“A murder took place not too long ago.”
“The victim was a horribly naive individual that wanted so desperately to be a hero, to do the right thing and bring criminals to justice. Unfortunately, they flew too close to the sun.”
“For whatever reason, those they wished to bring to justice weren’t just two-bit crooks. No, it was the Carelli family.”
“Their bravado outweighed their common sense. They wanted to strike the beast head on instead of asking for assistance from the police or yours truly.”
“As a result, they were beaten to a bloody pulp. Dragged from their residence to a discreet location, they made sure to plug the leak before it turned into a flood.”
“Their face? Unrecognizable. The only way you could tell who they were was by the clothes they were wearing at the time. The people responsible for the killing? Escaped. Only one capo was caught and they wouldn’t snitch on their family members.”
“I couldn’t be there to save the manager that day. He stabbed the family in the back and he paid the ultimate price for it. I guess karma has a funny sense of what justice is.”
“Now tell me, Candy, did you think that tale was a warning about your upcoming fate if you mess with Gino? Or were you able to deduce that I was talking about the bar manager the whole time?”
“If you really are the great detective you pride yourself as, you should’ve been able to connect the dots from the very start. However, your pride blinds you from seeing things as clear as day.”
“You’re unable to place yourself into the shoes of someone who failed, like the manager. You must view yourself as a champion, or else the whole illusion dissolves into nothing.”
“I don’t believe you when you say you’re unafraid of Arcadia’s underbelly. Everyone who values their life and safety does. I told you exactly what the Carelli’s did to the poor sap that was too brave to back down, I don’t want you suffering that fate as well.”
“Yet you continue to play with fire. You keep trying to track down that loose thread that Gino and his goons have more than likely long since tightened up. Now you’re in danger of ending up like me. All because you can’t imagine what it’s like to fail.”
“Perhaps the only way to show you how fucked you are is by acting like a Carelli myself.”
“When you meet me at my former home, I’m going to beat you just as badly as they beat the manager at his own bar. You’ll be left bloody and unrecognizable, but not dead. I’m not going to kill you, Candy. It’d be counterintuitive to my goal.”
“I need the message to get through to you and everyone else that wants to take down someone above their league. I need you to promise that when I’m done, you won’t go near that open flame anymore.”
“Otherwise, you might just get burned.”