The Santini Vendetta

by Christopher Fox

  Another shot and someone hit the floor. Footsteps approached the boiler room.

  This is it, Kyle thought as he watched the door knob turn. He tried another frantic attempt to free himself from the cable ties, to no avail. The door swung open; a gun appeared; a man stepped through, pointing the gun at Kyle.

  Twelve

  Kyle awaited the shot that didn’t come. He looked up at the gunman astonished.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Kyle asked.

  “Good to see you too,” said Alberto.

  “I thought you were still in Costa Rica,” Kyle said, a look of bewilderment on his face.

  Alberto pulled a knife from his pocket, cut the ties and said, “As I said, we were held up at the airport because our names were on a no-fly list to the States. Probably one of Lorenzo’s connections, and they said it could take several days to sort out. So Ruben and I flew to Toronto yesterday, picked up a car and drove here. It was supposed to be an eight-hour drive, but the weather was so bad it took us closer to twelve. We had a few errands to do, and I was concerned that we wouldn’t get here before Lorenzo’s deadline later today.”

  “Great to see you,” Kyle said. “I was on my way out of here with Carmen earlier, but one of their goons stopped me and shoved us back down here. We would be dead if you hadn't shown up.”

  “OK,” said Alberto, “Let’s get the hell out of here. It’s a blizzard out there right now, and someone may have reported gunfire.”

  Kyle grabbed his parka, followed Alberto out of the room and met Ruben and Carmen in the corridor.

  “Check it out,” Alberto said to Ruben, gesturing to the stairs. Ruben climbed the stairs and peered around the door.

  “Clear,” he said.

  The three of them scaled the stairs and stepped into the ground floor corridor. A man lay in a pool of blood and Kyle could see it was Danny.

  “There’s my suitcase,” Carmen said, pointing to a small case sitting on the floor in the front foyer. Alberto picked it up, then they went into the kitchen where Vino lay sprawled on the floor, again in a pool of blood. Willy lay beside him with his head on Vino’s chest–must have been his dog.

  “Sorry about that Willy,” Kyle said as he stooped down and patted the dog on the head. Kyle donned his Mukluks and followed the others through the door.

  “Where are you parked?” asked Kyle.

  “Just behind a blue Explorer, which I presumed was yours.”

  “It is,” said Kyle.

  They stepped into the blizzard, slogging their way through the deepening snow. Only Kyle had snow boots on with Alberto and Ruben in sneakers. Carmen had low boots, but the snow came over the top. Alberto had to carry Carmen’s case because even with wheels, he would have to drag it through the snow.

  “What the hell’s in here?” Alberto complained as he stopped and laid the case down. Ruben picked it up and they continued their trek.

  Kyle used his remote to unlock the car and helped Carmen into the back seat, then opened the rear to allow Ruben to deposit her case there.

  “I’ll take her back to my hotel and get her a room so she can clean up. What are you guys going to do?”

  “We’re going after Lorenzo,” said Alberto. Carmen heard him through the open door.

  “Alberto,” she said. “This is crazy. It will never stop. You’re both going to get yourselves killed.”

  “She’s right,” said Kyle. “Lorenzo has a 24-hour security team around him wherever he goes. How do you think you will get close enough to him to kill him?”

  “I have a plan,” said Alberto. “Remember the expression, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I have teamed up with one of Santini’s enemies and will get the weapons I need to take him out.”

  “If you’re going to do that, then I’m coming with you,” said Kyle. “If it wasn’t for you, I would be a dead man now.”

  “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t even be in this mess,” replied Alberto.

  There was truth to that, Kyle thought.

  “I don’t care, I’m coming with you.”

  “OK, if you insist.”

  “Let’s go back to my hotel,” Kyle said. “We can clean up and get Carmen her room.”

  “You guys are crazy,” said Carmen. “Just a bunch of testosterone-filled adventure junkies. You’re all going to get yourselves killed.”

  “We can look after ourselves,” said Alberto smiling and closing the door.

  “Follow me,” Kyle said as he got in the driver’s side and started the engine. It took a few minutes to remove the piles of snow that had accumulated on the car. Thankfully, there was a snow brush to help him whisk away the powdery white substance. He waited for the engine to warm so the heater would keep the snow off the windshield. Alberto and Ruben had also rented an all-wheel drive vehicle and fell in behind Kyle as he made tracks in the deepening snow.

  Kyle pulled into the underground parking of the hotel and Alberto found a spot at the front. Kyle assisted Carmen from the car, grabbed her case and took the elevator to the ground floor where he approached the reservations desk. He booked a room for Carmen and invited everyone to his room.

  “I think I will go to my room,” Carmen said. “It has been quite a day.”

  “Sure,” said Alberto and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Carmen came over to Kyle and gave him a big hug, then kissed him on the cheek.

  “Gracias,” she said.

  “De nada,” Kyle responded.

  The three men retired to Kyle’s room, and they sat to discuss Alberto’s plan. Kyle sat in the chair while Alberto and Ruben sat on one of the queen beds.

  “So,” said Kyle. “Who is Santini's enemy who is your friend?”

  “One of Lorenzo’s arch enemies is Luciano Pellini, another mob family. They have been at loggerheads for years over disputed territory and operation areas. Every so often, when one family wrongs the other, it starts the feud all over. At the moment, Luke is really pissed at Lorenzo over a girl he allegedly stole from one of Luke’s nightclubs to work in one of Lorenzo’s. Lorenzo says she came willingly and applied for a job but Luke knows they hold something over the girl’s family.”

  “How does this help you?” Kyle asked.

  “He likes the idea that someone not involved with his family wants to take out Lorenzo, so he has agreed to provide us with the arsenal of weapons I need to rid the world once and for all of Lorenzo Santini.”

  “How, exactly, do you plan to do this?” Kyle persisted. “A security detail is around him at all times.”

  “We just make sure we are better armed than the security detail. We have procured MP5 machine guns and Sig Sauer 226 pistols, along with plenty of spare magazines. I have also got two grenade launchers…”

  “Grenade launchers?” Kyle interrupted.

  “Yes, grenade launchers. I intend to fire grenades into his house tonight and burn the son of a bitch out, then shoot the bastard.”

  “Have you reconnoitred the property yet?”

  “I’ve only looked at it from Google maps so far. It is a large house on about an acre of property on the lake shore. Looks like a gate surrounds the perimeter with a gate house. I got info from Luke about the security set-up. They have two guys 24/7 in the gate house. Luke estimates he has at least five security people inside the house at all times. His limo is bullet-proof, and he always travels with one car in front and one behind; two men in each with automatic weapons. Not a good idea to attack him on the road, so I thought his house would be the best option.

  “We take the men in the guard hut and use a Semtex charge on the gate if we can’t open it. Sometimes, you can only open security gates from inside the house. This will alert the guards inside the house and they will take up defensive positions. Originally, Ruben and I were planning to take the front and the back, but with you added to the mix, we can cover more of the house. We will use
the AK-74 with the GP-25 grenade launcher attached, loaded with incendiary grenades. We will pump several grenades through the windows and wait until people come out.”

  “Sounds like a reasonable plan,” said Kyle, "but you can get a better look at the property using an iPad's map function." He pulled out his iPad and selected the map icon, then keyed in the address. An aerial view of the property loaded and Kyle selected the '3D' feature and the view went to a three-dimensional view of the property. Pinching the screen and moving his fingers from side to side, they saw the house and surrounding area as if circling with a helicopter. It showed the front gatehouse and surrounding fence, including the boathouse and gates facing the shore.

  "Neat," Alberto said, amazed at the ability to see this kind of detail without leaving your house.

  "Comes in handy often, but doesn't work everywhere," Kyle said.

  Alberto continued, “We expect Lorenzo to make a run for it in the limo. A couple of grenades pumped into the engine should stop it. I also have a clip of armour-piercing shells for the AK to penetrate the bullet-proof glass.”

  “Sounds like you have all the bases covered,” said Kyle. “What about police response?”

  Ruben said, “Normal response time, according to Luke, is about ten minutes, depending where the nearest patrol car is. That could be an issue, but if only one car shows up initially, we should be able to pin him down before reinforcements arrive.”

  “Will we know for certain if Lorenzo is there?” Kyle asked.

  “According to Luke, he should be,” said Alberto. “One of his guys is tailing him and will confirm he is there.”

  Kyle looked at his watch; it was 5:14 a.m.

  “Let's get some sleep before heading out tonight,” Kyle said. “Doubt you guys have had much shut-eye over the last few days.”

  “No,” Alberto said, “we haven’t. We’ll head back to our hotel and grab some sleep and meet up again tonight. I want to get my mamá on a plane to Costa Rica later today if I can and also take a drive by the property.”

  “Sounds good,” said Kyle. “Call me when you’re ready. I think you need to buy more appropriate clothing.”

  “Right,” said Alberto as he walked out the door, Ruben behind him.

  * * * *

  Kyle laid down and closed his eyes for a while. He wanted to call home, but it was too early, especially considering the one-hour time difference. He napped for about two hours and woke up at 7:50 a.m., then proceeded downstairs and took advantage of the hotel’s continental breakfast.

  The snow had stopped falling and the sun was shining. Mountainous snow banks lined the roads and parking lots where snow-clearing vehicles were hard at work removing the record precipitation. Trees strained at the weight of the snow and ice that had formed on their branches. It was a veritable winter wonderland though as people set about enjoying the blanket of white: kids on sleds, cars with ski-racks full of skis and others with trailers carrying snowmobiles heading for the hills and trails. For others, it was not as much fun as they laboured with shovels to clear sidewalks and driveways. Those more fortunate had snow blowers to help with the manual labour.

  He called home an hour later after returning to his room, knowing his assistant always came in before 8:00 a.m. She greeted him enthusiastically and updated him on things going on in the hotel. A large group had booked a conference in April, which was good news as it is a good money-maker for hotels.

  Kyle called Alex to update him on the situation, telling him about the failed attempt to rescue Carmen and the fortunate appearance of Alberto. He also told him about the planned raid on Lorenzo’s house.

  “Seems like Alberto wants to end this once and for all,” Kyle said. “He blames Lorenzo indirectly for his father’s death and for his sister’s recruitment into prostitution. His mother's abduction was the last straw.”

  “Can’t blame the guy really,” said Alex.

  “I plan to call you late this evening to get a trace on Lorenzo’s phone to confirm where he is.”

  “OK,” said Alex. “I’ll be standing by.”

  “Great, talk to you later.”

  Thirteen

  Alberto called to advise Kyle that they were able to get Carmen on the JetBlue 7:00 a.m. flight tomorrow morning routing through Fort Lauderdale to San José. They had picked up all the arsenal from Luke and were ready to launch the raid. Lorenzo normally left the office around 6:00 p.m., but the time varied. Sometimes, he would go to one of his clubs to eat and in that event, got home anywhere from 8 - 10:00 p.m. Alberto said he wanted to plan the raid for after midnight, which made sense to Kyle as there would be fewer people around.

  “Did you hear from Lorenzo yet?” Kyle asked.

  “Yeah, he called me. He’s really pissed.” Alberto chuckled. “I told him it was me who rescued you and Carmen and that I was going after him next.”

  “What was his reaction to that? Was that a good idea to alert him? Take away the element of surprise? He will probably double up on security.”

  “You’re probably right, but I wanted him to sweat a bit.”

  “Part of the psychological game, I guess,” said Kyle.

  “We’ve modified the plan a little,” said Alberto. “I have the loan of two snowmobiles, so we plan to launch a simultaneous attack on the front and the back of the building. You and Ruben will drive the Skidoos along the lake shore to the rear of his property and I will launch the attack through the front gate.”

  “What do they have as security along the lakefront?” Kyle asked.

  “Not much. The iron fence goes all around the property with a small gate for people access and a larger one for hauling boats onto shore. It will be difficult to open these gates due to the accumulation of snow. The boathouse is the best means of access because there is a man door. We have snowshoes for you to get around once you get through the door–I’m sure being from Canada you are familiar with them.”

  “Yes,” said Kyle. “We had a cottage north of Ottawa where we used to go Skidooing, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.”

  “Great. Ruben has had experience with them also during his militia training, so you are the best ones for the rear assault. I will wait until you are both in place near the rear of the house before I blow the gate.”

  “Sounds good,” said Kyle. “Where do we access the lake?”

  “There is a boat ramp about 5 km south of the property where you will access the lake.”

  “I hope this isn’t a silly question,” said Kyle, “but is the ice thick enough for the weight of the Skidoos?”

  Alberto chuckled. “Yes, plenty thick enough for several kilometres from the shore. If it hadn’t snowed recently, you probably would have found several snowmobile trails along the shore.”

  “Thanks for the reassurance,” said Kyle.

  “I also have arctic riot gear for all of us. They have pads over most of the body that will repel small arms fire and are white, so easier to blend in with the landscape.”

  “That’s good to know,” said a relieved Kyle. “You seem to have thought of everything.”

  “Luke was a great help in getting us all the equipment and ordinance,” said Alberto. “Wouldn’t have been able to do this without him.”

  “So, when are we grouping for the raid?” asked Kyle.

  “Ruben will pick you up at your hotel at 11:00 p.m. with one of Luke’s trucks and the trailer with the Skidoos. You will both drive to the boat ramp and unload the Skidoos and don your gear. It will take about 20 - 30 minutes to get to the property–you’ll be breaking trail because a shit-load of snow fell yesterday. Ruben has a GPS, so it won’t be any trouble finding the property.”

  The amount of planning that had gone into the raid impressed Kyle, giving him confidence in seeing a positive outcome–for them, not Santini.

  * * * *

  Kyle called Alex and asked for a location on Lorenzo’s phone.

  “The phone is located at his lake
shore residence, but that doesn't necessarily mean he is.”

  “Good enough for me,” Kyle said. He thought about calling Lorenzo on a pretext to make sure that he was at his phone, but decided against it.

  Kyle was ready and waiting in the hotel lobby when he saw the Dodge Ram Crew-Cab drive up towing a trailer carrying two snowmobiles side by side. His boots crunched on the snow as he reached for the door handle, opened the door and climbed into the truck.

  “Buenos Noches,” he said to Ruben.

  “Buenos Noches,” Ruben replied. “Ready?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Kyle replied. “Did we get confirmation that Lorenzo is at his residence?”

  “Yes, we did… and he is there.”

  Kyle was experiencing feelings of trepidation and anxiety; normal when one is about to embark on a venture from which you may not survive. As much pre-planning you may do, there is always the unexpected; the unplanned; the unrealized. Even with protective equipment, it does not cover all the body and a stray shot to an unprotected area could seriously hurt or kill you. However, once the plan is in full operation, the adrenalin rush takes over and razor-sharp senses with lightning-fast reactions replaces any fears.

  Ruben turned into the park where the boat launch ramp was located, the big off-road tires ploughing through the deep snow throwing rooster-tails of the soft white substance from each wheel. Two tracks appeared behind them as they made their way to the ramp. Ruben stopped and they both got out. The park, not being in use now, had the parking lot lighting turned off, and they fumbled their way in the dark using their LED flashlights. Ruben released the tilt on the trailer and started one of the powerful Skidoos. He backed it into the parking lot and let it idle there for a moment while he retrieved the other Skidoo. As the snowmobiles were warming up, Ruben and Kyle donned their arctic and riot gear suits. Looking much like the Michelin Man, they slung their MP5s over their shoulders and pocketed their Sig Sauers. Ruben slung the AK-74 with the attached grenade launcher over his other shoulder and sat astride one of the Skidoos. He had attached the Garmin GPS unit, pre-programmed with Lorenzo’s residence, to the Skidoo. The glow of the screen lit up Ruben’s face when he turned it on. Engaging the drive, he slowly made his way through the deep snow to the ramp. Kyle straddled the other Skidoo and followed in Ruben’s tracks.