didn't know which was worse, Nero or Salvatore. Both of them were monsters.
"I… I…" Milo stammered.
"Go back to your room," Salvatore said.
Salvatore walked away, leaving Milo alone in the hall.
Milo knew he would return to the Hartley mansion later that night. He had resigned himself to it because he was too weak to be of any use to Salvatore.
But still, he wasn't ready to go back.