by Rusty Kontos
kind of life we will be sharing together.” Nick paced back and forth, trying to choose the right way of telling Mary that he belonged to the Mafia, without revealing too much. “You remember the guy that was shot to death a few days ago?”
“You mean that gangster by the name of Colosimo?”
“Yes, I mean him.”
“Well, what’s that got to do with you, Nick? The papers say he was a Mafia leader.”
“That’s right, Mary. He belonged to it and so do I. He was my boss. Well, the guy that’s the leader now, he had him killed by a cheap punk he brought from New York. I was next in line for lieutenant and that punk got it instead of me.”
“What do you mean, you were to be a lieutenant, Nick?”
“You see, we have ranks, just like they do in Uncle Sam’s army. Only it is a little different. We do not have sergeants. We have what we call button and runner men instead of corporals. Then there are the
capos. They are all over the button and runner men. The highest rank you can get is lieutenant. After that, Don. That means chief, leader, or what some people call a Godfather. No matter what he is called, he is the head of the Families that reign over certain territories in their state.”
Mary sat there very quietly, without saying a word, as Nick went on telling her that all he had to do was wait and do his job, and in a short time, he would make his place at the top. He would become a Mafia Don. Mary sat there stunned at his words, as he went on. To her he was like a different man. It was as if he had a twin. One, a kind, good, gentle loving man; the other, a ruthless, cunning, coldblooded killer.
When Nick had finished, he asked Mary if she could live his kind of life. She looked at him, and all she could see was the man she was in love with. She closed her mind to the other Nick, agreeing to follow him no matter what kind of life he led. Then Nick took her into his arms and they kissed. Nick had a reputation in the street with the women he dated. As one man had put it, Nick laid every broad he took out. However, with Mary, it was different. He never tried to touch her sexually. He respected her, and loved her, for she was to be his wife, and to him, Mary’s virginity was something very sacred.
When he would feel himself starting to get too excited, he would push Mary away, telling her it was
time for them to go in. But on this warm spring night, his desires became too great. As Nick kissed her, he lost all control. The passion of burning desire overpowered his brain. Mary did not try to stop him either. She, too, felt the same overpowering urge for a sexual release. When their lips touched this time, there was no stopping for them. Nick lowered Mary gently to the floor of the roof. He opened the front of her dress, exposing her firm, well-rounded breasts. Gently, he kissed them, making the nipples become hard and stand up. A sensation, like sparks of electricity, ran through her body and throbbed for satisfaction as she begged Nick to take her and satisfy their sexual hunger. Mary could feel the blood gorging its way through the veins of Nick’s penis as he started to enter into her. Then he gently thrust his body forward. As he did, Mary gave a little cry of pain as her hymen broke. Nick didn’t stop, instead he thrusted harder, pushing his way deeper inside her and making their bodies join together as one. Mary’s pain passed very quickly. Now a wave of hot burning fire, of passion, swept through her body as she thrusted her body in perfect harmony with Nick’s body. Then like a burst of a huge wave from the sea, they both reached a climax together, leaving them limp and exhausted. Then they lay in each other’s arms, still feeling the joy of their fulfillment.
After that first night of their sexual union, they had sex together almost every night. As the years went by, things were going just as Nick had said they would for him. The night he had told Mary of his plans was late June, 1924. Nick’s big boss, Johnny Torrio, had been sent to prison the month before. When his top man, Al Capone, tipped off the Feds, they raided one of his breweries while he was inside it. Torrio was sent to prison by the government to serve a nine-month term. This put Capone at the top, in Torrio’s place. Capone made Nick his lieutenant, and Nick knew that it was just a matter of time when he would be boss, and Capone would be out. Nick still hadn’t made Mary his wife. He wanted to, but his first goal in life was to become Don.
A year later, in 1925, Nick decided not to make Mary wait for marriage any longer. On the night Nick went over to Mary’s house to give her a ring and set a date for their wedding, he put it off once more because on that night Mary’s mother died of typhoid. Mary became withdrawn after her mother’s death. She kept to herself in her apartment for weeks, never seeing anyone except Nick. Nick had a large monument made for Mama Mannellio’s grave. It stood fifteen feet high and was made of white marble. It was a statue of an angel. He had it made and sent all the way from Rome.
Nick bought sixty acres of land on the outside of town, where he had a thirty-room mansion built in the center of it. It looked like an old Civil War plantation with its tall white pillars. A flagstone wall
circled around the sixty acres, reaching nearly twelve feet high. He had it built for Mary and was going to give it to her on their wedding day. Nevertheless, Nick knew Mary had to get out of that apartment, for there were too many memories of her mother there.
Therefore, after a few months, he talked Mary into moving. They still were not married, but they lived
together as man and wife.
Capone was in full power of his Family, but not the city. He was at war with the Irish mobs. They had turned the streets of Chicago into a bloody battlefield. The two Mr. Bigs were fighting to see who was to run the city’s booze business, fighting to see who was to be king of the hill. Both sides were losing men every day from their bloody battles in the streets, restaurants, and alleys. Nick had all he could take, just trying to stay alive.
Nick wasn’t giving Mary as much of himself as he had in the past. Mary was alone most of the time. Although she was beginning to have her doubts of Nick ever marrying her, she still went on in her misery, pretending nothing was wrong between them, and that she was Nick’s wife. Nick did find time to take her out to a small restaurant twice a week by the name of Martino’s. Nick took Mary there to have dinner. He had other reasons for going there. Nick had known the Martino’s since he was a boy. Joseph and his wife, Anna, treated and loved Nick like their own two sons, Benedict, who was called Benny for short, and Christopher, their youngest son. Once, Nick and Benny had been very close friends. Since they had grown up, they were not as close any more. Benny, like his father, hated the Mafia and its business of crime. Nevertheless, for Nick, it had become a way of life. Joe didn’t approve of the life Nick had chosen, but he still treated him the same. The youngest son, Chris, idolized Nick. He wanted to be just like Nick. He wanted money and power. He wanted to be a big shot, not a waiter and a dishwasher for the rest of his life.
Nick was trying to get Joe to buy booze from Capone. Joe refused to have anything to do with selling or buying booze in his place. Therefore, Nick left him alone out of friendship and he made it clear to Capone and his men that old Joe was to be left alone. The Irish mob from across town wasn’t about to give up on trying to get Joe to buy booze.
One evening, Nick took Mary to Martino’s for dinner. Nick and Mary were seated at a table when old Joe came over to them and sat down. Joe was a short man, very thin and frail. His curly hair was a silver white color. His eyes were very small and a deep brown, almost black color. He spoke with a heavy Italian accent. Joes’ olive tanned face had a worried, troubled look on it as he said to Nick:
“Nicky, I must speak with you.”
“Sure, Joe. What’s on your mind?”
“I must speak only to you.”
“Okay, where can we be alone?”
“We go to back room. There we can speak alone, very private.” Nick got up from the table with Joe and followed him to the back. Mary was sitting alone at the table as Benny watched her. He had been in love with Mary since the first day he saw her. However, he knew that she belonged to
Nick and he
didn’t want any trouble with Nick, so he kept his true feelings to himself. Mary saw him staring at her from behind the counter. She called to Benny, asking him to come to the table and join her. Benny’s heart leaped with joy for a chance to be alone with her, only if for a few minutes until Nick came back. They smiled at each other for a moment, and then started talking. It was small talk mostly, little everyday things.
Joe closed the door behind Nick. Then he handed a piece of paper he held in his hand to Nick. “Nicky,
they want me to buy their dirty whiskey and sell it to my nice-a customers that don’t drink. They say if I no do it, they will kill my son Chris. Nicky, you know these scums of the earth. They will do what they say they will. Nicky, I beg of you, don’t let them do this terrible thing. Please don’t let them kill my Chris. I will be in your debt, if you can do this for me. I come
to you because you have the power to stop them and you are a friend-a to us all.”
Nick stood there, silent for a moment as he watched the old man with tears in his eye kneel down and take Nick’s hand in his and kiss it. Nick reached down to the old man, pulling him up as he said, “Joe, you don’t have to kneel down to me. I’m not a Godfather. I am your friend and I will do whatever I can to help Chris. I also swear to you a personal vendetta to the one whose hand harms Chris in any way. This I promise you, Joe.”
“Thank you, Nicky. I pray that God watches over us.” Nick returned to the table where Mary and Benny were still sitting together. Nick sat down next to Mary, facing Benny.
“Mary, I have to go somewhere – its business, so I can’t take you home. I’m sorry, honey. I will see you at home later tonight. Maybe tomorrow we can spend some time together.”
Mary sat there, her face solemn with disappointment. Nick turned to Benny, asking, “Benny, do me a favor. Take Mary home for me, will you?”
“Sure Nick, I will see to it she gets home alright.”
“Thanks pal. Look, I have to go. I got a lot of things to take care of.” Nick got up from the table. He bent over and gave Mary a kiss on the cheek, then went out the front door to where his car was parked just outside the front of the restaurant.
Nick got in, started his car and drove away in a hurry. He was about fifteen minutes away from the restaurant, on his way to pick up some of his men. When he looked up into his rear-view mirror, he saw a shadow move in the back seat. Nick quickly drew his gun. Then he slammed on his brakes. The sudden stop threw something heavy to the floor of the car. Nick turned his body around to face the back seat of the car. Then he clicked the safety on his gun as he said, “Come up with your hands up, so I can see them, and they better be empty.”
The hands of a man came up from behind the seat. Then a familiar voice said, as the rest of him appeared facing Nick’s gun, “Don’t shoot, Nick, it’s me, Chris.”
Nick’s face held a look of sudden surprise, and a little bit of angry annoyance. “What in the hell are you doing here? Don’t you know I could have killed you just now?”
“Gee Nick, don’t be mad. I just wanted to come along with you.”
“Well you can’t come along.”
“Aw, come on, Nick, let me go with you. I won’t get in your way. After all, it’s my ass they’re after and I have a right to stand up for myself, don’t I?”
“Yeah, sure kid, but not this time.”
“I wish people would stop calling me a kid.”
“Okay, Chris, so you’re not a kid. So get your ass up front with me and stop acting like one. I’ll take you with me as far as Johnny Gallucio’s place and you will stay there. To make sure you do, I will leave one of the boys to keep an eye on you. I am trying to keep these guys from putting a bullet between those two big, beautiful brown eyes of yours. And if that happens, what good are you to me dead?”
“You mean you want me to be one your guys, Nick?”
“Sure I do. Why the hell do you think I am sticking my neck out for ya?”
“Okay, Nick, I’ll do whatever you say. You’re the boss. And thanks, Nick.”
A few moments later, as they headed for Johnny Gallucio’s, Chris noticed something. “Hey Nick, that car back there. It looks like it’s following us.”
“Yes, I know. I have been watching it for some time now. I wanted to be sure it was tailing us before I did anything about it.”
“Who do you think it is, Nick?”
“I don’t know, but we will soon see. Hang on, Chris, I’m gonna try to shake ‘em. Nick made a sharp turn of the wheel, causing the car to make a U-turn in the middle of the street. The car behind them did the same thing. Nick pushed the gas pedal to the floor. He came to a side street, and then he made a sharp turn to the left. The other car stayed right with them.
The other car came up alongside of Nick’s car. Nick saw he was fast approaching a single-lane bridge. The other car started to crowd him. It became a battering ram as is smashed against Nick’s car, making Nick fight the wheel fiercely to keep control of the car. The sound of squealing tires, and metal scraping against metal was the only noise that filled the dark, deserted street.
Chris felt the fear of being scared to death. Beads of sweat dampened his forehead as he cried out to Nick in panic, “They are gonna kill us, Nick!”
“No, they aren’t. Shut up and listen to me. When I tell you to jump, open your door and jump. You got
that?”
“Yeah, sure, Nick. When you say jump, I jump.”
Nick’s car went roaring out of control as it left the road. As it came to the embankment, next to the bridge, Nick yelled over to Chris, “NOW! JUMP!”
In that split second, Nick flung open his door and hurled his body out, freeing himself from its path as
he hit the ground, landing on his shoulder. He felt an agonizing pain shoot through his body. Chris had tried to jump when Nick had told him to, just before he had jumped to safety. However, in Chris’ panic, his coat sleeve became caught on the door handle. A small strap attached to the cuff of his coat sleeve was holding Chris. In a split second, he ripped the strap from his sleeve. He flung open the door to jump, but it was too late. The car had plunged itself down the embankment, flipping end over end, like a broken cartwheel bouncing in midair. The force from the falling car crashing downward thrust Chris back into the front seat, his hand still clinging to the outside of the door. He hung on in an attempt to pull himself up again, but the door slammed shut, crushing and pinning his hand to the frame. Then the violent force of the falling car hurled his body through the windshield, thus ripping and severing off his arm from the rest of his body. The car came to a crashing halt at the bottom of the embankment. It rested itself on a slab of cement that had been laid for the construction of a new road running under the bridge.
Nick had fallen in some bushes. Pain shot through his shoulder in a constant throb. He wanted to cry out from his pain, but he held his agony back. Suddenly, he heard the sounds of car doors slamming and men’s voices coming from above him not more than fifteen feet or so. He crouched himself down as far in the bushes as he could get. He lay on his stomach as still as he could be, trying to listen and make out who and how many there were. Nick could barely make out who they were when they stepped in front of the headlights of the car. He was sure it was only two men. Then he recognized their voices and names as the spoke. The big red-haired man was George Moran, better known as Bugs. The other man was a skinny little man called Rat, because facially he looked like a rat. He had a very pointed nose and chin with beady little black eyes. His real name was James Dunnaven. Nick listened to what they were saying, his heart pounding like a hammer.
“Hey, Rat, see anything?”
“Nah, Bugs, ain’t no way they could have lived through a crash like that.”
“We gotta make sure, Rat. Mr. O’Banion wouldn’t like it if we don’t make sure Colletti’s dead. Let’s look down at the bottom. The bodies might still be in the car.”
“Okay, Bugs!”
&
nbsp; The two men started down the hill. Nick’s heart began pounding in his chest with wild fear like an animal. He knew if they came any closer to him, they were sure to see him. Nick reached in his coat for his gun.
“Damn! I must have lost it when I jumped,” he whispered in a low voice to himself.
Nick thought he was done for, when all of a sudden the two men stopped. Then he heard Rat say, “Hey,
Bugs! Wait a minute, there’s a car coming. Whatta we do now?”
“Get the hell out of here, that’s what. It might be cops or some of Colletti’s men.”
“But what about Colletti? And what do we tell the Boss?”
“Forget about Colletti for now. We can read about it in the paper. As for the Boss, we tell him the truth.”
Nick heard them climb back up the hill, get into their car and drive off. He let out a sigh of relief as he got to his feet. He started calling out to Chris. “Hey, Chris, you okay? Hey, kid, answer me. It’s okay, those bastards are gone now. Come on now, answer me. It’s Nick!”
Nick started down the embankment to where the car lay in a crumpled heap of twisted metal and broken glass. His eyes filled with a sickening shock of horror. Dangling in front of him, like a piece of dead beef hanging on a hook in a butcher shop, was Chris’ arm. Dripping blood in a steady drip, drip, drip as it swayed back and forth in the wind, still wedged in the front door frame of the car. The entire front seat and hood of the car was covered with blood. Then he looked down to the front of the car. He saw what was left of Chris’ body. Chris’ skull was severed from the rest of his body. Divided like a broken eggshell. The top half of his skull with hair and flesh still intact was hanging to the bumper of the car. The boy’s brains, strung out of his head like jelly. One of his eyes had been torn out of its socket and was barely hanging by a thin strand of flesh. Blood was gushing out of the severed arteries, causing them to throb up and down, spurting out blood as they jumped. Part of the socket bone that once held his arm in place protruded through the middle of the throbbing, bloody arteries.
